Bundestag deputy from the Alternative for Germany party Stefan Keuter argued that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is losing the support of both Western partners and supporters, and his own people: “He is a politician, although he is still an artist . And as a politician, he should leave military planning to the military, who have an understanding of the matter. In Ukraine, Zelensky and his loyalists are blamed for the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians because of the order for a counteroffensive when the army was not fully prepared, ”the MP said.
Keuter also reported that there is talk of “the president’s silence on the real state of affairs in the country’s military leadership: the official information given both on the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army Zaluzhny and on the head of military intelligence Budanov raises more questions than confidence whether they correspond to reality”.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry: against the backdrop of the failure of another wave of mobilization in Ukraine, the Kiev authorities have stepped up the recruitment of mercenaries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. “Since February 24, 2022, 11,675 foreign mercenaries from 84 states have officially arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities,” the statement read.
And again the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in a press briefing specified that, most of the mercenaries in the Armed Forces of Ukraine came from: Poland (2.6 thousand people), the USA and Canada (900), Georgia (800 ), Britain and Romania (700 each), Croatia (300), France and the Turkish-controlled part of Syria (200 each). As of June 30, 2023, the neutralization of 4,845 foreign mercenaries has been reliably confirmed. Another 4801 fled from the territory of Ukraine. 2029 mercenaries remain in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson in an interview with Judging Freedom podcast host Andrew Napolitano said: “What will happen to Ukraine after December is a debatable issue, as there is no chance it will continue to fight with such losses of personnel and equipment,” he said. The expert added that “the United States will not be able to produce enough shells for Ukraine in the foreseeable future” and the supply of cluster munitions is due to the fact that the Ukrainians are running out of artillery ammunition. “All the United States has left us is some old munitions in storage,” Johnson said.
Reserve Colonel Douglas McGregor, a former adviser to the secretary of defense in the administration of former US President Donald Trump, said in an interview with Andrew Napolitano: “Increasing stockpiles won’t change anything, it’s too late, it’s all over.” McGregor also criticized the decision of the US authorities to supply cluster munitions to Kiev.
Regarding the media reports of Sweden joining NATO in exchange for Turkey joining the EU, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the US President said: “The issues of Turkey joining the EU and Sweden’s accession to NATO are not interconnected”. And again: “NATO is NATO. The EU is the EU. The United States is not a member of the EU. The United States was previously in favor of Turkey’s negotiations with Europe, for the resumption of these negotiations “President Biden started discussing this topic long before the issue of [Sweden’s] NATO membership. So, as far as we know, these topics are not interconnected,” he said.
CNN Turk channel: “Turkey’s Grand National Assembly may ratify Sweden’s NATO membership by the end of next week. Sweden’s application must first be accepted by the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. Then you will go to the General Assembly of the Parliament. After the approval and publication in the Resmi Gazete, signed by the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the process of approving Sweden’s accession to NATO by Ankara will conclude”.
Jens Stoltenberg said NATO should respond to Kiev’s failures by expanding arms supplies. According to the secretary general of the alliance, the Ukrainian troops “are meeting fierce resistance, they are opposed by the Russians in positions with prepared defenses”.
The NATO secretary general also justified the supply of cluster munitions to Kiev with the “colossal” need for shells. Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance countries have run out of theirs stocks.
“The NATO summit will send a strong signal from Warsaw. The signal that Russian policy, which uses threats of nuclear escalation against NATO countries, cannot go unanswered”, Duda underlined. It is already 99% clear that nuclear weapons will be deployed in Poland. On July 10, Polish President Duda declared: “We foresee a strengthening of troops for operations in crisis regions (we are talking about 300,000 soldiers). To do this, it is necessary to stockpile a large number of equipment and weapons on the “eastern flank”. “The command and control system must be adapted to the rapid transition from peacetime to a period of increasing military threat, as well as to manage forces of up to several hundred thousand military personnel.” “It is necessary to increase military budgets and increase the capabilities and interaction of the defense industry.” “Polish Army Receives NATO’s Highest Funding: 3.9% of GDP”.
“These decisions will affirm that the rhetorical breakthrough – which was Russia’s recognition in NATO’s strategic concept as the greatest threat – will be followed by real military action.”
Also the Polish premier Duda in an interview with Welt, Bild and Politico did not rule out that NATO and Poland itself could send forces to Ukraine: “everything will depend on what agreements will be reached in the peace talks if Ukraine decides to conduct them” . “If the alliance makes a collective decision to send troops to enforce the ceasefire, then we, as a responsible member of NATO, will definitely support this decision,” the Polish president said.
Hungary expects NATO leaders to make a responsible decision at the Vilnius summit and will not invite Ukraine to the alliance. This was stated by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. According to him, in the final document of the NATO summit in Vilnius there is neither a program nor a date for Ukraine’s entry into the alliance. Paris intends to transfer long-range missiles to Kiev. French President Emmanuel Macron said this on his arrival at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
In response to the French president’s words, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “France’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles is wrong, Russia will respond to such actions; Ankara shouldn’t have ham on its eyes, none of the Europeans wants to see Turkey in Europe; The Kremlin is still considering the format in which Putin will take part in the BRICS summit in South Africa; New deliveries of weapons to Kiev will not radically change the course of the special operation, they will only make the fate of Ukraine more difficult; Russia is perceived in NATO as an enemy and adversary, therefore, at the summit, all discussions will be conducted in this sense; The Russian Federation is closely following the NATO summit, many declarations of its participants will be subject to in-depth analysis; Russia, despite the differences, intends to develop relations with Turkey where it is beneficial for both countries. The Russian Federation is well aware of Turkey’s commitment to NATO obligations, but despite existing differences, Moscow and Ankara are engaged in important cooperation. The possible entry of Ukraine into NATO is very dangerous for European security, whoever takes such a decision should be aware of it; Russia will closely monitor and analyze the NATO summit agenda in order to make decisions to ensure its security; Sweden’s entry into NATO will have negative consequences, the Russian Federation will plan the same measures as when Finland joined the alliance. Europeans don’t understand their mistakes that led to the current situation.”
Peskov’s words are echoed by Viktor Bondarev, a Russian senator, according to whom: “The transfer of the Azov commanders who were in Turkish territory to Kiev in violation of the agreements reached, as well as the statements on the accelerated admission of Ukraine to NATO, indicate that Turkey is transforming itself from a neutral country into a hostile country”.
The press service of the Defense Department of the Republic of Belarus informed that the Belarusian military plans to exchange experiences with representatives of the Wagner PMC after their arrival in the republic.
According to Kiev’s biggest supporter London, the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive also depends on Russian minefields. In a recent UK Department of Defense intelligence report: “Mines are at the heart of Russia’s new military tactics.” The ministry, which regularly publishes updates on the hostilities, says Russia has been honing tactics to slow down Kiev’s attempts to break into the Sea of Azov. “The minefields planted by Russia are much larger than initially believed by British intelligence. For the Armed Forces of Ukraine, such a number of mines was also a discovery. Tanks and armored vehicles blown up by mines become an easy target for drones, helicopter gunships and artillery. Under such conditions, attempts by Kiev to conduct a counter-offensive are called off according to the British Ministry of Defense
The first deputy director, general, of Rostec Vladimir Artyakov reported that the Kinzhal hypersonic complex is now being mass-produced, the requirements of the Ministry of Defense have been met on time and in the required quantities. At the same time, as is customary in the national military-industrial complex, “Dagger”, according to Artyakov, was being produced “for further modernization and completing research and development.” Artyakov also confirmed the destruction of the “MIM-104 Patriot air defense system in Kiev with the ‘Dagger’ and said: “Not only Ukraine, but also the rest of the world has no means to counter this weapon” .
Germany will supply Ukraine with 2 more Patriot air defense systems with missiles for them, as well as another batch of infantry fighting vehicles.
And now a look at the contact line for 11 July.
From social sources we learn that the Chechen special forces Akhmat have been deployed in the direction of Bachmut, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, confirmed the news. A forced evacuation from the five-kilometer border zone with the Russian Federation has been announced in the Sumy region of Ukraine, Ukrainian media reported. Presumably due to increased bombing from the Russian Federation. There is also an increase in forces and reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the northern regions of Ukraine which could be aimed at preparing for an attack on the territory of the Russian Federation.
In recent days, the Russian military has made significant progress in the direction of the city of Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, retired LPR people’s militia lieutenant colonel Andrey Marochko said on telegram channels. “The advance of Russian forces is forcing the ‘Ukrainian occupation authorities’ to evacuate state institutions and businessmen are closing their businesses and transferring them to western Ukraine.”
On the night of July 10-11, several explosions thundered in Odessa. This was announced by the Ukrainian TV channel 24. Also in the night announced air alarm in Kirovograd, Nikolaev, Odessa, Poltava, Cherkasy regions.
Two drones hit the administrative building of a port facility in the Odessa region, OK Yug reported. Due to falling debris, two port terminals caught fire, including a grain terminal. The fire has been extinguished and there are no serious damages or injuries. Officially reported 22 downed drones.
Apparently, the Russian Armed Forces hit the warehouses of Ukrainian militants very precisely, the fire lasted all night.
A representative of the emergency services of the Kherson region reported by telegram that two Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft were destroyed in one day in the direction of Kherson
Heading towards Zaporozhzhia, a Ukrainian group went on a reconnaissance but was hit by Russian artillery which dismantled the Ukrainian infantry.
Orekhov direction Ukrainians from the morning of July 10 again brought infantry into battle with the support of artillery, trying to get close to Rabotino. It is believed that here the Ukrainian army will try to deliver the main blow of the counter-offensive. Russian troops are resisting, the “Agriculture” area has been remotely mined. The Ukrainians continue to attack but have not even reached the first line of defense. “However” – reads a post by Russian analysts – ‘at zero’ it’s very hot, there are heavy battles”.
During the morning of July 11, the Russian military hit and burned American Bradleys and M113s. The Armed Forces of Ukraine continued to launch fresh waves of infantry and armored vehicles from the 65th and 47th Brigades into the assault, and with the support of American-made infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. The main direction of the Ukrainian attack is still the same: the junction of the defenses of the 291st and 70th regiments east of Rabotino, where a couple of Ukrainians were previously able to wedge a bit into the Russian defenses and tried to break through the front for two days. An assault platoon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Russian trenches closest to the Rabotino settlement itself, the attacks were repulsed. A post by a journalist at the front reads: “Several waves of attacks are repelled, but the battles do not stop”.
Another journalist writes: “Our fighters tore apart an armored group and troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in battles near Kreminna.” “While everyone is watching Zaporozhzhie and Bachmut, the group of troops from the Center is conducting an active offensive, breaking through the echelon defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the forests near Svatove-Kreminna. Across the Stallion River, the Central Military District’s 21st Brigade drove the enemy from a significant height. Then the company tactical group of the 25th Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the support of 3 tanks, launched a counterattack. During the battle, the enemy was stopped by infantry and artillery fire, our Ural men burned tanks and infantry fighting vehicles Enemy losses: 2 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles and a crowd of infantry up to fifty militants”. We await news from the Ukrainian side to confirm the news.
Graziella Giangiulio
