#European HIMARS Initiative

[mariacallous]

PENTAGON — All 31 U.S.-made M1A1 Abrams tanks promised to Kyiv by the Biden administration have arrived in Ukraine, according to the U.S. military.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, told VOA that all of the Ukrainians who trained on the tanks with U.S. forces in Germany have also returned to Ukraine, along with ammunition and spare tank parts.

“We have lived up to our end of the bargain. From this point forward, it is up to them [Ukraine] to determine when and where they will deliver this capability,” O’Donnell said.

Military officials say it could take time before the Abrams are sent to the battlefield, as Ukrainian troops make sure they have needed support elements in place and determine when and where to use the tanks for greatest effect against Russian forces.

“I think Ukraine will be deliberate in when and where they use it,” O’Donnell said. “The Abrams tank is one hell of an armored vehicle, but it’s not a silver bullet. Ultimately, it's Ukraine's determination to break through that matters most."

The first of the 31 American-made Abrams tanks were delivered to Ukraine late last month, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The delivery came faster than initial estimates and in time for potential use in the final weeks of Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russian forces before winter sets in.

“Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on September 25.

The Abrams will add to other Western tanks already in Ukraine’s arsenal as it fights to reclaim Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions.

The U.S. pledge to donate Abrams tanks earlier this year came alongside a pledge from European nations to deliver German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which Berlin had been unwilling to approve without a similar commitment from the United States.

The United Kingdom was the first country to agree to send Western tanks to Ukraine, pledging its Challenger 2 tanks in January of this year, which arrived in the spring.

British Major Nick Bridges told VOA shortly after the U.K announcement that Challenger 2 tanks can “take multiple hits and stay in the fight,” even as they are considered slower than the Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks.

“The battles in the Ukraine will be slow, and what you need is a heavy tank like a Challenger [2 tank] that can take a hit, and more so than a T-72 [Russian-made tank], which will probably be destroyed after one round,” he told VOA.

Russian forces hit a Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine for what appeared to be the first time last month. Video released at the time showed a badly-damaged tank ablaze, with a Western defense source confirming to news outlets that the tank was indeed a Challenger 2 tank and that all of the crew had survived the attack.

Ukraine has asked for hundreds of Western tanks for its offensive. They have received dozens to date.

Ukraine has intensified a campaign of missile and drone strikes to hit targets deep behind Russian lines, which has placed parts of the occupied Crimean Peninsula under repeated attack.

But with winter approaching, Ukrainian forces have yet to achieve a decisive breakthrough, a concern among Kyiv’s backers that has raised questions about the future of international support.

The Abrams tanks’ arrival in Ukraine comes as the United States provided up to $200 million in additional military aid for Ukraine in a package last week. The Pentagon said the package included weapons for air defense such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, artillery munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, and 155mm and 105mm rounds.

The package marked the 48th time that the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine’s miliary with equipment from U.S. stockpiles, and it was the first since Congress excluded new aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill passed last month to prevent a government shutdown.

The U.S. has provided about $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022.

The Pentagon still has about $5 billion of congressionally approved funding for Ukrainian military aid.

Soon after the stopgap spending bill passed, the House ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position as speaker. The House has yet to vote for a new speaker, and new aid for Ukraine could hinge on who is selected.

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up August 30, 2022

Under the cut:

Ukraine has deployed a fleet of dummy rockets to trick Russian forces into wasting expensive long-range missiles on pointless targets

At least four people were killed and nine others wounded in shelling of central Kharkiv on Tuesday

A Moscow-installed leader of occupied Kherson has reportedly fled to Russia, one day after Kyiv announced it had begun its long-awaited counter attack aimed at taking back the southern region from Russian forces

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine met with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and other members of the organisation’s mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Mikhail Gorbachev -- the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 -- has died at the age of 91

“Ukraine has deployed a fleet of dummy rockets to trick Russian forces into wasting expensive long-range missiles on pointless targets, according to reports.

The decoys are made of wood but look like US-supplied advanced rocket launcher systems when spotted by Russian drones, the Washington Post reports.

At least 10 Russian cruise missiles have reportedly been fired by Moscow’s naval fleet in the Black Sea at the dummy targets, a senior Ukrainian official told the paper.

A source said:

When the UAVs see the battery, it’s like a VIP target.

The initial success of the replicas has left Ukraine to make more of these wooden decoys in a bid to neutralise Russia’s artillery advantage on the battlefield.

In addition, the destruction of Ukraine’s fleet of fake Himars may have been behind Russia’s claims that it has taken out a large number of the systems.”-via The Guardian

~

“At least four people were killed and nine others wounded in shelling of central Kharkiv on Tuesday, according to Oleh Synehubov, the head of the regional military administration.

“All emergency services are working on the spot” to help those injured, Synehubov wrote on his official Telegram channel.”-via CNN

~

“A Moscow-installed leader of occupied Kherson has reportedly fled to Russia, one day after Kyiv announced it had begun its long-awaited counter attack aimed at taking back the southern region from Russian forces.

Kirill Stremousov, who was appointed deputy head of the Russian-backed Kherson military-civilian administration, has published regular video updates to state-owned Russian news outlets and his Telegram account.

But a Ukrainian activist, Serhii Sternenko, has claimed Stremousov is no longer in Kherson and has instead been filming his recent video updates somewhere near the Cathedral of Annunciation in Voronezh in Russia, which can be seen in the background.

Voronezh is almost 500 miles from Kherson and about 120 miles from the border with Ukraine.”-via The Guardian

~

“On Tuesday, 30 August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine met with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and other members of the organisation’s mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

Source: European Pravda, quoting Interfax Ukraine news agency

Details: During the meeting, President Zelenskyy said that the IAEA mission’s visit to the ZNPP is in Ukraine’s interest and stressed that the power plant must be completely demilitarised.

"We want the IAEA mission led by Director [General Rafael] Grossi to be able to get to the [ZNPP] with the help of our special services and security corridors, and [once there] to do everything within their power to prevent global threats," Zelenskyy said.

He stressed the importance of "urgent demilitarisation of the [ZNPP]; withdrawal of all Russian military personnel and their weapons and explosives; liberation of our power plant; creation of a demilitarised zone; and the transfer of control over [ZNPP] to Ukraine."

Previously: A team of international nuclear inspectors from the IAEA arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday, 30 August. Fourteen experts led by the IAEA director general were supposed to embark on the journey to the ZNPP later this week, but it remains unclear whether this will be possible.

Background: The ZNPP appeared to be in the spotlight of global attention in early August when the Russian forces first opened fire on the power plant. Russia has rejected calls to demilitarise the ZNPP and claimed that it had a duty to "protect" it from provocations; it has accused Ukraine of carrying out the attacks on the ZNPP.

The United Nations had agreed to facilitate the IAEA inspectors’ visit to the ZNPP via Kyiv, but Russia insisted that the mission must not travel through Ukraine’s capital.

On 23 August, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister confirmed, in a conversation with his French counterpart Katherine Colonna, that his government had finally approved the visit of the IAEA mission to the ZNPP.

On 25 August, the ZNPP was completely disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid, for the first time in history. On 29 August, Maxar Technologies company published satellite images, which seem to show four large holes in the ZNPP’s roof.”-via Pravda (Ukrainian language source)

~

“Mikhail Gorbachev -- the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 -- has died at the age of 91.

Gorbachev died after a long illness, Russian state news agencies reported. "Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev died this evening after a severe and prolonged illness," the Central Clinical Hospital said, according to RIA Novosti Tuesday. The man credited with introducing key political and economic reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War had been in failing health for some time. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told RIA Novosti. Putin will send a message on Wednesday to Gorbachev's family and friends, RIA Novosti added.”-via CNN

[bikerpoliticalreport]

Biden’s Bling-Bling Diplomacy: Ships 500 Million Dollars Worth of Metal Monsters to Ukraine!

  The Biden government confirmed its decision to deploy up to $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine this Tuesday, a move set to include over 50 heavily fortified vehicles and an impressive supply of air defense system missiles. This support follows an unexpected insurrection in Russia over the weekend. It is seen as an effort to encourage Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which, until now, has been sluggish in its initial phases.

   This marks the 41st occasion since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that the United States, under the authorization of the President, has made substantial provisions of military equipment and weaponry from its reserves for Ukraine. The expedited delivery process under this program underscores the U.S.’s unwavering commitment to its Eastern European ally.

   Though these aid packages typically follow a premeditated design and have recently comprised several essential armaments for frontline combat, it is unlikely that the choice of contents was influenced by the recent uprising led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group. The question remains whether the Ukrainian forces can capitalize on the resulting chaos in the Russian ranks post this fleeting revolt.

   Nonetheless, the incoming shipment of missiles and heavy-duty vehicles could potentially be leveraged by Ukraine as it attempts to exploit the escalating rift between the head of the Wagner Group and the Russian military hierarchy. The extent to which Prigozhin’s mercenaries might withdraw from the conflict remains a topic of speculation.

   Interestingly, these mercenaries had withdrawn from Ukraine to overtake a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They journeyed hundreds of miles towards Moscow, only to retreat after a mere 24 hours last Saturday.

   A statement from the Pentagon has detailed that the U.S. plans to dispatch 30 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 25 armored Stryker vehicles to Ukraine. Additional military support includes missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Patriot air defense systems, Javelin and high-speed anti-radiation (HARM) missiles, demolition weaponry, and other artillery rounds and ammunition varieties.

   The White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton stated that the new package contains “key capabilities” to enhance Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations and fortify its air defenses.

   The Pentagon reported that since the Russian invasion, the U.S. had delivered over $15 billion worth of weaponry and equipment to Ukraine, with an additional $6.2 billion in unidentified supplies yet to be sent. The extra amount of over $6 billion resulted from an accounting mistake, as the military had overestimated the worth of the weaponry it shipped to Ukraine during the past year.

   Beyond this immediate support, the U.S. has also committed to providing over $16.7 billion in long-term funding for various weapons, training, and other equipment through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and nearly $2 billion more in foreign military financing.

   The U.S. still holds $1.2 billion in uncommitted drawdown authority, which will lapse at the end of this fiscal year on Sept. 30. Meanwhile, the remaining $1.9 billion in USAI funds is set to expire only at the end of the next fiscal year, in September 2024.

[cyberbenb]

Von der Leyen: EU pays out 1.5-billion-euro tranche in financial assistance to Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on July 25 that the EU had paid out 1.5 billion euros ($1.65 billion) in macro-financial aid to Ukraine.

This is the sixth payment of 1.6 billion euros under the Macro-Financial Assistance package for Ukraine, which in total amounts to 18 billion euros ($19.9 billion) and is disbursed in monthly tranches.

“Today we paid another 1.5 billion euros, to help keep the state running and repair infrastructure,” von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.

Von der Leyen condemned the Russian strikes on Ukrainian export infrastructure and stated that “as Russia continues its ruthless war, we continue to support Ukraine."

On July 18, von der Leyen said that the EU would continue helping Ukraine to export its agricultural products through “solidarity lanes” after Russia refused to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17.

The EU Commission presented the solidarity lanes in May 2022 to facilitate Ukraine’s agricultural exports, even before Turkey and the U.N. brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July of that year.

Von der Leyen previously announced plans to mobilize up to 50 billion euros for Ukraine between 2024 and 2027.

The EU will distribute the package under the condition that Ukraine implement reforms on the rule of law and address corruption.

AP: US to send Ukraine up to $400 million in additional military aid

The package will include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), Stinger surface-to-air missiles, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, the AP reported, citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court

[newsnigeria]

Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/news-from-nigeria/world-news/polexit-poland-lynchpin/

“Polexit”: Poland As Lynchpin Of Us Central European Strategy

Written by J.Hawk exclusively for Ooduarere via SouthFront

While Donald Trump’s much-awaited visit to Poland in order to meet with Poland’s president Andrzej Duda has been cancelled on account of hurricanes and other domestic emergencies, the substantive aspect planned for that trip appears to have been the subject of an exceedingly brief, 30-45 minute meeting at the Trump Tower (!) in New York City.  The meeting’s brevity suggests most of the points in the declaration were coordinated beforehand at working group level, then forwarded for signature to the respective heads of state. The declaration commits both countries to expanding military cooperation and enlarging US permanent military presence in Poland, but not to the point of stationing even a single combat-ready Brigade Combat Team (BCT) in the country, although the declaration does note the two sides will work toward the goal of eventual basing of one armored BCT in Poland.

In the meantime, the expanded US military presence in Poland will amount to a UAV squadron, most likely armed with Reaper drones, a forward-deployed divisional headquarters in Poznan, basing arrangements for a tactical fighter wing and associated support units, expanded joint training arrangements at the Drawsko-Pomorskie base, as well as a special operations facility in Lubliniec, the home to Poland’s special operations establishment. It is not clear whether there are any confidential aspects to the agreement, nevertheless, it is evident both United States and the current Polish government seek to turn Poland into a US “Trojan horse” in the midst of the European Union.

The cordon sanitaire aspect of the US efforts also consists of establishing a loose alliance of countries in Central Europe that would be closely bound to the United States and isolated from Russia and China. Hence the US support for the Three Seas Initiative and associated alternative network of gas pipelines into Central Europe that would compete with North Stream 2 and Turkish Stream.

“What have the Americans ever done for us?”

At the same, the heavy-handed US tactics should not obscure the Polish government’s willing participation in this project of subjugation to US interests. In descending order of importance, Poland’s current rulers are pursuing three objectives:  preserve oneself in power during upcoming elections; elevate Poland’s status within the EU; help expand Poland’s power into Ukraine and Belarus. Dealing with the “Russian threat” is not a genuine Polish concern—if it were, one might actually see an effort to modernize Poland’s military and ensure its combat readiness, whereas the opposite had actually taken place in the last several years. All three of these objectives are facilitated by the appearance of US favor toward Poland.

Trump’s coddling of Duda is being used as part of the ruling Law and Justice Party election campaign in order to legitimize that party’s claim to being the main force in Poland’s politics, with the opposition parties being unable to muster much of an opposition. The most they can do is complain Duda is not doing enough to bring US troops to Poland, which is a weak claim considering the liberal parties have achieved far less. Deference to the United States is so deeply ingrained in Polands’ political culture that few politicians dare question US motives. Moreover, by embracing Trump and US bases the ruling party was able to very effectively counter the liberal opposition’s idiotic knee-jerk claim that somehow Duda and party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski are doing things “Putin would want”. The expanded US military presence in turn allows the ruling party to play the “Russia card” against the opposition, without the opposition being able to respond in kind.

Polexit by Stealth

Should an armored BCT be permanently moved from its cozy German base to a rather less cozy Polish one, it would also mean Warsaw has gained Washington’s favor while Berlin has lost it. It would give Poland a bit of extra clout in its dealings with Germany and France, particularly when it comes to the inevitably divisive negotiations on how to divide the post-Brexit EU financial pie. European Union has been signaling the era of massive subsidies for the post-Communist Eastern European countries is about to come to an end. Poland, being by far the biggest EU welfare sponge of them all, stands to lose the most. And if EU cannot be persuaded to continue the subsidies, perhaps Germany could be induced to throw money at Poland under the guise of World War 2 reparations (an issue which not coincidentally was revived in Poland just as the news of EU funding cuts broke), in order to preserve Poland as an EU member in good standing.

Unfortunately for Germany (and also Poland), de-facto Polexit is exactly what Washington has in mind for Poland and other countries of Eastern Europe, most notably Romania. The unstated aim is to build a new cordon sanitaire separating the European Union from the Eurasian great powers in order to prevent the EU from developing economic, political, and military independence from the United States, and to isolate Russia and China from its trading partners in Europe.

The Price Tag

The importance of Washington’s support for Duda, Kaczynski, and the ruling party is underscored by Poland’s willingness to completely fund the expanded US military presence in Poland, even at the expense of its own military modernization. Polish media outlets have quoted a wide range of figures between several hundred million dollars and even a few billion dollars, and that does not even include the US weaponry the Polish military is buying, such as the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Patriot surface to air missile batteries, and possibly even F-35 fighters. The latter move was a spur-of-the-moment decision made by the ruling party after two MiG-29 fighter crashes caused by the lack of proper maintenance due to the unwillingness to ask Russian firms for help. Panicked, lest the opposition exploit the neglect of the military for political purposes, the ruling party simply announced it will buy about two squadrons of F-35s, without a competition or even price negotiations. Should the sale of the F-35s proceed, it will all but drain Poland’s meager military procurement budget which is already insufficient to carry out a modernization.

But from the political perspective the F-35 buy and the bases are well worth the cost. The ruling party gets a de-facto “get out of jail free” card which will allow it to flaunt democratic norms in the future without so much as a furrowed brow in Washington. Had it not committed itself to costly arms purchases or the hosting of US forces, it is rather likely Poland’s government would have found itself under withering criticism from Washington which the opposition liberal parties would instantly embrace as proof of Law and Justice’s unfitness for power. Whether Poland will benefit from US political patronage in the internal EU power struggles remains to be seen, though the likelihood of that is rather low. United States is at the moment more interested in bending Germany to its will through the threats of sanctions on North Stream 2 and undermining its prestige by withdrawing or threatening to withdraw US forces than actually helping Poland. Tellingly, no progress was made on the one issue of interest to the average Polish citizen, namely the question of visa-free travel to the United States. Like his predecessors, Duda had to content himself with promises this issue remains a “priority.”

Prelude to Ukrainian Endgame?

The expansion of US military infrastructure and actual military presence in Poland may be a sign that the United States is nearing its endgame in Ukraine and is no longer considering that country as the easternmost member of its anti-Russia and anti-China cordon sanitaire. That does not mean the US economic warfare against Russia will suddenly come to an end, or that training missions to Yavorov will cease. But it does seem to suggest Ukraine is no longer considered the future lynchpin of US strategy in Central Europe in the way it was only a few years ago. Instead, Poland is occupying that niche, though at great cost to its treasury and political institutions.

Your Move, Brussels

It remains to be seen how the EU will react to this very overt driving of wedges into the already rickety union. The recent discussion in Germany and France on increasing military spending and even creating a European army should not necessarily be viewed as aimed solely or even mainly against Russia. They also have a role to play in preserving French and German influence in Central Europe which Washington seeks to squeeze out. While it is too early to predict how and whether EU will react, it would be ironic indeed if the final impetus toward the creation of the European super-state came not from Europe’s designated adversary, Russia, but from the supposedly friendly United States.

“Polexit”: Poland As Lynchpin Of US Central European Strategy

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up July 20, 2022

Under the cut:

Russian missile strikes kill three in Kharkiv, including a 13-year-old boy

The EU accuses Russia of blackmail over gas supplies

Russia may seek to occupy more territory in Ukraine, says foreign minister Lavrov

The US will provide four more precision rocket systems to Ukraine

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense is going to hand over additional M113 and M577 armored personnel carriers, as well as ammunition, to Ukraine

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska asked the United States to send air defense systems to her country in an address to lawmakers in the US Congress in person in Washington, D.C.

“Russian missile strikes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed a 13-year-old boy as he waited at a bus stop on Wednesday, according to local officials.

Reuters photojournalists captured the boy’s father kneeling next to his covered body while holding his hand.

Rescue workers carried away another body on a stretcher and a nearby mosque was badly destroyed.

According to Oleh Synehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, three people were killed in Kharkiv on Wednesday – the teenager plus a man and a woman.

It was unclear if all three died at the bus stop together.

He said the dead teenager’s 15-year-old sister had also been wounded but did not give their names.”-via The Guardian

~

“The European Union has set out emergency plans to reduce its gas use amid fears Russia could cut off its supply in winter.

It has proposed a voluntary target for countries to restrict its usage by 15% from August until March, accusing the Kremlin of weaponising gas exports.

“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon,” the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a news conference.

“And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial, major cut-off of Russian gas or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready.”

She warned that almost half of member states were already affected by the reduced gas flow from Russia, which has fallen below 30% of the 2016-2021 average.

Under the plans, the EU would be able to make the cutback mandatory if there seemed a substantial risk of severe gas shortages.

The proposal needs to be approved by a majority of EU countries, with its diplomats set to discuss it on Friday.”-via The Guardian

~

“Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has said that Moscow wants to permanently occupy broad swaths of southern Ukraine in the clearest signal yet that the Kremlin is preparing to launch a new round of annexations.

In televised remarks, Lavrov also said Russia may seek more territory along the frontlines in Ukraine, calling it a buffer against the Himars long-range rocket artillery provided by the US.

While Lavrov claimed Russia’s new territorial ambitions were driven by the course of the war, the initial invasion sought to occupy much of Ukraine’s south and capture the capital, Kyiv.

Despite that evidence, the Kremlin has maintained that it launched its attack to protect its proxy governments in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

“Now the geography is different,” Lavrov said, in a change of rhetoric from the Russian government. “It’s not just Donetsk and Luhansk, it’s Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and a number of other territories. And this is an ongoing process, consistent and insistent.”

His remarkswere also an admission that the invasion was designed as a war of conquest, despite early denials from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that Russia planned to occupy any new Ukrainian territory at all.

The Russian government has sought to integrate Donetsk and Luhansk by introducing the Russian rouble, Russian telecommunications networks and other infrastructure, and by crushing protests and local dissent.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the US national security council, said Russia was planning to annex more Ukrainian territory, possibly in September to coincide with regional elections.

“Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an annexation playbook, very similar to the one we saw in 2014,” he said, referring to when Russia annexed Crimea.

“The Russian government is reviewing detailed plans to purportedly annex a number of regions in Ukraine, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, all of Donetsk and Luhansk,” Kirby said on Tuesday, a day before Lavrov’s interview went public.

It was not clear what other territories Lavrov was referring to in his remarks.

In remarks to the RT editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, Lavrov also said Russia would seek more territory due to the western military aid to Ukraine, in particular the delivery of Himars missile systems that have destroyed a number of Russian military command posts.

“The west … in a desire to maximally exacerbate the situation have pumped Ukraine with more and more long-range weapons,” he said, citing a Ukrainian defence minister’s remarks that Ukraine was negotiating for munitions that could strike targets 300 km away. “That means our goal will be to move them back from the current line even further.

“Because we can’t allow that in that part of Ukraine which will be controlled by [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy or whoever replaces him, there were weapons that could present a direct threat to our territory.”

Russia has launched cruise missiles into Ukrainian cities far behind the frontlines. A recent attack on the western Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia left 25 dead, including several children.”-via The Guardian

There’s more information in this article from Reuters.

~

“The US will provide four more precision rocket systems to Ukraine to assist it in its fight against Russian forces, US defense secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, his Ukrainian counterpart requested Washington to send more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), saying Kyiv’s forces have used them to destroy some 30 Russian command stations and ammunition depots so far.”-via The Guardian

~

“The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense is going to hand over additional M113 and M577 armored personnel carriers, as well as ammunition, to Ukraine.

"European Truth" writes about this in a statement from the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania.

"In the near future, Lithuania will provide Ukraine with additional military support - M113 and M577 armored personnel carriers, which are very much needed by Ukraine, as well as ammunition necessary for the preparation of the reserve," said Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas at a meeting of the NATO Coordination Group for Ukraine Support.

He emphasized that thanks to the given or promised number of M113s, this armored vehicle is becoming a significant part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Lithuania contributes to this to a large extent.”-via Euro Integration (Ukrainian language source)

~

“Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska asked the United States to send air defense systems to her country in an address to lawmakers in the US Congress on Wednesday in Washington, DC.

“Unfortunately the war is not over, the terror continues and I appeal to all of you, on behalf of those who were killed, on behalf of those people who lost their arms and legs, on behalf of those who are still alive and well, and those who wait for their families to come back from the front. I’m asking for something I would never want to ask, I am asking for weapons,” she told lawmakers. “Weapons that would not be used to wage a war on somebody else’s land but to protect one’s home and the right to wake up alive in that home. I’m asking for air defense systems in order for rockets not to kill children in their strollers,” Zelenska continued.

The Ukrainian first lady went on to say that she, like many Ukrainian mothers, craves a sense of normality and wishes they could give their children hope in the future.

“Will my son be able to return to his school in the fall, I don’t know, like millions of mothers in Ukraine. Will my daughter be able to go to university at the beginning of the academic year and experience normal student life? I cannot answer,” she said.

“We would have answers if we had air defense systems,” Zelenska added. Zelenska also thanked the United States for all the aid the country had already sent to Ukraine.

“The American people and American families, Congress and President Biden have already done a lot to help us to stand up to the enemy and protect millions of Ukrainians. We are grateful – really grateful – that the United States stands with us in this fight for our shared values of human life and independence,” she said.

“While Russia kills, America saves and you should know about it, we thank you for that,” Zelenska added.”-via CNN

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up July 12, 2022

Under the cut:

The death toll from a weekend Russian missile attack on a residential apartment block in Chasiv Yar, eastern Ukraine, rose to at least 45

At least seven people were reportedly killed by a Ukrainian missile strike on a large ammunition store in the town of Nova Kakhovka, in Russia-occupied Kherson, in a strike attributed to recently acquired US weapons

The United States treasury announced is sending $1.7bn (£1.4bn) in economic aid to Ukraine to help continue funding the country’s “essential services” following an announcement by European foreign ministers approving €1bn

European Space Agency terminated cooperation with Russia on Mars mission

“According to the Infrastructure Ministry, 16 vessels have entered through the Danube-Black Sea Canal to load Ukrainian grain as of July 12. Other more than 90 ships are currently waiting for their turn. The ministry expects that it will be able to increase the monthly export of grain by 500,000 tons. The use of the canal opened up after Ukraine liberated Snake Island from Russian forces on June 30.”-via Ukraine Ministry of Infrastructure Facebook (Ukrainian source)

~

“The death toll from a weekend Russian missile attack on a residential apartment block in Chasiv Yar, eastern Ukraine, rose to at least 45 on Tuesday, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The newspaper reported that the state emergency service said it had now pulled 45 bodies out of the rubble, including a child.

Saturday’s missile attack destroyed the five-storey building and damaged several others in the Donetsk region city.

Nine people have been rescued, the newspaper says, and the rescue operation is ongoing.”-via The Guardian 

~

“At least seven people were reportedly killed by a Ukrainian missile strike on a large ammunition store in the town of Nova Kakhovka, in Russia-occupied Kherson, in a strike attributed to recently acquired US weapons.

The claims of fatalities were made by the Russian-installed administration in the town and could not be immediately verified, though footage on social media showed a large explosion lighting up the night, burning ammunition and towering smoke.

The explosion hit a warehouse close to a key railway line and a dam on the Dnipro River. Imaging from Nasa’s Firms global fire tracking system showed a number of secondary blazes in buildings around the initial blast site.

Kyiv said it had launched artillery barrages that a destroyed a Russian arms depot, hitting artillery, armoured vehicles “and a warehouse with ammunition”, and in addition carried out a “special operation” to free military captives in the Moscow-controlled region. Russian-backed authorities accused Ukraine of damaging civilian infrastructure.

Pro-Russia officials and some Ukrainian commentators were quick to suggest that the explosion was the result of a strike by Ukraine’s newly supplied US Himars missile system. A number of recent strikes on ammunition warehouses and Russian command centres have been attributed to Himars.”

-via The Guardian

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“The United States treasury announced on Tuesday it was sending an additional $1.7bn (£1.4bn) in economic aid to Ukraine to help continue funding the country’s “essential services”.

The move follows an announcement by European foreign ministers late on Monday approving €1bn (£850m), the first instalment of a €9bn rescue package agreed in May.

Like the European money, the US payment is also part of a wider package, $7.5bn (£6.3bn) in aid signed off by Joe Biden in May, and brings to almost £2.5bn the amount approved in aid for Ukraine from both sides of the Atlantic in just the last 24 hours.”-via The Guardian

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“European Space Agency is terminating cooperation with Russia on the mission to launch Europe's first planetary rover, designed to search for signs of life on Mars, the agency’s chief said on Tuesday.  

The ExoMars Rover, a collaboration between the ESA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, had been on track to leave for Mars in September this year. But the ESA said in February that Russia's invasion of Ukraine had made that "very unlikely."

Then in March, the agency suspended cooperation with Roscosmos over their joint mission on Mars in the wake of the Ukraine invasion and sanctions imposed on Russia.

“Today @ESA Council addressed the ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform mission, acknowledging that the circumstances which led to the suspension of the cooperation with Roscosmos – the war in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions – continue to prevail,” ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.   As a consequence, the agency’s board instructed him to officially terminate cooperation with Russia on the program, Aschbacher said.“-via CNN

[mariacallous]

The United States nearly doubled the number and price tag of approved arms sales to NATO allies in 2022 compared with 2021, as alliance members scramble to stock up on high-end weapons in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In 2021, the U.S. government approved 14 possible major arms sales to NATO allies worth around $15.5 billion. In 2022, that jumped up to 24 possible major arms sales worth around $28 billion, including $1.24 billion worth of arms sales to expected future NATO member Finland, according to a Foreign Policy analysis of two years of data from the U.S. Defense Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

While not all arms sales will be finalized with the same numbers outlined in the proposals, the sharp uptick in these plans reflects a massive shift in Europe’s security landscape after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February. After some European countries allowed their defense capabilities to atrophy for decades, Russia’s invasion jolted Europe into a scramble to rapidly boost military spending.

“Everyone is trying to lock down arms sales deals as quickly as possible,” said one Eastern European defense official, who spoke to Foreign Policy on condition of anonymity. “Russia’s invasion has brought a cold new reality to Europe.”

Some of the approved U.S. arms sales in 2022 were years in the making, such as Germany’s plan to purchase F-35 fighter jets in a deal worth around $8.4 billion. But many other major arms sales were rushed after the war broke out in Ukraine, as European countries on NATO’s eastern flank dashed to bulk up their own military capabilities in an effort to backfill the equipment they shipped to Ukraine and deter Moscow from any military incursions on alliance territory.

In early December, for example, the State Department cleared a possible sale of 116 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Poland, after an initial proposed plan to sell Poland 250 of such battle tanks was announced in April. The three Baltic countries on NATO’s vulnerable eastern flank—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—all pursued plans to procure the types of U.S. long-range rocket and missile systems that helped Ukraine turn the tide of the war against Russia in recent months. The State Department approved a plan to sell up to six HIMARS rocket launchers to Estonia in July under its foreign military sales program, in a deal worth around $500 million. It approved a similar sale to Lithuania in November. A U.S. deal to sell HIMARS to Latvia is expected to be announced in early 2023, according to several U.S. and European officials familiar with the matter.

The data showcases how the United States remains a major arms supplier for allies in Europe in the short term, even as Europe’s own defense industries scramble to meet wartime demands for conventional arms and ammunition. The flurry of new defense sales comes amid growing concerns in the West that NATO countries are running out of excess military equipment and munitions to send to Ukraine to aid its fight against the Russian invasion. Defense officials and experts say Europe’s defense industrial base is struggling to rapidly expand its capacities to keep pace with the new demand.

“Europeans are getting extremely worried about not having enough of their own military equipment after sending so much to Ukraine,” said Rachel Rizzo, a scholar at the Atlantic Council. “The United States certainly plays a role in helping here, which is evidenced by the increase in arms sales in 2022 compared to 2021. However, it also highlights that Europe needs to get its act together in the security and defense realm.”

At this phase in the war, Ukraine is firing some 4,000 to 7,000 rounds of artillery a day, rapidly using up munitions delivered by the West shortly after they arrive. The United States has sent some 806,000 155 mm artillery rounds to Ukraine since Russia began its invasion. By comparison, the United Kingdom, which has one of Europe’s strongest militaries, has sent around 16,000 rounds to Ukraine as it grapples with its own supply shortages. In November, the British government notified one of the country’s top defense industry firms to expand its production of artillery shells.

On the other side of the conflict, however, Russia’s battered forces are also running low on ammunition after a series of stinging battlefield defeats that pushed them farther back into eastern Ukraine before winter set in. Moscow has sought to backfill its own dwindling munitions supplies through deals with Iran and North Korea. It has also taken some 20,000 tons of ammunition from neighboring Belarus, Lithuania’s defense minister, Arvydas Anusauskas, told Defense News in an interview this week. Under President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus has served as an accomplice and logistical staging ground for Russia’s invasion.

Successive U.S. presidents have long called on NATO’s European allies to boost their defense spending, a campaign that at times caused rifts within the alliance and diplomatic headaches, particularly under former U.S. President Donald Trump. But Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine and illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 slowed the decline in Europe’s overall defense spending. Its full-fledged invasion in February has completely reversed the trend, as more NATO allies announce massive increases in defense budgets.

In 2014, just four NATO allies—the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, and Greece—met the alliance’s benchmark of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. By 2022, 10 of NATO’s 30 members are slated to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense. Some countries are going even further: Estonia pledged to boost its annual defense budget by 42 percent in 2023 and committed to spending 3 percent of its GDP on defense.

Finland and Sweden, which declared their intent to join NATO this year after Russia’s invasion, have also announced plans to increase their defense spending. Finland already spends around 2 percent of GDP on defense, while the Swedish government has unveiled plans to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2023. The two Nordic countries’ accession to NATO has been delayed by Turkey, but U.S. and NATO defense officials say they expect Turkey to approve their membership by next year.