The statement by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski according to which: “NATO countries have created a joint mission in Ukraine” caused a bit of a stir. “We decided to create a NATO mission (in Ukraine),” Sikorsky said. He clarified that the creation of the mission does not mean the direct entry of NATO into an armed conflict. “It does not mean that we will go to war, but it means that we will now be able to use NATO’s coordination, training and planning capabilities to support Ukraine in a more coordinated way,” the minister explained.
Jens Stoltenberg explained that the proposed $100 billion assistance fund for Ukraine will likely take into account bilateral donations from NATO member countries, Bloomberg reports, citing a diplomatic source. According to him this is due to the fact that the announced amount is too high. Therefore, it will include funds that countries allocate to Kiev not within the framework of NATO assistance. Therefore, any additional funding from the alliance is expected to be “negligible.”
The Secretary General of NATO allowed 2 scenarios for the development of the conflict in Ukraine, including the defeat of Kiev, called to prevent it and increase support. NATO aims to ensure security in Europe and North America; The Alliance has no intention of expanding by accepting countries from other parts of the world into its ranks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We are not talking about turning NATO into a global alliance. NATO remains an alliance between North America and Europe,” he said at a press conference in Brussels, responding to a question about the Alliance’s contacts with the countries of ‘Asia-Pacific.
Stoltenberg explained that the security of NATO countries depends among other things on events in Asia. “Security is a global issue, not a regional one,” he added. However, Ukraine will not receive an official invitation to join NATO during the July summit in Washington, the New York Times reports, citing Alliance officials. The only true optimist is US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who repeated once again that “Ukraine will become a member of NATO”.
In terms of ammunition, NATO, according to Stoltenberg, will not be able to supply Ukraine with the quantity of weapons needed to counter Russia. The secretary clarified: “NATO is not part of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and will not become part of it. NATO has no plans to send troops to Ukraine. On possible scenarios for the development of actions at the front: on the one hand, NATO allies can provide assistance to Ukraine and it will be able to regain more territory. On the other hand, this may not happen and Kiev will lose even more territory, and the situation may become even worse and more dangerous.”
The IMF does not plan to consider a possible debt restructuring of Ukraine.
The German newspaper Bild claims that already this year Ukraine will have drones with a flight range of up to two thousand five hundred kilometers, designed to fill the shortage of long-range missiles and through which it will be possible to hit Russian targets in the Urals and Arctic, the newspaper reports, referring to its sources. “Missiles are a thing of the past, drones are the future,” an anonymous source familiar with the situation told the publication.
The head of the military committee of the State Duma Kartapolov in an interview with RIA Novosti responding to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said: “The creation of a NATO mission in Ukraine could mean the legalization of the next steps, we will follow them closely” . Even more provocative are Medvedev’s words: “The reward for the destruction of every NATO member in Ukraine should be maximum, “take no prisoners,” he said regarding the possible participation of NATO soldiers in the conflict.
In the military sphere, it is learned that the Novosibirsk aircraft plant named after Vice President Chkalov delivered the first batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces this year, the United Aircraft Corporation reported. The Su-34 is used to drop FABs.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3.30pm on April 5th.
Several Russian regions have been attacked by UAVs. In the Morozovsky district of the Rostov region, air defense forces shot down more than 40 targets and an electrical substation was damaged. In Engels, Saratov region, a drone was knocked out in the morning. The chief of the Yeisk district of the Krasnodar region, Roman Bublik said Russian armed forces prevented an attack in the region, but gave no details. The Russian Ministry of Defense clarified that air defense systems in service intercepted and destroyed on the territories of the Rostov (44 UAV), Saratov (1 UAV), Kursk (1 UAV) and Belgorod (1 UAV) regions, as well as on territory of the Krasnodar region (6 UAVs).
According to information from the social sphere, the main target was Morozovsk airport in the Rostov region, where Ukrainian forces sent 44 drones. The exact type remains unknown and will be determined by analyzing the debris. However, it is very likely that these are the same UAVs used by the Ukrainians in recent weeks.
Of these, 26 drones were intercepted by Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems and 18 by rifle teams. From videos circulating on the Internet, it appears that the drones were flying at an extremely low altitude, strengthening their stealth compared to radar detection systems.
There was no significant damage to infrastructure; the debris affected some buildings on the site. Additionally, the substation sustained damage, resulting in a temporary power outage.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces also targeted Yeisk airport, where local air defense units neutralized ten UAVs. All crashed off the coast of the Sea of Azov and apparently came from the Zaporizhizhie Dnipropetrovsk region.
At least one other Ukrainian UAV was hit while approaching the strategic Engels airfield. It is not clear the reason for the presence of only one drone; there may have been other devices headed in that direction, but perhaps they were intercepted over Yeisk and Morozovsk.
The Russians deny the destruction of six planes however, the recent attacks highlight the Ukrainians’ increased ability to strike targets beyond the front line.
The head of the IAEA announced a “very real threat” to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant due to the closure of the station’s backup power line. The reasons for the closure of the reserve line, which occurred in a context in which there was talk of military activity in the region, are still unknown, Grossi noted.
Sivers’k sector: advancement of the Russian armed forces north of Vesele. In the direction of Sivers’k, the Russian armed forces continue their advance in the Vesele area. Members of the Zarya Battalion moved Ukrainian forces from a strategic point northeast of Vesele, but it remains uncertain whether they were able to successfully secure their positions.
Additionally, video footage has emerged online showing a successful attack by Russian armed forces north of the village, corroborating other social media sources of achievements in this region. As a result, Russian troops advance on both sides of the railway towards the village of Vyimkai, applying pressure from the south on Ivano-Dar’ivka and Spirne.
Ongoing Russian artillery and aerial bombardment targets Ukrainian positions. At the same time, efforts are being made to strengthen defensive capabilities, as evidenced by troop movements detected in Lyman and several nearby settlements. Notably, these units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have armored vehicles and rely exclusively on light and anti-tank weapons.
Ukrainian social sources confirm the advance of Russian troops on the Sivers’k ledge in the Vesele area, as well as the exit of our troops on the outskirts of Časiv Jar, we remind you that Časiv Jar is the dominant city because it is located high up (height 245 ),there is no other settlement after Chasiv Jar above if the Russians go out to conquer it they can easily control the surrounding flat areas.
Graziella Giangiulio
