Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, asked the United States to help Ukraine win the war. Minister Baerbock during his visit to the United States asked for continued assistance from Ukraine to protect itself from Russian aggression. “Ukraine must win this war. Freedom and democracy must win,” Baerbock said, but she forgot to add – 360 degrees.
NATO announced its inability to meet Kiev’s needs. “The volume of weapons and ammunition that Ukraine requires is enormous. The scope and volume of weapons used exceed our [NATO countries’] production capabilities,” said the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, l Dutch Navy Admiral Rob Bauer.
Bauer also highlighted, as a further factor complicating the satisfaction of Kiev’s needs, the need for Alliance countries to take into account their own national and regional security risks when determining the volume of aid, and called on them to accelerate the solution of problems related to increasing defense production capacity. There is no balance in NATO between the volume of military aid supplies to Ukraine and new military orders.
In Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted the draft budget for 2024. This was announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal. More than half of the spending will go to the defense sector, about $45 billion. That’s more than $3 billion more than in 2023 and more than social services, medicine and education combined. Ukraine increased military spending in 2022 by 640% to $42 billion.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine also fired all deputy defense ministers, including Anna Malyar, who worked with former defense number one Oleksij Yurijovyč Reznikov.
The 47th Magura Brigade, which was the main striking force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the beginning of the counteroffensive in the south, changed command. According to Hromadsky Ukrainian TV, Colonel Alexander Sak was removed from the post of brigade commander. The brigade will instead be led by Colonel Alexander Pavliy. Recall that in early June “Magura” was the first to attack the Russian positions in the Rabotino area, but suffered significant losses in people and equipment in the very first days of the counteroffensive and failed to break through the Russian defense line. In July, the senior non-commissioned officer, on the US model, of the Magura, Master Sergeant Marcus, resigned. The brigade was equipped with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard tanks, and its fighters were trained in the West.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, on behalf of the President, visited the combat contact line in the DPR. The former Prime Minister visited a training camp for contract soldiers, learned about the progress of training and the conditions of service of military personnel.
In Crimea, the first nationalized properties of Ukrainian oligarchs were sold for more than 815 million rubles, and about 100 of these properties will soon be put up for sale, including Zelensky’s apartment, authorities on the peninsula said.
On the front line Moscow has sent Russian Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers with new X-BD cruise missiles with a range of over 6,500 km.
Attacks are still being reported in Crimea. For ten days, Ukrainian formations have been carrying out attacks and incursions towards the Peninsula almost every day. And in identifying the targets, according to pro-Russian social accounts: “They are helped not only by NATO reconnaissance planes, but also by a constellation of satellites.” “If you look at the map of images of the earth’s surface from military satellites TOPAZ for September 16-17, the number has increased significantly: 33 images of various objects in Crimea, including the Crimean Bridge.” “Particular emphasis is placed on airfields where aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Navy are based, as well as places of planned deployment of air defense systems. As a rule, first one of the areas is detected by a reconnaissance aircraft, then the information is confirmed/denied by satellites.”
From noon on September 17 there was an active transfer of troops on boats to Zmeiny from Vilkovo, which around 3-4 pm headed towards the Crimea via gas production plants and fields. The movement of the landing forces of the main helm and special forces of Ukraine on 14 boats was detected in a advance. Su-24 naval aviation aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet were sent to the area of their movement, which at 19.39 and 19.40 struck with four RBK-500 cluster munitions. As a result, several boats are damaged and the others have returned to their starting ports. At the same time, the DRG sortie had to be coordinated in time with the launch of drones over the peninsula. Units of the 31st Division of the Air Force and Air Defense, together with electronic warfare crews, shot down and suppressed five aircraft-type drones: two were landed by electronic warfare at Cape Fiolent, two were destroyed during the approach to the airport of Belbek and another one was on the southwestern part of Sevastopol.
It is not yet clear to the Russians where the drones were launched from, the Ukrainians keep the launch areas secret. It is assumed that the take-off took place from the Odessa region or from drilling rigs in the middle of the sea, the use of which, also for this purpose, we talked about a few days ago.
On the front line in the area of the North-Eastern Military District, Ukrainian formations launched regular raids near Prityutnoye and Staromayorsky in the Vremyevsky sector. The attacks were repelled by Russian military personnel. Meanwhile, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to accumulate forces in this direction for new massive attacks.
Clashes continue in the direction of Soledar near Kleshcheevka and Andreevka. Neither side currently controls the completely destroyed settlements. The Ukrainian Armed Forces once again attacked Crimea: Russian anti-aircraft gunners shot down drones near Cape Tarkhankut, Portovoy, Kirovsky and Feodosia. In the evening, the attacks resumed with renewed vigor: several planes were intercepted at Cape Fiolent, as well as several Ukrainian boats with landing forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
In addition, the Ukrainians attacked the rear regions of Russia with drones: air defense systems destroyed UAVs over the Tula, Voronezh, Moscow and Oryol regions.
Graziella Giangiulio
