The Russians closely observe the evolutions of the American Boeing P-8A Poseidon and the Bombardier Challenger 650 as they scan the Black Sea. And they write that soon new attacks will reach the Crimea.
The United States and Italy intend to provide Ukraine with all necessary military and other assistance. That pledge is contained in a joint written statement by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Georgia Meloni following their talks in Washington on July 27. “The United States and Italy will continue to provide Ukraine with as necessary political, military, financial and humanitarian assistance, with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace in full compliance with the United Nations Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” says the document, the text of which was distributed to the press by the White House office.
Remaining in the States, the journalist Seymour Hersh states that the military of Ukraine and the United States no longer even make predictions for the counter-offensive in Kiev, the balance of power is on the side of Russia: “The US and Ukrainian military no longer make predictions. […] The reality is that the balance of power has been decided. Putin has what he wants,” a senior US official said. The material was posted on the Hersh page in the Substack platform.
The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, has a different opinion: “The Ukrainian armed forces have many other options for the counteroffensive. They still have some options available and we can expect them to keep putting pressure,” he said at a press conference in Papua New Guinea. According to the Pentagon chief, Ukraine has maintained major troop reserves. Ukrainian forces are well prepared and well trained to be successful.
In response to Moscow the State Corporation “Rostec” is preparing for deliveries to the troops of the first self-propelled artillery gun (SAO) in Russia 2S43 “Malva”. According to military sources from the social sphere: “The ‘Malva’ howitzer, thanks to its wheeled frame, is able to quickly turn into position avoiding return fire, which is very important in counter-battery combat. It is a modern and powerful that can be used to destroy almost any object at a range of more than 24 km. The rate of fire of the howitzer is more than seven rounds per minute and the ammunition consists of ten different mixes of ammunition”. “Mallow, created by Rostec specialists, has successfully passed state tests and is already preparing for deliveries to the troops,” said Ozdoev from the State Corporation “Rostec”.
According to the official: “2S43 Malva is the first wheeled self-propelled howitzer in the history of Russia, created by Rostec. This is a 152-mm self-propelled gun with an open installation of an artillery unit on a BAZ automobile chassis with an 8×8 wheel formula and a crew of five. He manages to drive a thousand km on public roads without refueling, thanks to all-wheel drive and a powerful diesel engine, he copes well off-road. Also, the weapon complex can be placed in the Il-76 transport aircraft. Malva is more maneuverable than tracked self-propelled guns, while having a longer technical resource and lower operating costs.
Mychajlo Mychajlovyč Podoljak Adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, told The Guardian that to protect the entire territory of Ukraine, the air force needs 10-12 batteries of Patriot air defense systems. “Why Patriot? Because they are capable of shooting down new generation Russian missiles like Onyx and Kinzhal. Due to the lack of these systems, we cannot cover all parts of the country,” Podolyak said.
In reality, by the Americans’ own admission, the Kinzhal are not even intercepted by the Patriots. The West has supplied Ukraine with two batteries of Patriot air defense systems, which have already been hit by Russian missiles.
In this arms race, relations between Moscow and Washington are becoming increasingly tenuous. To complicate matters, deliveries of cluster munitions to Kiev. On July 27, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States Anatoly Antonov spoke about the supply of cluster munitions to Kiev from Washington. According to the diplomat, such a step by the American side has seriously worsened the already tense relations between the two countries. The ambassador expressed concern that the US administration’s actions could have long-term consequences for bilateral relations and international security in general. Such actions by the US clearly show to Russia Washington’s position and its real intentions towards the region. It is quite obvious that the Russian side will adequately respond to these challenges. “To date, cluster munitions are already used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in almost all directions of the front, however, such munitions will pose a much greater danger to civilians after the end of the conflict. Even without the use of such munitions, it could take nearly 800 years to clean up the territories in the region.”
Russia in response on August 1 used the same ammunition against Ukrainians in Kupiansk direction.
Antonio Albanese
