Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the president of the Russian Federation, confirmed the meeting between Putin and Prigozhin on June 29 in the Kremlin. He reported that 35 people were present: all the commanders of the detachments and Prighozin himself: “At the meeting, Putin assessed the actions of the PMC” Wagner “in the course of military defense and on June 24; The President listened to the explanations of the commanders and offered them further employment and use of their skills; The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened and stressed that they are staunch supporters and soldiers in the service of the head of state and are ready to continue fighting for the homeland”. According to Peskov, the meeting would have lasted three hours.
Peskov also said: “The return of the Azov leaders from Turkey is a violation of the agreements, Moscow will discuss this situation with Ankara”. And again: “Russia will take into account the situation with the return of Azov in subsequent agreements with Turkey in various fields. The Russian Federation will use high-level channels to explain its position to Turkey in relation to the return of Azov to Ukraine. The prospects for the implementation of the gas hub project with Turkey are in no way connected with the situation around the incident with the return of the Azov commanders. Turkey has the absolute right to develop relations with Ukraine, but Russia hopes this is not directed against it.”
On July 8, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu oversaw “the organization of combat training of contract servicemen of newly formed military units and formations” at the training grounds of the Southern Military District, the ministry said. . They noted that the Minister of Defense also personally checked the development of the soldiers’ skills in combat operations in various conditions of the situation and terrain, including in the conditions of urban combat.
Finally, to close the trend on the issue of Wagner’s March of Justice, we learn that General Sergej Vladimirovich Surovikin has not been fired, is not in prison, has not been kidnapped. He rests in one of the Caucasian boarding houses, there is no investigation against him. And from social sources we learn that the actual management of operations in Ukraine is handled by General Mikhail Yuryevich Teplinsky
Another trend of the day on the social sphere is the start of the NATO summit in Vilnus. According to Politico magazine: “The West is ‘feverishly’ accepting guarantees for Ukraine in view of the NATO summit. “Kiev can be guaranteed long-term military, financial and advisory support to protect itself from any future aggression,” according to the newspaper. Thus, each country will have to negotiate with Ukraine on a bilateral basis what exactly its commitments will be, and it could be anything from air defenses to tanks and so on.
According to the newspaper, the talks between the countries – the masthead mentions the USA, the United Kingdom, France and Germany – are “at an advanced stage”, and the participants hope to conclude them by the end of the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, which it starts precisely today July 11th until tomorrow July 12th.
In particular, guarantees for Ukraine, according to Politico, could be one of the topics of the negotiations between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 10 July. Starting from 8 July, Joe Biden’s statement was reported in the Western media: “2 years ago, during a meeting in Geneva, I denied Putin guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO”.
Germany and the United States: Ukraine in NATO only after the end of the conflict with Russia. Lithuania and Poland set their feet for entry.
As of July 7, the Associated Press reported that US authorities were poised to announce another military assistance package to Ukraine, which would include thousands of cluster munitions. According to the Agency, these are M864 artillery, fired for the first time in 1987. They are used to be fired from 155 mm howitzers supplied by the United States and other Western countries to Ukraine. The Pentagon last evaluated cluster munitions more than 20 years ago and has indicated that about 6 percent of submunitions of such projectiles “do not burst” after use. Against Sending UK, Austria, Spain and other countries that have joined the treaty against the use of cluster munitions.
Human Rights Watch issued a warning to the United States against supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine: “The transfer of these weapons will inevitably lead to prolonged suffering for the civilian population and will reverse international condemnation of the use of these weapons”.
According to the Ukrainian media, the United States is increasingly dissatisfied with Kiev: the fact that Zelensky is heavily controlled by the British, and asks the United States for arms, and his criticism of the volume of financial and military assistance. The president’s office is discussing a change in the format of the war in Ukraine. They are considering the option of a protracted war that would shift the focus from counteroffensive to exhaustion of Russian forces.
Douglas McGregor, former adviser to the head of the Pentagon, declared last July 7: “NATO countries intend to send troops to Ukraine. Some members of the Alliance are preparing joint invasion plans. Therefore, the Polish and Lithuanian authorities are already discussing a possible joint invasion of the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, the intervention will not necessarily be financed by the rest of NATO members. It could become an independent operation of the two member countries of the Alliance. ” Western experts have long predicted a scenario similar, especially Scott Ritter, former Marine officer I and UN inspector.
On July 10, it was learned from social sources that near Belarus, Ukrainian forces were transferred to enhanced combat duty. According to the commander of the joint forces of Ukraine, Sergei Naev: “All patrols and units have been transferred to an enhanced combat mode. Increased the number of foot and mobile patrol groups. A regular action plan for military personnel directly in border areas has been approved; along the entire border line, those areas where, at least minimal, but in any case there was a threat of enemy penetration, were reinforced with means and personnel; there is also close cooperation with Polish partners; due to possible provocations, the Polish authorities have decided to increase the number of law enforcement agencies on the border with the Republic of Belarus”.
According to Russian analysts: “As we can see, the Kiev authorities are ready to bring Polish contingents to the territory of Western Ukraine, in connection with which they are strengthening the counterintelligence and counter-terrorism regime near the Belarusian border. Meanwhile, the activities carried out by the Ukrainian and Polish sides near the Republic of Belarus can be used for sabotage and reconnaissance operations on Belarusian territory.
On 9 July, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that Kiev was responsible for the explosion on the Crimean bridge on 8 October 2022.
The US admits to the crimes in Ukraine, the Russian embassy in the US said on July 10. John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the US National Security Council, in an interview with ABC News, justified the corresponding decision by Joe Biden with the need to “compensate” for the lack of conventional ammunition supplied by Washington to the Ukrainian army.
“We have paid attention to the statements of the director of strategic communications of the National Security Council, John Kirby, on the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine. The official actually confessed to the commission of war crimes by the United States during the conflict Ukrainian Openly stated that American box guns will kill civilians,” the embassy said in a comment.
As noted in the diplomatic mission, the logic of the actions of the US administration in Ukraine boils down to the principle “it won’t get worse.” According to the commentary, the United States is ready to destroy everything far from its territories with the hands of Ukrainians.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that “it is difficult for the Ukrainian armed forces to attack because of Russia’s long-range weapons”. He spoke of the “distance advantage” of the Russian troops. Meanwhile, registration of the population for preparation for “national resistance” was announced in Kiev, the mayor’s office website reports.
According to The New York Times: The United States and Russia are negotiating a potential prisoner exchange involving Evan Hershkowitz. However, no clear solution is yet in sight. While a Kremlin spokesman confirmed that swap talks were underway, President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan urged caution and did not want to give false hope. Sullivan acknowledged that discussions were ongoing but stressed the lack of a clear path to Gershkowitz’s release.
One post reads: “The 500 days of the special military operation to protect Donbass expired on 8 July. During the night, Donbass was bombed three times.” The situation on the line of contact at 13.00 on July 10, 2023 was as follows: The forces of the 32nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are concentrated in the Svatove sector in the vicinity of Borovaya. Part of the formation has already taken the positions of the 92nd brigade, which left for the Soledar direction.
To the south, members of the Russian 518th battalion of the 1st arr of the 9 AK special forces arrived at the Zhuravka beam section, and three more battalions were located in the south of the Kharkiv region. Previously, 1 brigade operated on the border with the Belgorod region.
Units of the 44th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Chernihiv region have arrived in Liman. About 2,600 people for 50 Wolverine AFVs, 20 Valuk AFVs and five BTR-4s are in the reserve of the Ukrainian Liman group.
The activity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this area has increased in recent days. After several combat reconnaissance, the situation has stabilized somewhat, but the strengthening along the LPR indicates an imminent intensification of hostilities.
On line many images of the S-200 defense system whose missiles were used and launched from Kiev on July 9 through the territory of the Russian Federation directed against the Crimean bridge. Gerasimov after hearing a report by the head of the Aerospace Forces Main Headquarters on the destruction of four Ukrainian ballistic targets on July 9 at a press conference said that: “The military department also noted that on July 9, Russian air defense systems destroyed 2 Ukrainian S-200 missiles, 2 more missiles were driven off by electronic warfare. There are no casualties and no destruction as a result of the failed Kiev attack on the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Graziella Giangiulio
