Tag: Ukraine

US confirms 3,000 North Korean troops are training in Russia

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U.S. officials confirmed that North Korea has sent a bevy of soldiers to Russia, the first step toward what the Pentagon has said would mark a “dangerous” escalation in the war with Ukraine.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shared the assessment Wednesday morning while traveling in Rome, becoming the first member of the Biden administration to do so.

The White House later offered more details, saying that around 3,000 North Korean troops sailed to the Russian port of Vladivostok earlier in October and are now training across three military sites in the east.

“What exactly they’re doing will have to be seen,” Austin told a group of traveling press.

South Korean defense and intelligence officials have reported for weeks that Pyongyang intended to send troops to Russia, the latest step in a burgeoning partnership that began after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration avoided commenting on the assessment until Wednesday as the government separately confirmed the intelligence.

As Austin’s comment showed, the most immediate theme from American officials was uncertainty. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House said it knew why the soldiers were in Russia, what North Korea was getting in return or whether they would fight in Ukraine.

If that last concern proves true, White House spokesperson John Kirby said, they would be “fair game” for the Ukrainian military.

Russia has suffered huge casualties in recent months while making steady gains in Ukraine’s east, losing more than 1,000 troops a day and surpassing 600,000 total casualties since 2022, American officials have said.

“This is certainly a highly concerning probability: After completing training, these soldiers could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military,” Kirby said, noting that the U.S. has briefed the Ukrainian government on its intelligence.

Austin traveled unannounced to Kyiv earlier this week in his fourth and likely last trip to Ukraine as secretary. While there, he spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and unveiled another $400 million package of military aid, the second such tranche within a week.

North Korea and Russia have had a distant relationship dating back to the end of the Cold War, but have moved closer in the last two years. The two countries’ leaders have met together, including in a rare trip by Kim Jong Un outside his country to visit Vladimir Putin.

U.S. officials cast the news as a sign of “desperation” from Russia, particularly if North Korean troops joined the fight. The description has become familiar for the Biden administration, which didn’t anticipate how the war in Ukraine would realign American adversaries such as Iran, which alongside North Korea has also sent weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.

North Korea has shipped over 16,500 containers of munitions and related material to Russia since last fall, U.S. and European officials have said.

“This is an indication that [Putin] may be even in more trouble than most people realize. But, again, he went tin cupping early on to get additional weapons and materials from the DPRK and then from Iran. And now he’s making a move to get more people,” Austin said, using the initialism for North Korea’s government.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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10/24/2024
Donated Aussie Abrams tanks to receive baptism of fire in Ukraine

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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Some have predicted the demise of heavy armored vehicles on future battlefields, but Australian defense officials, in words and actions, are underscoring the enduring relevance of the main battle tank.

On Oct. 17, Australia pledged to gift 49 second-hand M1A1 AIM Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This came just weeks after a first batch of new M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams replacements arrived in Australia from the U.S.

Australia never utilized its 59 M1A1 Abrams in combat, but they will soon be used in anger against Russian invaders in Ukraine. Boasting a 120mm main gun, thick armor and advanced sensors, older Abrams still remain a formidable battlefield weapon, whether in Ukraine or the Asia-Pacific region.

“There are no other current or emerging technologies – or combination of technologies – that can yet deliver the capability currently provided by a main battle tank,” an Australian Department of Defence spokesperson told Defense News.

Brigadier James Davis, the Australian Army’s director general of Future Land Warfare, told Defense News that crew skills – “the basics of warfare, camouflage, concealment” – remain as important as ever amid the advent of loitering munitions and similar threats.

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“That’s how Western armored vehicles – and Australian armored vehicles – crewed by Western crews and Australian crews, are going to survive on the battlefield; a combination of training, tactics, technology and systems,” he said.

The tank donation to Kyiv, worth approximately A$245 million (US$164 million), will “bolster the armed forces of Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion,” Canberra said.

Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy commented, “These tanks will deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian armed forces, and complement the support provided by our partners for Ukraine.”

In response to the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted, “I’m especially grateful for Australia’s brave decision to provide 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks for our defense against Russian aggression.”

American permission was required for this handover, but Ukrainian crews are already familiar with the platform after the U.S. promised to donate 31 M1A1 SA Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023. Perhaps half have been destroyed to date.

Australia will retain ten M1A1 tanks, and these will assist in the transition to its own fleet of M1A2s. Under Project Land 907, approved in January 2022, the Australian Army is receiving 75 M1A2 SEPv3 tanks, 29 M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles, 17 M1074 Joint Assault Bridges and six additional M88A2 armored recovery vehicles.

Under the Australian military’s restructure announced in 2023′s Defence Strategic Review, the Army’s 3rd Brigade in Townsville will be the sole repository of this heavy-armor influx.

To date, Australian military assistance for Ukraine is valued at more than A$1.3 billion, and it includes Bushmaster protected vehicles, M113AS4 armored personnel carriers and M777 howitzers.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

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10/23/2024
Ukrainian prosecutor general resigns amid scandal over draft exemptions

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Andriy Kostin steps down after corruption scheme involving false disability diagnoses for draft exemptions is uncovered.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has announced his resignation amid a scandal involving dozens of officials alleged to have abused their position to receive disability status and avoid military service.

In early October, it emerged that dozens of public prosecutors in the western region of Khmelnytskyi had falsely been awarded disability permits and were receiving special pensions.

Kostin said on Tuesday he was taking responsibility for the scandal and announced his resignation. He called the situation around the false disability diagnoses “clearly amoral”.

“In this situation, I believe it is right to announce my resignation from the position of prosecutor general,” Kostin said.

The announcement followed a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council.

After the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree to dismantle the current system of medical and social commissions responsible for registering individuals as disabled by the end of the year, eliminating a loophole that allowed draft evasion through bribery.

‘Hundreds’ of cases

After the scandal erupted earlier this month, Kostin ordered an investigation, which he said had discovered the number of prosecutors in the Khmelnytskyi region with disabilities was 61, and that 50 of them had been registered disabled before the war.

“It is very important to establish why they were granted disability status, because the share of such employees in Khmelnytskyi region is very high,” he said.

The chief prosecutor’s resignation still needs to be approved by parliament, where Zelenskyy’s party holds a majority. Following the president’s public call for accountability, it is widely expected that parliament will endorse it.

In his evening address, Zelenskyy told the nation that such corruption extended much wider than just to prosecutors.

“There are hundreds of such cases of obviously unjustified disabilities among customs, tax, pension fund and local administration officials,” he said.

“All of this needs to be dealt with thoroughly and promptly,” he said. The whole process must be digitalised, he added, saying that currently “people who have received a real disability, particularly in combat, often cannot get the appropriate status and fair payments”.

The Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) had earlier issued a statement saying 64 officials within the Medical and Social Expert Commissions had been notified they were being investigated for illegally issuing disability certificates.

“Another nine people have already been convicted,” the SBU said in their statement, adding that 4,106 disability certificates “were cancelled”.

Mobilisation in Ukraine is a hotly contested and controversial issue that has polarised society after a large-scale military recruitment drive earlier this year to bolster Ukraine’s struggling forces as they fight against Russia’s invasion. Since the president signed a renewed mobilisation law in April 2024, men between the ages of 25 and 60 are now eligible. Previously, the range was 27 to 60.

Soldiers have reported difficult conditions including relentless days of heavy fire without relief due to a lack of reinforcements. Front-line troops have shared with the media that they have been moving from one battle to the next with minimal rest.

Prosecutions for desertion from Ukraine’s army are thought to have hit at least 30,000 already this year. This is several times the number in 2022, the year the war began when citizens and foreigners voluntarily poured into the military.

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10/23/2024
Pentagon chief unveils $400 million in Ukraine aid during Kyiv visit

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on Monday, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and unveiled a package of $400 million in security aid — the second such package within a week.

The assistance includes artillery and other munitions, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons like the shoulder-launched Javelin system.

Austin announced the aid in a meeting with Zelenskyy, who last week outlined a proposal to end the war.

This “victory plan,” as Zelenskyy calls it, would require enduring Western support, particularly NATO membership and the long-term commitment of security aid. The U.S. has so far resisted issuing an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance, along with another top priority for Kyiv: the permission to fire Western weapons deep into Russian territory.

In a social media post after the meeting with Austin, Zelenskyy said that the two discussed air defense and “the expansion of long-range weapon use against Russian military targets.” In a $425 million package announced last week, the White House committed to sending “hundreds” of vital air defense interceptors in the coming months.

Despite such support, Zelenskyy’s proposal is a sign of how Ukraine views the state of the war. The Ukrainian president still publicly calls for regaining all territory lost to Russia, going back to the 2014 seizure of Crimea. But as Moscow’s forces steadily advance in eastern Ukraine and reclaim territory lost in Russia’s Kursk province, the future of the war looks increasingly bleak for Kyiv.

In an October briefing, senior Pentagon officials said Russia’s casualties were accelerating in the east and had reached 600,000 throughout the war.

Austin’s trip to Kyiv marks his fourth visit to Ukraine and likely his last as secretary of defense. Aiding Ukraine’s defense has been a signature achievement during his tenure. The U.S. has sent Ukraine over $61 billion in security aid in the last two and a half years, and Austin has helped coordinate the assistance of other countries through a monthly forum held in Ramstein, Germany.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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10/21/2024
Captured Leopard 2 resurfaces at Russia’s main tank factory

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BERLIN — Russia has transported a captured Ukrainian Leopard tank deep into its hinterland to tear it down and analyze its components, an open-source investigation by Defense News shows.

Satellite imagery, footage released by Russian media and other open-source information pinpoint the location of the captured 2A6 tank. The factory, Uralvagonzavod – Ural Wagon Factory, in English – is known as the world’s largest tank producer, reportedly having churned out over 100,000 since World War 2. It is also involved in the production of the most modern tank variants Russia has to offer.

The captured tank appeared in good shape once the tarp covering it during its journey was lifted by workers. On the sides of the turret, anti-drone steel screens – colloquially called “cope cages” – were visible. These additions have become standard on the battlefield in Ukraine as a simple defense against explosive-laden kamikaze drones, which can crack armored vehicles when rammed into weak points.

It’s unclear when and where exactly the Leopard tank was captured by Russian forces. Dutch open-source investigative site Onyx, which keeps track of battlefield losses in the Ukraine war, has identified 13 Leopard 2A6 tanks that the Ukrainian armed forces have lost. Seven have been destroyed, while the rest were damaged.

Located in Nizhny Tagil behind Russia’s Ural Mountains, which form the boundary between Europe and Asia, the factory where the Leopard 2 resurfaced is far from the front line in Ukraine. The vehicle was seen arriving at the facility under the cover of darkness on a flatbed truck, video footage reviewed by Defense News showed.

The Ural Wagon Factory, which produces train cars besides armored vehicles, is one of the largest industrial complexes in Russia. It was built in its present location deep inside Russia at Stalin’s behest during World War 2. At the time, the rapid advance of German forces in their surprise “Barbarossa” invasion necessitated the evacuation of vital wartime industries far away from the Western border of Russia, home to most of the country’s population centers.

The location was likely chosen as the destination for the captured 2A6 Leopard because of its institutional knowledge and role as a high-end tank manufacturer in the Russian military-industrial complex, meaning it houses experienced engineers. Media reports from 2023 showed that the state-owned enterprise was responsible for producing Russia’s modern T-90M and the modernization of T-72B3M main battle tanks.

Defense News was able to geolocate video footage of this upgrade process to the same building where the captured Ukrainian Leopard tank was dropped off.

The plant’s importance was underscored by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit in February of this year. Russian government press releases have hinted that new production capabilities are being added to Uralvagonzavod, and the factory has switched to an around-the-clock work schedule to increase its output for the war effort in Ukraine.

Sensitive technologies?

Russian media gloated at the capture of the Western tank, citing Western industry publications as panicking about classified technologies falling into Moscow’s hands. Articles further goaded that “the unsuccessful use of German tanks in Ukraine could negatively affect the export potential of armored vehicles,” as RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency, put it.

Although over 20 years old, the German-made Leopard 2A6 is still regarded as a competent and modern main battle tank. Its advantages over Russian tanks range from higher crew survivability to the advanced gun, fire control system, different armor, type of shells used, and even the powerful and efficient engine.

Despite some media claims, gladly echoed by Russian state-run outlets, it is unclear whether the tanks delivered to Ukraine from Germany contain more sensitive technologies than those that were built for export to other countries. Some analysts expressed concern that because the tanks came from German Bundeswehr stocks, they may have especially advanced systems on board.

KNDS, the tank’s manufacturer, told Defense News that the company was not concerned about the capture of its technology by Russia.

“It won’t be easy to copy, and Russia is likely to have much of the information already anyway,” a company spokesperson said in an interview. The arms manufacturer further clarified that there is no such thing as an “export version” of the tank, but that orders are tailored to their specific customers’ requirements. The spokesperson, who asked to remain unnamed, could not say whether there were particularly sensitive technologies in the tanks coming from the German armed forces or whether they had been modified before being sent to Ukraine.

“The Russians will likely be able to figure out some things — but what exactly, is hard to say,” the company spokesperson concluded.

The German armed forces did not return a reply for clarification and comment on the specifics of the Leopard 2A6 tank in time for publication.

Germany has provided Ukraine with 18 Leopard tanks of the 2A6 variant, while Portugal has contributed three.

This isn’t the first Leopard 2 that Russia has captured. In April, footage was released of Russian military men analyzing a tank in a field tent that was missing its treads. However, the more recently resurfaced tank appears to be in much better condition, possibly providing insights that Russia was unable to gain previously.

Dozens of Western countries, including many in NATO, use the Leopard 2 tank in various configurations. Finland operates 200 Leopard 2 tanks, of which 100 are of the 2A6 variant. Analyzing its capabilities and limitations could assist Russia in furthering its own domestic technologies but could also provide Moscow’s armed forces with a better understanding of how to defend against and destroy the vehicle.

Russian government outlets have repeatedly said that the Western supply to Ukraine amounted to “playing with fire” and directly involved NATO countries in the conflict, a stance that the Euro-American alliance rejects.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets by the Russian military.

Linus Höller is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He covers international security and military developments across the continent. Linus holds a degree in journalism, political science and international studies, and is currently pursuing a master’s in nonproliferation and terrorism studies.

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10/16/2024
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 958
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As the war enters its 958th day, these are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

Fighting
- At least six people were killed and eight injured after a Russian ballistic missile attack on the port infrastructure of Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said a Panamanian-flagged container ship, the Shui Spirit, was damaged in the attack, the third in the region in the past four days.
- Ukraine’s military said it struck a base in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region where Shahed drones were being stored. A statement by the General Staff said the attack was carried out jointly by naval forces and the SBU intelligence service. There was no official comment from Russia, although emergency services reported a large fire around the location of the alleged attack.
- Ukraine said it also hit a Russian weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region where ammunition for missile and artillery weapons, including those delivered from North Korea, was stored. Bryansk authorities later declared a state of emergency following “detonations of explosive objects”.
- Russia’s air defence units destroyed 47 Ukrainian drones targeting its western regions, the Ministry of Defence said. Regional officials said there were no reports of casualties.
- Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had retaken the villages of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky in its Kursk region after they were captured by Ukraine in a surprise August offensive.
Politics and diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a summit of southeast European leaders in Croatia that there was an “opportunity” to take “decisive action” to end the war in 2025. The Ukrainian president did not spell out how and why he saw such an opportunity.
- Zelenskyy, who is urging Ukraine’s Western allies to allow it to use long-range weapons on military targets deep inside Russia, is due to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in meetings across Europe on Thursday.
- European Union envoys approved a plan to loan Ukraine as much as 35 billion euros ($38bn) backed by frozen Russian central bank assets.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Hungary was putting European security at risk as a result of its close ties with Russia. Speaking at a debate with populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament, von der Leyen took aim at Budapest’s reluctance to join EU partners in helping Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. “The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded,” she said.
- Ukrainian investigators said they arrested 24-year-old Serhiy Gnezdilov, a soldier who fled his army unit in protest over the lack of term limits for long-serving troops, for desertion. Gnezdilov faces as many as 12 years in prison if found guilty.
- A Russian court found Trevor Reed, a former US Marine who was freed in a 2022 prisoner swap, guilty in absentia of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine and handed him a 14.5-year prison sentence. Investigators said Reed had joined Ukraine’s military in July 2023.
- A Russian court sentenced activist Yevgeny Mishchenko to 12 years in a penal colony for allegedly planning to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a banned unit of Russians supporting Ukraine. Mishchenko was one of a handful of volunteers guarding a makeshift Moscow memorial to Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician killed in 2015. The case was based on evidence from a security agent who posed as a volunteer at the memorial and recorded conversations with Mishchenko.
- Ukraine aims to organise a new peace summit by the end of this year and wants Russia to attend this time, Vasyl Bodnar, its ambassador to Turkey said. He ruled out any direct bilateral talks with Moscow at the meeting, saying any discussions were likely to take place through third-party intermediaries.
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10/10/2024
Russia casualties reach 600,000 during war in Ukraine, Pentagon says

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Russia has sustained more than 600,000 casualties during the war in Ukraine, a sign of losses accelerating out of proportion with its gains, Pentagon officials said.

Since the summer, Moscow has continued to take territory in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, including a steady advance toward Pokrovsk, a city at the center of multiple roads that help move people and equipment.

As Russia moves closer to the city, and hits thicker defensive lines, its costs have mounted. This September was its deadliest month during the entire war, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters on a call Wednesday.

“Russian losses, again both killed and wounded in action, in just the first year of the war exceeded the total of all Soviet losses in any conflict since World War 2 combined,” the official said.

Despite western predictions to the contrary, Russia has still been able to sustain an all-out fight two and a half years on. That’s been true despite scores of military equipment lost or damaged, chunks of the government budget redirected toward defense and a smaller mobilization of troops.

This last category is strategically important, given how politically unpopular it would be for the Kremlin to force a larger draft, the official said. So far Russia has been able to recruit more soldiers mostly through higher pensions and pay. The growing losses along the front may challenge that approach.

That said, the rising body count doesn’t augur a victory for Ukraine, which is also taking huge losses. A senior U.S. military official, joining on the call, said the Pentagon expects Russia will continue making “incremental gains” along the front, using its advantage in numbers to cut through the otherwise firm defenses.

“It’s kind of the Russian way of war where they continue to throw mass into the into the problem, and I think we’ll continue to see high losses,” the military official said.

South Korea’s defense minister also warned this week that North Korea will likely send troops to fight alongside Russia — adding to a bevy of military equipment Pyongyang has also donated.

The U.S. defense official wouldn’t comment on multiple questions about whether that will occur.

In addition to the casualties incurred, Russia has seen 32 vessels in its Black Sea naval fleet damaged or destroyed, along with two-thirds of its pre-war stock of tanks, the defense official said. These losses have forced the Kremlin to dredge through warehouses of Soviet-era military equipment to retrofit and then deploy.

This week, U.S. President Joe Biden had planned to host a forum of world leaders supporting Ukraine in Ramstein, Germany — where the Pentagon often gathers a similar group of defense officials. The plans were canceled due to preparations for Hurricane Milton, set to make landfall in Tampa Wednesday. The White House has not yet announced a makeup date.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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10/10/2024
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 904
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As the war enters its 904th day, these are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Saturday, August 17, 2024.

Fighting
- At least two people were killed and more injured after Ukrainian shelling hit a shopping centre in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Russian state news agencies cited local authorities as saying. Earlier, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed governor, said that a series of Ukrainian attacks wounded at least seven people.
- Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine will evacuate residents from five villages and close access to them, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, as the area comes under heavy attack from invading Ukrainian forces.
- The heaviest fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops was reported in the strategic Ukrainian hub of Pokrovsk. Officials said Russian forces were 10km (6.2 miles) from the outskirts of Pokrovsk and about 6km (3.7 miles) from nearby Myrnohrad. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
- Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskii said that Kyiv’s forces were advancing 1-3km (0.6 and 1.8 miles) in some areas in Russia’s Kursk region. Kyiv has claimed to have taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150sq km (444 square miles) in the region since August 6.
- Ukraine’s Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram that aviation was an active part of the operation in Kursk, targeting Russian supply routes and logistics centres. He posted a video of a strike on a bridge.
- Kursk regional Governor Alexei Smirnov later said that Ukraine had destroyed a road bridge over the Seym river in the region’s Glushkovsky district. The strike is hindering civilian evacuations by land, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported, citing local security services. An estimated 20,000 people are reportedly evacuating from the area.
- Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its troops repelled Ukrainian attacks in several areas, including near the villages of Gordeevka, Russkoe Porechnoe and others.
- Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage unit, which was armed with weapons from NATO countries, in the Kursk region, Russia’s RIA state-run media agency reported on Friday, citing unidentified security sources.
Politics and diplomacy
- Ukraine has set up storage facilities in its northern Sumy region to hold and send humanitarian aid to Russian civilians in the Kyiv-held part of Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s Minister of the Interior Ihor Klymenko said.
- Nikolai Patrushev, an influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told the Izvestia newspaper in an interview that the West and the United States-led NATO alliance had helped to plan Ukraine’s surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region. Without “direct support” from the West, Kyiv would not have ventured into Russian territory, he said.
- Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had summoned Italy’s ambassador in Moscow to launch “a strong protest” over what it said was “illegal border crossing” by a team of correspondents from the Italian state broadcaster RAI, who reported from Ukrainian-held parts of Russia’s Kursk region this week.
- Baza, a Telegram channel close to Russian law enforcement, reported that the country’s Interior Ministry was planning to open criminal cases against two RAI journalists for crossing the Russian border.
- The Italian Foreign Ministry told the Reuters news agency that Italy’s ambassador to Russia, Cecilia Piccioni, had explained to the Russian authorities that RAI and its news teams “plan their activities in a totally independent and autonomous way” from the government.
- The US is set to announce more security assistance for Ukraine in the coming days, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told US television news media on Friday. He did not give details.
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08/17/2024
Russia says it eliminated Ukrainian unit, as Kyiv claims advances in Kursk

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Ukrainian official says incursion into Russian territory aims to push Moscow to enter ‘fair negotiation process’.

Russia has said its forces have destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage group in its western region of Kursk, where Kyiv has launched a daring incursion into Russian territory.

The RIA Novosti state-run news agency state-run media agency reported on Friday that the Ukrainian troops were carrying weapons supplied by NATO countries.

“Samples of small arms manufactured by the United States and Sweden have been seized at the liquidation site of a Ukrainian sabotage group near the village of Kremyanoe in the Kursk region,” RIA reported a Russian security official said.

Russia’s state news agency TASS also quoted the country’s defence ministry as saying that Ukraine lost 220 soldiers and 19 armoured vehicles on Friday as Russian forces repelled Ukrainian advances in several areas of Kursk.

However, Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskii said Kyiv’s forces were advancing one to three kilometres in the Kursk region.

Kursk regional governor Alexei Smirnov said Ukraine had destroyed a road bridge over the Seym river in the region’s Glushkovsky district. Russian security officials told TASS that the attack could hinder a continuing evacuation of the frontier district’s roughly 20,000 inhabitants.

The Ukrainian military, which has been battling a Russian invasion since February 2022, launched the Kursk offensive earlier this month. The push has been described as the first incursion by a foreign army into Russia since the second world war.

On Thursday, Ukraine said it captured the Russian town of Sudzha, a strategic natural gas hub in the Kursk region.

Kyiv has stressed that it does not intend to hold on to Russian territory. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine had to force Russia to start talks on Kyiv’s terms.

“We need to inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia,” Podolyak wrote on Telegram. “In the Kursk region, we clearly see how the military tool is objectively used to convince the Russian Federation to enter into a fair negotiation process.”

Al Jazeera’s defence editor Alex Gatopoulos said the Kursk campaign has been an important “morale boost” for Ukraine.

He added that the incursion serves as a message to Russians that their government may not be telling the truth about the war efforts.

“Ordinary Russians are seeing Russian civilians under Ukrainian control, Ukrainian military units on Russian soil, which has been a real shock,” Gatopoulos said.

Nikolai Patrushev, an influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Friday that the West and NATO have helped plan Ukraine’s surprise attack, something Washington has denied.

“Without their participation and direct support, Kyiv would not have ventured into Russian territory,” Patrushev told the Izvestia newspaper.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 after a months-long standoff that saw Moscow demand an end to NATO expansion into former Soviet republics.

Ukrainian forces pushed back successfully against the initial Russian assault that appeared to be aimed at capturing Kyiv. Since then, the fighting has mostly taken place in the eastern regions of the country.

Russia had made slow advances in eastern Ukraine in recent months as the war appeared to turn into a protracted conflict. A Ukrainian counteroffensive last year failed to make significant changes on the battlefield.

On Friday, Russian state news agencies said at least two people have been killed and more injured when Ukrainian shelling hit a shopping centre in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

The US and its Western allies have provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv while imposing heavy sanctions against the Russian economy over the invasion.

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08/16/2024