Zelenskyy comments about Russian-held territory ‘a major concession’, says ex-UK ambassador – The Guardian Source Link Excerpt:
Former UK Ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton has said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “playing a very sophisticated game” in calling for Ukrainian-controlled territories to come under the Nato umbrella.
“He knows that [Donald] Trump is about to descend on him and on Russia”, Brenton said. “He is already arranging to have something to offer Trump on Trump’s mission to bring the war to an end.
“What he is suggesting in many ways is bringing us much closer to the obvious target area which is a freeze in the fighting where the lines actually currently are and then an eventual negotiation about who retains which bit of territory and then security guarantees for Ukraine in the course of that ceasefire.”
But he added that Zelenskyy had made “quite a major concession“ in stating he is prepared to see a ceasefire and then negotiate the return of Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine over the long term.
Serbian president to ramp up bomb shelter construction as tensions rise in Russia, Ukraine– www.lifesitenews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Serbia has joined the growing list of European countries hurriedly preparing bomb shelters as they brace for a global conflict amid rising tensions between Russia and Western-backed Ukraine.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić expressed grave concern in an interview with Serbia’s TV Pink on Thursday about the current state and number of bomb shelters available for civilian use in the Eastern European nation.
“The first report I received from our state-owned enterprises, as well as the general report of our army regarding shelters and how many people we could place in shelters at any time, is depressing,” Vučić revealed. He went on to say that Serbian officials must act immediately, taking “significant steps” to raise civil defenses as soon as possible. According to Vučić, Belgrade, the nation’s capital, ceased the allocation of necessary budget funds for maintaining Serbia’s bomb shelters in 2012. “Since then, they have fallen into poor condition, and we hadn’t even considered this issue, which was also a mistake. Now we must address it systematically,” he stated.
This is not the first time that Vučić has voiced similar concerns. “When you have ten steps to complete disaster, we have crossed the ninth,” the Serbian president said last week in an address to the public. “I think that no one will hesitate to use all the weapons they have… In the West, they will say that Putin is playing games and threatening with this, but he is actually afraid, and I will tell you that few people know President Putin like I do,” he claimed, adding that “If the security of Moscow and its forces are threatened… he will not hesitate for a moment.”
An unnamed South Korean “official” is telling the press the Russians are trading high-tech anti-air missile systems for North Korean troops that are now being used and prepared for war in Ukraine.
A top South Korean official says Russia has supplied anti-air missiles to North Korea in return for it sending troops– abcnews.go.com Source Link Excerpt:
A top South Korean official says Russia has supplied anti-air missiles to North Korea in return for it sending troops
Russia May or May Not Have Launched a Non-Nuclear ICBM at Ukraine – RedState– redstate.com Source Link Excerpt:
A Russian ICBM may or may not have hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in the early hours of Thursday. If the claim bears out, it would mark the first use of an ICBM in warfare, albeit with conventional warheads. At this writing, there is no confirmation of damage or casualties caused by the attack.
The sole source for identifying the weapon as an ICBM is the Ukrainian military and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainians did not provide much detail on the strike, saying only that the missile had been launched from the Russian region of Astrakhan and was part of a volley aimed at Dnipro. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had attacked Ukraine with a new class of missile. “All the parameters — speed, altitude — match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile,” he said. “All expert evaluations are underway.”
Biden-Harris admin approves landmines for use in Ukraine | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Ottawa Convention, an international treaty against the use of landmines, has been signed by 164 countries.
After authorizing the use of long-range, American-made ATACMS missiles to take out targets in Russia, the Biden-Harris administration has authorized land mines for use in Ukraine. These antipersonnel mines are intended to aid Ukraine in their defense against attacker Russia, but there has been substantial criticism levied as a result.
The Ottawa Convention, an international treaty against the use of landmines, has been signed by 164 countries. Mines deployed in Vietnam and other areas have remained active for decades after the end of a conflict, rendering the land unusable. Ukraine wanted them anyway in an effort to fend off Russia, which invaded their neighbor in February 2022.
In reaction to the authorization of US ATACMS missiles, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that retaliations against Ukraine and the US could be forthcoming as a result. The Biden-Harris administration has been backing Ukraine since the beginning of hostilities and has spent billions in both aid and weapons. Russia is widely perceived to be winning the conflict.
It appears fears of a looming Kyiv attack by Russia may have been unfounded as the U.S. embassy and other foreign embassies reopen in the city.
US reopens Kyiv embassy after Ukraine firing of ATACMS missiles into Russia prompted potential strike threat – Reuters Source Link Excerpt:
The United States said it had reopened its embassy in Kyiv late on Wednesday after it had shut for the day due to what it called the threat of a significant air attack, a day after Ukraine used American missiles to hit a target inside Russia.
Russia had described the strike by U.S. missiles as an escalation in the 1,000-day-old war, while Ukraine’s military spy agency said Russia was trying to sow panic by circulating fake online messages about a looming missile and drone attack.
As multiple embassies close, including the U.S. embassy, within Kyiv, Ukraine counters by claiming foreign countries are being spooked by a Russian psyop. They continue to up the long-range assault, deploying British long-range missiles in the latest attack. Poland appears to believe war might be inevitable as it ramps up its ammo production. The Biden admin hopes to leave Ukraine a $275 million package on the way out.
Ukraine Fires British Long-Range Storm Shadow Missiles on Russia: Report– www.breitbart.com Source Link Excerpt:
Ukrainian forces have attacked targets inside Russia with British-made Storm Shadow missiles for the first time, according to UK paper of record the Times of London.
British government sources confirmed to the Times that the Ukrainians have deployed Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of around 250 km (155 miles), in an attack on the Kursk region of Russia, where Kyiv launched a surprise incursion over the summer.
The attack was first reported on by Russian Telegram channels, which shared images purporting to show missile fragments with the name ‘Storm Shadow’ stenciled on them.
The use of long-range British missiles against targets inside Russia comes after lame duck U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly approved the use of 190 mile range (300 km) American Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles for similar strikes over the weekend after months of refusals over concern of escalating the conflict.
Ukraine warns of Russian ‘psychological attacks’ after spooked embassies shutter- Washington Examiner– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Ukrainian government is attributing reports of a pending attack on Kyiv to Russian psychological warfare after a slew of foreign embassies shuttered and warned civilians to take shelter.
Ukrainian officials are now dismissing these concerns, urging the public to remain vigilant but not give too much thought to what they believe is information warfare.
The Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence said in a public announcement that messages propagated through online channels and social media about a “particularly massive” airstrike on urban areas are “fake.”
The directorate pointed out that the flurry of warnings, which originated from an unknown source, contained “grammatical errors” often seen in Russian psychological operations. It is asserted that the panic caused by the threats is part of a larger attempt by the Kremlin to destabilize Ukrainian cities.
