Russia flaunts Western military hardware captured in war in Ukraine
But it has nothing to do with World War Two. On display is Western military hardware captured by the Russian army in Ukraine. They are war trophies and Russia has decided to flaunt them. Among the armour here is a British Army Husky tactical support vehicle which had been donated to Ukraine. Its windscreen is covered in bullet-holes. Opposite the Husky I can see Western tanks that had been transferred to the Ukrainian military. There's an American Abrams which had been damaged on the battlefield. A German Leopard tank, too. In fact, there's a long line of German armour. And above it a sign: "History is repeating itself."
The Russian authorities want the public to think that the war in Ukraine and World War Two have a common denominator: Russia as the victim, under attack from enemies abroad. In reality, the two wars are very different. In 1941 Germany invaded Russia. In 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war trophy exhibition is packed out. In bright sunshine Russians are crowding round the military hardware, posing for photographs in front of tank gun barrels and, from the sounds of it, thoroughly enjoying the display. "It's incredible. Jaw-dropping," says Natalya, who's here with her husband and small daughter. "It's amazing to think that our guys managed to get these trophies."
Russia flaunts Western military hardware captured in war in Ukraine
But it has nothing to do with World War Two. On display is Western military hardware captured by the Russian army in Ukraine. They are war trophies and Russia has decided to flaunt them. Among the armour here is a British Army Husky tactical support vehicle which had been donated to Ukraine. Its windscreen is covered in bullet-holes. Opposite the Husky I can see Western tanks that had been transferred to the Ukrainian military. There's an American Abrams which had been damaged on the battlefield. A German Leopard tank, too. In fact, there's a long line of German armour. And above it a sign: "History is repeating itself."
The Russian authorities want the public to think that the war in Ukraine and World War Two have a common denominator: Russia as the victim, under attack from enemies abroad. In reality, the two wars are very different. In 1941 Germany invaded Russia. In 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war trophy exhibition is packed out. In bright sunshine Russians are crowding round the military hardware, posing for photographs in front of tank gun barrels and, from the sounds of it, thoroughly enjoying the display. "It's incredible. Jaw-dropping," says Natalya, who's here with her husband and small daughter. "It's amazing to think that our guys managed to get these trophies."
That is not really a big deal. Byes, they captured some burned out wrecks but they served their purpose. Unlike Russia made equipment most of their crews actually survived and lived to fight another day. That is the big difference between Western and Russia equipment; the equipment might get hit but the crews survive. That is what makes them better even if Ukraine only gets old and not the best and latest equipment.
Ukraine may have talks eventually with Russia, intelligence officer says
Ukraine will at some point have to enter into talks with Russia to bring an end to their more than two-year-old war, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official said in an interview published on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly ruled out talks with the Kremlin, and a decree he issued after Russia formally annexed four Ukrainian regions in 2022 deems negotiations "impossible".
But Major-General Vadym Skibitsky, deputy chief of Ukraine's HUR military intelligence directorate, told the Economist magazine that talks would eventually be needed, as would be the case with any war. "General Skibitsky says he does not see a way for Ukraine to win the war on the battlefield alone. Even if it were able to push Russian forces back to the borders — an increasingly distant prospect—it wouldn’t end the war," the magazine wrote.
Cubans lured to Russian army by high pay and passports
Russia has likely been recruiting Cuban nationals to fight in its army in Ukraine, research by the BBC has shown.
In September and October 2023, passport details belonging to over 200 Cubans who allegedly joined the Russian army were leaked online by a pro-Ukrainian platform called InformNapalm. The passport details were obtained, the site said, by hacking the emails of a Russian military recruitment officer in Tula, south of Moscow. A Facebook search has shown that 31 of the names mentioned in the Ukrainian leak match accounts whose owners appear to be in Russia or linked to the Russian army. Some, for instance, have posted photos of themselves wearing Russian military uniform, or in locations that bear Russian street signs or Russian number plates. Others list Russia as their current place of residence.
Many of those Facebook users started posting Russia-related content in August 2023, indicating when they might have arrived in the country. Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has suffered heavy losses on the battlefield. A BBC investigation confirmed the names of more than 50,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine - but the real number is likely to be much higher. Ukraine's own estimate puts the number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded in the war at 500,000. Recruiting foreigners to replace some of the losses also helps the Kremlin avoid the risks posed by trying to mobilise Russians by force. When Russia declared a partial mobilisation in 2022, hundreds of thousands of men left the country.
Russia blames Baltic countries for the severing of most ties
The "hostile line" of the Baltic countries have led to the severance of most of their ties with Russia, the Russian foreign ministry said in remarks published on Sunday, warning also that Moscow will respond with asymmetric measures. "Because of the openly hostile line of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, all interstate, interdepartmental, regional and sectoral ties with Russia have been severed," Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian foreign ministry told the RIA state news agency, referring to the capitals of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. She added that Moscow will continue to use diplomatic measures of influence on the Baltic countries. Estonia last week accused Russia of violating international airspace regulations by interfering with GPS signals and the Baltic countries are among those that are "deeply concerned" about activities they called Russian espionage, NATO said last week. Zakharova, without specifying what steps taken by the Baltic countries she was referring to, told RIA that Moscow will respond to the hostile actions by Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, with asymmetric measures.
As the war enters its 802nd day, these are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Monday, May 6, 2024.
Fighting
At least one person was killed and 24 injured in Russian drone and bomb attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv and the surrounding region. Power cuts were also reported. Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia had launched 24 Shahed attack drones and 23 were shot down. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had captured the village of Ocheretyne, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The village had a population of about 3,000 people before Russia began its full-scale invasion. There was no comment from Ukrainian officials and no mention of Ocheretyne in the evening report of the Armed Forces General Staff. Drone footage obtained by The Associated Press news agency showed the village battered by fighting and not a single person in the street. No building in Ocheretyne appeared to have been left untouched by the fighting.
Politics and diplomacy
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in France afor a state visit during which French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to press him over the war in Ukraine. In a video to mark Orthodox Easter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on his fellow Ukrainians to unite in prayer for each other and the country’s soldiers on the front line. God, he said, has a “Ukrainian flag on his shoulder” and with “such an ally… life will definitely win over death”.
Putin hails army 'heroes' and warns off West in WW2 parade
The annual Red Square military parade felt different this time round. And not just because of the spring snowstorm. There were 9,000 people marching across the square. Sounds a lot. But in previous years – before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the numbers were often higher. There was less military hardware on display, too, today. The only tank was one T-34. What there were plenty of were references to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Among the participants of the parade were soldiers who’d been fighting there. “We mark Victory Day at a time when we are carrying out the Special Military Operation,” President Vladimir Putin said in his Red Square address. “Those taking part on the frontline are our heroes.” In recent days Russia has accused Western nations, including the UK and France, of threatening Russia. President Emmanuel Macron has not ruled out sending ground troops to Ukraine.
Today Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the West. Accompanied by more nuclear sabre-rattling. “Russia will do everything to avoid a global confrontation,” the Kremlin leader said. “But at the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always on combat alert.” Under Vladimir Putin, Victory Day has become Russia’s most important secular holiday. A day for remembering, not only the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany, but also the enormous human cost of that victory - the more than 27 million Soviet citizens killed in what’s known here as the Great Patriotic War. But in many ways Victory Day isn’t just about the past. It’s about Russia now. If this country today has any kind of national idea, it is the idea of victory. Russians are constantly being told that throughout history their country has come under attack from enemies abroad – like Napoleon and Hitler – and has emerged victorious.
Russia mounts surprise assault on northern Ukraine in most serious cross-border offensive in two years
Russian forces have made two cross border assaults inside northern Ukraine, according to information from Ukrainian sources and officials – in what President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling a ‘new wave of counteroffensive actions” by Russia. In the first development, Russian soldiers penetrated at least one kilometre towards the town of Vovchansk, a Ukrainian military source told CNN. The aim, the source said, “was to get 10 kms deep and create a buffer zone at the border to secure Russian territory from feeling the war.” In an official statement, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian soldiers supported by armored vehicles had moved across the border at about 5:00am Friday, following a day of stepped-up attacks on the border area with guided aerial bombs and artillery. The statement added that Ukrainian reserve units had been deployed to strengthen defenses in the area. Ukrainian officials have not given much information about the second Russian push, though Ukraine’s General Staff, in its Friday evening update, did note Russian attacks in the area of Krasne and two neighbouring villages. It is also noteworthy that DeepStateMap, a Ukrainian monitoring group which updates frontline developments daily, showed four villages next to each other - including Krasne - in the grey area, representing territory currently contested rather than under full Ukrainian control.
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By: CeeJay | February 4, 2022