The Russian military says it has destroyed two US-made HIMARS
A Ukrainian army unit shows HIMARS vehicle rockets in eastern Ukraine on July 1, 2022.
The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has claimed to have destroyed two US-made high-mobility artillery rocket systems, better known as HIMARS.
“High-precision aerial missiles have destroyed 2 U.S.-made Himars multi-launch rocket launchers and 2 ammunition depots near Malotaranovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said on Wednesday in its latest military update.
CNBC and NBC News have not been able to immediately verify the claim, nor a video the ministry has shown stating that it is the HIMARS strike.
If verified, however, the destruction would be a blow to Ukraine, as only a small number of weapons have just been shipped from the US. In all, the US said it would send eight HIMAR systems to Ukraine and some will arrive in the near future. weeks, according to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, who said that some had arrived on June 23.
HIMAR systems are seen as a potential game changer in Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s advances in Ukraine, especially in the east, and the U.S. Department of Defense announced in early June that it would give Ukraine four systems of this type that allow the launch of multiple systems. precision-guided long-range rockets.
The Ukrainian army celebrated HIMAR as “beautiful, fast [and] precise “in a tweet earlier this week showing the rocket systems in use.
Neither the US nor Ukraine have commented on Russia’s claim.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Ukraine is trying to contain Russian forces on the Donetsk border
View of damaged artillery equipment in front of Severodonetsk from a hill in Lysychansk, Ukraine, Monday, June 13, 2022.
Marcus Yam | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Ukrainian forces are trying to curb Russian fighters on the border between the neighboring regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, according to Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration.
Haidai told Telegram on Wednesday that Russian occupiers were suffering “significant losses” as they tried to advance from a region, which they captured last weekend in Donetsk as part of their mission to, as Moscow calls it. , “liberate” the Donbas.
He said Russian forces had tried to advance towards Donetsk, but had been cut off on the Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway, which passed near Bilohorivka. “Under pressure from our defenders, the enemy was forced to retreat,” Haidai wrote.
The official said Russian forces were unable to comply with the advancement orders due to “significant losses in terms of personnel”.
“Only during the assault on Lysychansk, thousands of Russian soldiers were killed and wounded. In addition, Russian occupiers are facing problems with the supply of ammunition, as the Ukrainian army has destroyed several ammunition depots in the areas occupied over the past few weeks, ”Haidai said.
Haidai was confident that Russia’s advantage in terms of personnel would be reduced as soon as the Ukrainian army received more long-range weapons.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Kremlin criticizes France’s decision to post comments on Macron-Putin phone calls
French President Emmanuel Macron with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Versailles on May 29, 2017.
Stephane De Sakutin | Reuters
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the publication of excerpts from telephone conversations between President Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
“I think diplomatic ethics, of course, does not involve such a unilateral leak of records,” the minister told reporters after his visit to Vietnam, according to comments from state news agency Ria Novosti.
A diplomatic rift has arisen between Moscow and Paris following the release of a documentary in France in which fragments of a telephone conversation between the presidents that took place on 20 February were revealed.
Among the exceptions was the Russian president who complained about the Ukrainian government, saying he was not “democratically elected” and Putin also said he was talking to Macron, who tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to meet with the Ukrainian government. president Joe Biden in Geneva, from the gym.
Moscow has criticized the apparent breach of diplomatic rules, despite publishing its diplomatic correspondence between Russia, France and Germany over Ukraine last November.
On Wednesday, Lavrov tried to defend Russia’s action in the face of the latest fight with France, saying that “before publishing the content of my conversations with colleagues from France and Germany, we warned them three times that if we did not have clear explanations for what the agreed documents reject with their direct participation, we will be forced to make public “, he said.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Russia’s Chechen allies promise to fight until Putin stops them
President Vladimir Putin’s Chechen allies have vowed to continue fighting in Ukraine, saying they would even go beyond the country until the president stops them.
“There should be no doubt: the DPR [the Donetsk People’s Republic — a pro-Russian breakaway region], Mykolaiv, Kherson, Odessa, until Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin stops us. Inshallah [God willing] we will get to Berlin, “Chechen Parliament Speaker Magomed Daudov told reporters.
Prussian Chechen fighters have been part of Russia’s forces in Ukraine and have a formidable reputation in battle, as they have experienced in urban fighting after several conflicts with Russia itself in the 1990s and 2000s before a rapprochement between the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Putin a few. years ago.
It is doubtful that Daudov’s comments reflect any official policy in Moscow. There are also Chechens fighting for Ukraine.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
The battle for Sloviansk is fast approaching, says the UK
A market in Sloviansk was attacked on July 5, 2022, following an alleged missile attack amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Miguel Medina | AFP | Getty Images
The British Ministry of Defense said a battle would be approaching for the main city of Sloviansk, on the Donetsk front line. Russian forces are advancing on Donetsk province after the capture of the neighboring Luhansk region.
“Russian forces from the eastern and western force groups are now about 16 km north of the city of Sloviansk. With the city also under threat from the central and southern force groups, there are there is a realistic possibility that the battle for Sloviansk will be the next key contest in the fight for the Donbas, “the ministry said on Wednesday.
A market in Sloviansk was hit yesterday and killed two people and injured seven others, the city’s mayor, Vadym Lyakh, said on Wednesday.
The ministry noted that Russia is likely to continue consolidating its control over Lysychansk and Lugansk province (province) where there have been fierce fighting for weeks and culminating last weekend with Russia’s takeover of the latter. city of the province controlled by Ukraine.
In northern Sloviansk, the British noted, Russia has “engaged most of the remaining available units of the Eastern and Western force groups on the Izium axis,” in reference to the route between Sloviansk through Izium, to Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. .
“Over the past week, Russian forces have probably advanced up to 5 kilometers further along the E40 main road from Izium, in the face of Ukraine’s extremely determined resistance,” the ministry said.
“Holly Ellyatt.”
Russia seeks to mobilize the economy to keep the war going
Russia’s parliament has taken several steps to put the country’s economy at war, with two bills passed in the State Duma that would allow the government to force Russian companies to supply goods to the army for the effort. of war.
Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty Images
Russia’s parliament has taken several steps to put the country’s economy at war, with two bills passed in the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) that would allow the government to force Russian companies to supply goods to the state. ‘army for war. effort.
“The burden on the defense industry has increased significantly. To ensure the supply of weapons and ammunition, it is necessary to optimize the work of the military-industrial complex and the companies that are part of the chains of cooperation,” Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov . he told lawmakers Tuesday, according to a Reuters translation.
A second bill, also passed by the Duma after a first reading, would amend the labor code. This means that companies that supply goods that help the war effort could get their employees to work at night, on weekends and holidays, and without annual leave, if necessary.
Both bills have yet to be submitted to a second and third reading in the Duma and must be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin.
“The mobilization of the country’s economic and industrial potential to support the army is a tacit recognition of the significant losses suffered since the beginning of the invasion and the approach of the shortage of certain types of equipment,” explained Andrius Tursa, Teneo Intelligence’s Central and Eastern European advisor. he commented on Tuesday.
“At the same time, it could be seen that Moscow is preparing to maintain its long-term military operations.”
“Holly Ellyatt.”
The air alert sounded in almost all of Ukraine, increasing civilian anxiety, says Zelenskyy
Zelenskyi told Ukrainians not to “think about it too much,” and said, “You should not look for logic in the actions of terrorists.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday night that an air alert was announced in almost all of Ukraine, leaving many civilians anxious after a period of relative calm in some parts of the country.
“Before that, there had been no air alert in the capital and some regions for some time,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly speech, adding that this had made many people wonder if Russia was planning any what.
Zelenskyi told Ukrainians not to “think too much,” and said, “You should …