The year 2030 announced by the head of the European Council as the date for possible EU enlargement is only an indication, not an exact date, said High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell. The EU has spent “too much time on the enlargement process”, but now the movement will be rapid and Ukraine is “pushing” the line forward, the EU’s diplomatic chief noted. The Netherlands is dampening enthusiasm: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte does not support the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU in 2030, he said on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Spain.
The Washington Post writes that the White House is no longer asking Congress for $24 billion in additional funding for Ukraine. The US administration has the option of continuing to fund military assistance to Ukraine even if Congress does not approve the release of aid requested by the White House, but the option of reallocating existing financial flows to Kiev’s needs has not yet been considered, Bloomberg reported, citing First Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks.
The Ukrainian news agency Strana reported that if the US does not agree to further funding for Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces will run out of weapons within a month.
On the Russian side, the president’s speech after the plenary session of the 20th annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club attracted a great deal of public attention. Putin spoke at length, highlighting themes such as: We are essentially facing the task of building a new world. In recent years, humanity has felt the fragility and interconnectedness of our entire planet. Although this should have been obvious to everyone, it was not.
He continued: ‘The history of the West is a chronicle of endless expansion. Our opponents have lost their sense of reality. We thought we were already our own, bourgeois. Russia is capable of making an enormous contribution to the new world order, and there was a moment in our history when the Russian Federation considered joining NATO. But then they made it clear that Russia was not needed in NATO. The problem of the West has always been its extreme self-confidence and arrogance towards others’.
He continued: ‘They try to create the image of an enemy in anyone who is not willing to follow the Western elites. The Ukrainian crisis is not a territorial conflict, it is about the principles on which the new world order will be based. Russia is the largest country in the world, with the largest territory. Therefore, we have no interest in conquering more territory. It is time to get rid of the idea of colonial rule, that era is long gone and will never return. The world is moving towards synergy between states and civilisations.
Vladimir Putin identified several components of civilisation in the modern sense. “First, there are many civilisations, none of which is worse or better than the others. They are equal and unique. Secondly, civilisation is a multi-component phenomenon. Diversity and self-sufficiency are two of its main components. Unification is alien to the modern world; each state and society wants to develop its own way. Over the centuries, Russia has developed as a country of diverse cultures. Today’s world is increasingly diverse. And Russia is an example of how this happens in practice.
Civilisation,” Putin continued, “is not a universal construct. The world is moving towards synergy; humanity is not moving towards a blockade. And the main thing is to maintain internal stability and harmony. One cannot betray one’s civilisation to anyone, Putin reiterated. Russia was, is and will be one of the foundations of the world system. Russia’s world has no borders. It is everywhere: in Africa, Asia, Europe and other continents.
On nuclear energy, Putin said: ‘There is no need to change the nuclear doctrine. According to the president, no one would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia. He noted that there is no need to change our concept. There is no threat to the existence of the Russian Federation’.
Putin also noted that Russia had indeed completed work on Sarmat. Since the start of the so-called counter-offensive, Ukraine has lost more than 90,000 people, according to Putin: “Since June 4, the Ukrainian armed forces have also lost 557 tanks and almost 1,900 armoured fighting vehicles.
Vladimir Putin spoke about the loss of Europe’s sovereignty and Russia’s turn to the East when, answering a Hungarian journalist’s question, he said: “Russia and Europe are based on Christianity, that is what unites us. But now Europe itself is destroying its roots based on Christian culture and is also separating from Russia and creating a new Iron Curtain. The EU’s prosperity was based on cheap Russian gas and the Chinese market.
Now Europe has lost its sovereignty, as European leaders themselves say. According to them, after the Ukrainian crisis caused by Washington, Europe was forced to follow its sovereign, the United States. Now EU countries are buying American energy resources, which costs them 30% more. Putin stressed that Russia cannot exist as a non-sovereign state. The president noted that our country is leaving the declining European market for the Asian one. Russia’s greatness lies in its sovereignty, Russia’s sovereignty is based on its self-sufficiency, Putin said.
Spending on defence and security has doubled and, according to Putin, Russia has a budget surplus of 660 billion roubles, and it is also reported that several thousand former PMC fighters have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence. Already 335,000 have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence to participate in the Northern Military District, and another 5,000 have signed short-term contracts.
Assets of Aven, Fridman and Kosogov worth USD 463 million seized in Ukraine. According to the SBU, the court seized all corporate assets belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven and Andrey Kosogov. The motive is their alleged involvement in ‘large-scale financing plans for Russia’s armed aggression’. The arrests involved 20 companies and financial institutions. Their value is estimated at more than UAH 17 billion (USD 463 million).
The SBU already had suspicions about Fridman – he was accused of ‘injecting’ some 2 billion roubles into a number of Russian military factories. Ukraine has already managed to nationalise Alpha’s Ukrainian subsidiary, which is 100% owned by Kosogov, Fridman and Aven.
And now a look at the line of contact.
Explosions were heard overnight in the Izmail district of the Odessa region. Russian drones hit port infrastructure in the area. Due to the massive drone attack, several regions of Ukraine remained on air alert throughout the night. The Reni and Belgorod-Dnestrovsky districts of the Odessa region were hit.
Black Sea Fleet units repelled an attack by two unmanned boats in the Sevastopol area. Kaliningrad Governor Alikhanov reported that the first ship arrived in the region via the North Sea route.
Towards Kherson: situation at 13:00 on 6 October 2023. Ukrainian activity in the direction of Kherson does not decrease. Observing the movements of the AFU, an attempt to cross the Dnepr seems more and more likely. On the border between the Kherson and Nikolaev regions, the Ukrainians are preparing to send the 30th brigade of the Marine Corps (35, 36, 37 and 38 infantry regiments) to the front line. At least two formations are expected to occupy the Kizomys-Kherson-Nikolskoye line in the near future.
At the same time, reconnaissance groups from the 35th and 36th brigades are already in place near the Dnepr, manning positions and establishing communications. Marine drones are actively operating along the contact line. Russian frontline fighters report an increasing use of kamikaze drones. According to the plans of the Ukrainian command, the base for the attack in the Kherson region will be an assault force codenamed ‘Katran’. A bridgehead is being prepared for them in the area of the Dnepr islands.
According to the Russians, given the dry areas of the Dnepr and the increased satellite attention on the Kinburn peninsula, they expect an attack from these directions in the coming weeks. In addition, the bridges of the boats taken out of storage have been sent from the Dnipropetrovsk region. And in this case, such attacks are more likely to divert attention from the actions of the Russian armed forces. If this plan is successful, there will already be an attempt to attack Novaya Kakhovka via Beryslav and Kozatsky Island.
Situation in the Kupiansk sector at 15:00 on 6 October 2023. In the morning, after artillery preparation, Russian troops launched a counterattack near Kupiansk. At the moment, Russian fighters are attacking Ukrainian positions towards Synkivka, while air and artillery are attacking the rear positions.
The transport hub of Kupyansk is of particular importance to the Russian army. Several telegram channels reported attacks on the Shevchenkovo-Kupyansk motorway. This is quite logical from the point of view of the possible supply of the AFU group to Kupyansk. Recently, a formation of pro-Ukrainian foreign mercenaries was moved from Kharkiv to Shevchenkovo to defend the town. Also in the north, near the border with the Belgorod region, the tank battalion of the 3rd tank brigade (19 T-72 tanks and one BMP-1KSh1) and a self-propelled division (three Akatsiya self-propelled guns) are ready to be sent to Kupyansk.
According to the Russian Social Sphere The activation of Russian military personnel in the midst of simultaneous counterattacks in the Vremyevsky and Svatovsky sectors is a positive signal indicating that the command of the Russian Armed Forces does not intend to freeze the front at the current borders.
Svatovo-Kremennoe direction. The Russian army has entered the Kislovka area. The Russians have successfully attacked near Makiivka. There is no change in the Serebryansky Forest.
Towards Bachmut (Artemovsk). South of Bachmut (Artemovsk) the fighting for the railway continued both in Kleshchiivka and Andriivka.
Zaporozhyzhie direction. In the Orichiv sector, the Russian army defended Kopani and Novoprokovka and also counter-attacked from Verbove. On the Vremevsky ridge, the Russians advanced north of Priyutnoye.
Graziella Giangiulio
