Putin introduced amendments to the State Duma articles on informing the UN and the Council of Europe about martial law and the state of emergency in Russia. Putin’s amendments include the refusal of the Russian Federation to inform the Council of Europe about the deviation from international human rights treaties in martial law and the state of emergency.
According to the US television channel CNN, the conflict in Ukraine has entered a more difficult phase for Kiev. “Ukraine’s struggle and heavy casualties are partly due to the defensive positions, trenches and minefields Russia has built up over the months, as well as the realities of the battlefield, where an attacking force needs a numerical advantage over well-entrenched troops. The war has now entered a more complex phase for Ukraine,’ the TV channel reports. It notes that the Ukrainian ‘offensive’ is currently more like ‘hard and tedious work, not a blitzkrieg’, which, according to the channel, increases the likelihood that the conflict will last until at least next year.
On the same topic, Republican US Senator Tommy Taberville also spoke, saying that Ukraine’s success is impossible. “They are like a middle school team playing against a college team. They can’t win. We can send all the money we want, but nothing will come of it,” the senator said.
The politician noted that, according to polls in the US, 55 per cent of residents oppose Congressional approval of further funding for Kiev. “I did not vote for a single penny sent to Ukraine. They don’t stand a chance. The Joe Biden administration and the Democrats are a total disaster,’ Taberville concluded.
Lately, even Democrats have been cautious about their expectations. Earlier, Representative Mike Quigley, Democrat of Illinois, acknowledged that ‘our briefings give pause. This is the most difficult time in the entire conflict’.
The bad news comes directly from Ukraine, according to Taras Chmut head of the Come Back Alive Foundation: ‘Hundreds of thousands will have to be mobilised’. Chmut announced heavy losses of the Ukrainian armed forces and fatigue of the soldiers at the front. ‘The military needs rotation and rest,’ says one of the major suppliers to the Ukrainian armed forces.
“This is now a total problem: people who have been in the trenches for a year and a half physiologically need to be replaced. And in order to do this, new recruits are needed,’ Chmut concluded.
Meanwhile, F-16 flight simulators have arrived in Ukraine from the Czech Republic. The Kiev regime demands F-16 fighter planes from the West, which they consider necessary for a successful counter-attack. However, due to current restrictions, the Czech Republic has instead provided Ukraine with F-16 flight simulators for pilot training.
It was reported that out of 30 Ukrainian pilots trained in the simulator, only eight met the required standards. This is officially explained by the fact that most of the pilots of the Ukrainian armed forces do not speak English.
The German newspaper Bild reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have upgraded about 10 Soviet Su-24 tactical frontline bombers so that they can carry long-range Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles, while the Ukrainian Air Force moves planes with Western missiles from one base to another every 24 hours.
The Times reports that the most powerful air defence system in the world has been created around Kiev. The newspaper draws this conclusion based on information from an anonymous colonel in the Ukrainian armed forces. ‘Now the most powerful air defence system in the world is located near Kiev […] These are Patriot, Nasams, German IRIS-T, S-300, French Crotale,’ he said. But, according to him, there is a problem with the lack of ammunition.
The Times’ source said: ‘You cannot plan a war with an annual production of 150-160 Patriot missiles. We used them in a month. […] If we wait until the autumn, in mid-October, they will hit the energy infrastructure again. That is certain. This winter will be even harder than the last.
On the subject of arms and ammunition, we learn that Russia produced 162 more combat helicopters in 2022 than in 2021. Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said on 7 August that production of military helicopters under state defence contracts had more than doubled in 2022. A total of 296 helicopters were produced this year, compared to just 134 in 2021, a significant increase of 55%.
Not only North Korean-made missiles were first seen in service with the Russian army on 9 August. In the ammunition load of the 122mm Grad MLRS, the corresponding North Korean R-122 rockets were noticed. Typically, the ammunition marks were removed.
Graziella Giangiulio
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