“The United States must be prepared for possible simultaneous conflicts with Russia and China, requiring Washington to strengthen its alliances and expand its nuclear and non-nuclear weapons modernization programs.” This opinion is contained in a report published Thursday by a US Congressional commission dealing with issues related to the American strategic concept. “If the United States and its allies and partners do not have sufficient conventional arsenals to achieve this goal, then American strategy must shift toward an enhanced role for nuclear weapons to deter or counter opportunistic or cooperative aggressive actions in opposing theaters of war,” we read in the report.
The controversy in the Russian-Ukrainian social sphere was entirely dedicated to the American long-range ATACMS. It appears that a small number of ATACMS were secretly transported from the United States to Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the newspaper, this type of weapon, if used, will increase the potential and operational capabilities of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Confirming the news, deputy of the Ukrainian Rada Goncharenko states that American ATACMS missiles are already in Ukraine and were used in the attack on Berdyansk in the Zaporozhzhie region.
Politico wrote: “Ukraine launched American long-range ATACMS missiles against Russian targets on Tuesday for the first time.” “Ukrainian troops used long-range missiles supplied by the United States on Tuesday to strike… eastern Ukraine after Washington secretly sent the weapons in recent weeks,” the newspaper wrote.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a meeting on the supply and development prospects of “artillery and multiple launch rocket systems”. The Minister underlined that the federal executive has taken measures to increase the production of artillery systems.
The head of the Russian military department added that the Defense Ministry has simplified the procedure for concluding contracts, reduced the scope of testing and reduced the requirements for component selection, provided that the quality of the final product is maintained.
The footage of the consequences of the attack by the Russian armed forces on October 16 in the evening at Shkolny airport in the Odessa region is online. The Russian army managed to destroy six aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to the Russian social sphere, the Russian army killed the commander of the Omega special forces detachment of the Ukrainian National Guard, Colonel Andrei Priymachenko, in the Special Operation zone. According to the Ukrainian National Guard, Priymachenko has taken part in hostilities since 2014; the other day he died in Donbass. Ukrainian TV presenter and former creative producer of the Kvartal 95 studio, whose artistic director was the current President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, Sergei Sivokho, has died at the age of 55, the Ukrainian publication Strana reported. He was at the front.
While the Security Service of Ukraine convicted the head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik in absentia for having collaborated in the organization of elections on the territory of the Republic. He faces up to 10 years in prison and confiscation of assets. Previously, in Ukraine, Pasechnik had already been accused of actions aimed at changing the constitutional system of Ukraine and violating its territorial integrity, in particular in connection with the holding in September 2022 of a referendum on the entry of the LPR into Russia and the signature of the relevant treaty.
Dmtriy Peskov said that British intelligence statements about supplies of weapons to the Russian Federation from North Korea are unfounded
And now a look at the front line at 18.00 on 17 October 2023.
At night, Geran UAVs hit enemy targets in the Odessa region. Missiles hit the area of Voznesensk, Nikolaev region and Slavyansk (part of the DPR under Ukrainian control). In the direction of Kherson, a FAB-1500 hit a temporary Ukrainian deployment point near Berislav.
On the Zaporozhzhie front near Verbovove, the Ukrainians engaged in an infantry battle with units from the 71st Brigade, the 118th Mechanized Brigade, the 82nd Air Assault Brigade and part of the 10th AK. The Ukrainians were unable to regain the positions they had previously occupied also due to the rain.
In the Avdiivsk direction, the Russian armed forces consolidated in the previously occupied positions, the artillerymen opened fire on the Ukrainian fortifications and block Ukrainian forces in their positions with fire, preventing rotation, supply of personnel and ammunition.
In the direction of Kupyansk, amid the successes of the Russian Armed Forces in the Synkivka area, the Ukrainian command decided to transfer armored units of the 41st Mechanized Brigade to this section of the front.
In the last 24 hours the situation in the direction of Kherson has been characterized by mutual artillery bombardment.
At least four Ukrainian groups of the 35th and 36th Infantry Fighting Forces of the Katran strike group landed at the railway bridge on Aleshkinsky Island and tried to advance towards Peschanovka and Aleshki. As a result of Russian artillery fire on Ukrainian movement areas, eight people were injured. The advance of the Ukrainian marines was stopped and the wounded transferred ashore for evacuation.
Already at night, after the transfer of reinforcements from two marine brigades, as well as the 140th reconnaissance battalion, detachments of Ukrainian formations again began to advance in groups of 10-20 people along the bridge in the direction of Poima and Peschanivka.
Russian artillerymen again fired at Ukrainian assault groups in the southern part of Aleshkinsky Island, forcing them to take cover. And Right Bank mortar crews and FPV drone operators opened fire on Russian positions.
However, the advance was halted. Attempts to penetrate deeper into the territory continued. Unconfirmed information appeared about the landing of reconnaissance groups in the Krynok area.
Observing Ukrainian actions, coherent attempts to expand the bridgehead before the offensive are clearly visible. Today’s attack on the Berdyansk airfield is one of the preparatory stages. The use of ATACMS increases the threat level for aviation even in the rear, which could force the command to move it away from the contact line. This will increase the period from departure to activation of the Aerospace Forces to support the ground forces, which is advantageous for the Ukrainians in the south.
Given that Berdyansk airport is out of service for a certain period, the next target will probably be Dzhankoy and other bases in Crimea. They constitute one of the main obstacles to carrying out a large-scale operation on the Dnieper.
From Berdyansk, Zaporizhizhie region, local groups report that Russian air defense worked all night, the main Ukrainian attack was concentrated in the airport area. In the Belgorod region, Yakovlevsky urban district and Belgorod district, the air defense system shot down 3 aircraft-type UAVs.
Graziella Giangiulio
