Ukrainian sabotage attempt on Black Sea fleet thwarted: Russia
An attempt by Ukrainian special services to stage a “terrorist attack” on a ship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been thwarted, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday.
According to a statement, authorities have detained a Russian Navy serviceman who was recruited by Ukrainian special services, and was in possession of an improvised explosive device equivalent to 1kg of TNT.
The man is also suspected of providing the enemy with information that constitutes a state secret, the FSB said. Russian authorities plan to launch criminal cases on charges of terrorism, illegal trafficking in explosives, high treason and disclosure of state secrets.
Russian naval bases and other facilities on the Crimean peninsula have repeatedly come under attack from Kiev’s forces since the start of the conflict last year.
Russia intercepts another cargo ship bearing traces of explosives: FSB
Russia’s security agency the FSB has reported that it has identified another civilian vessel headed for a Russian port it suspects of prior involvement in smuggling arms to Ukraine. Traces of explosives were detected during an inspection of the BMO River cargo ship on Wednesday.
The merchant ship was checked on its way from the Turkish port of Sinop to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don along a route that goes through the Kerch Strait and under the strategic Crimean bridge. The transport link has been attacked twice in the past year in what Moscow described as Ukrainian terrorist attacks.
According to the FSB, inspectors found traces of explosives inside the ВМО River cargo hold and on one of its rescue boats. The suspicious compounds were identified as the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitro (DNT), which is used in TNT production.
The FSB assessed that the ship “may have been previously used to transport explosives to Ukrainian territory,” based on the test results and its record of visiting the Ukrainian port of Reni in June and July. The ship was denied access to the Azov Sea and left Russian territorial waters, the Thursday statement said.
Earlier this week, the FSB reported turning away another Rostov-on-Don-bound ship sailing from Turkey, after finding traces of explosives. The agency similarly claimed that the vessel may have been previously involved in smuggling weapons to Ukraine.
West blaming Russia for food insecurity is hypocritical: Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Western sanctions are making Russian food deliveries to Africa more difficult and reiterated that Russia pulled out from the Black Sea Grain Deal, because none of Moscow’s the conditions were met.
Speaking at the opening of a plenary session at the Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Putin said “none of the conditions of the deal regarding the withdrawal from the sanctions of Russian exports of grain and fertilizers to world markets were fulfilled, not a single one.”
Putin went on to say that “the illegitimate sanctions made it much more difficult for Russia to send food to Africa,” in terms of logistics, banking and transfers.
“We have a paradoxical picture here. On one hand Western countries are limiting the supply of our grain and fertilizers to Africa. And on the other hand, in totally hypocritical manner, they blame us for all the problems,” Putin added.
Out of the 262,000 tons of fertilizers blocked in European ports, he noted only two batches were actually sent – only 20,000 tons to Malawi and 34,000 tons to Kenya.
“The rest remained in the hands of the Europeans,” he continued.
Trade between Russia and Africa reached $18 billion last year, Putin said, adding “Africa’s potential is clear to everyone, the growth potential is higher than anywhere else in the world.”
Zelensky visits Dnipro after “good results” in counteroffensive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the city of Dnipro amid reports of a large push by Kyiv’s forces less than a hundred miles south, along the Zaporizhzhia frontline.
“We started our working day in Dnipro. Field Staff in the area of responsibility of the Operational and strategic grouping of troops ‘Tavria’. Situation at the front, course of offensive and defensive actions,” Zelensky posted on Telegram.
His visit and remarks come as Ukrainian forces continue their “offensive operation on Melitopol and Berdyansk axes, consolidating their positions, and inflict fire damage,” according to the military’s General Staff.
It also follows comments from US officials that Ukraine has committed more forces to its counteroffensive in the southeast after nearly two months of slow progress, according to two US officials —a sign that they may have identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines to exploit.
The newly committed units had been held in reserve until now. The military still has additional combat power in reserve, but this is the “main bulk” of the forces committed to the counteroffensive, one of the officials said.
In the southeast, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has broken through some elements of Russian defensive lines, the official said, and the reserve units have come in to capitalize on the opportunity.
On Wednesday, Ukraine appeared to have launched a major push south of Orikhiv, along the Melitopol axis, with Russian officials and bloggers saying Kyiv had committed up to 100 armoured vehicles to the offensive.
A member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia military-civilian administration, Vladimir Rogov, wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian forces, backed by armored vehicles and tanks, had managed to “wedge in three sections of our first line of defense” near Robotyne.
Ukraine has yet to comment on the specifics of the push. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, said only that offensive operations along the southern front were “gradually advancing,” with similar, gradual progress also taking place further east in the area of Staromaiorsk.
Zelensky concluded his nightly address on Wednesday with a cryptic message that Ukrainian forces were seeing success at the front line.
By the way, today our guys at the front had very good results. Well done,” he continued, adding, “More details later.”
Russia attacks port infrastructure in Odesa, killing one civilian employee
Russia launched a missile attack overnight into Thursday on the port infrastructure of the southern region of Odesa, killing one person, Ukraine’s Operational Command South said on Facebook.
“Kalibr missiles were launched from a submarine in the waters of the Black Sea at a critically low altitude, which made detection difficult,” the statement said.
“A civilian employee was killed when one of the administrative buildings of the port was hit,” it noted.
Production equipment in one of the cargo terminals was damaged, it added.
Oleh Kiper, the head of the region’s military administration, said on Thursday the employee who died was a security guard born in 1979. The guard building and two vehicles were also destroyed, he stated.
Ukraine has “options available” as Kyiv commits more forces to counteroffensive: US defense secretary
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine has “a number of options available” as Kyiv commits more forces to its ongoing counteroffensive against Russia.
Austin didn’t comment on the status of the counteroffensive or specific battlefield details, but he said that Ukraine has been “preserving manpower and equipment,” even as their forces deliberately work their way through minefields and other obstacles.
“They still have a number of options available to them, and we can expect that they’ll continue to press,” Austin said at a press conference in Papua New Guinea alongside the country’s Prime Minister.
Ukraine has committed more forces to its counteroffensive in the southeast after nearly two months of slow progress, according to two US officials, a sign that they have identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines to exploit.
“Ukraine is well prepared and well trained to be successful, and as you heard me say last week, they fought hard, they’ve been working their way to get through the minefields and other obstacles, but they still have a lot of combat power,” Austin stated.
The Ukrainian military still has additional combat power in reserve, but this is the “main bulk” of the forces committed to the counteroffensive, one of the officials said.
Ukraine committing more forces to counteroffensive after nearly 2 months of slow progress: US officials
Ukraine has committed more forces to its counteroffensive in the southeast after nearly two months of slow progress, according to two US officials — a sign that they have identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines to exploit.
The Ukrainian military still has additional combat power in reserve, but this is the “main bulk” of the forces committed to the counteroffensive, one official said.
The newly committed units had been held in reserve until now as other Ukrainian forces made slow, grinding progress against widespread Russian defensive lines and minefields while under threat of aerial assaults and artillery fire.
In the southeast, the Ukrainian counteroffensive has broken through some elements of Russian defensive lines, the official said, and the reserve units have come in to capitalize on the opportunity.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov acknowledged over the weekend that the highly anticipated counteroffensive was behind schedule, but he insisted he was “not worried because it is going to plan.”
Reznikov stated that Ukraine needs to use “soldiers, sappers, and deminers” to pick their way through Russian minefields, but that they were preparing the battlefield for the “real offensive movement.”
Even with the commitment of additional forces to the counteroffensive, Ukraine’s progress may not be immediate, since Russia has multiple layers of defensive lines which they’ve building and reinforcing for months.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley said last week that Russia had a “very complex defense in depth” across the front line in Ukraine, comparing it to trenches in World War I.
“They’ve got a very extensive security zone in-depth,” Milley noted at a briefing following a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group,” and then they’ve got at least two, perhaps even three main defensive belts.”
“What the Ukrainians have, though, is a significant amount of combat power not yet committed,” Milley said at the time.
On Wednesday, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that offensive operations along the southern front were “gradually advancing,” with similar, gradual progress also taking place further east in the area of Staromaiorsk.
Near the village of Robotyne, Ukraine’s 47th Brigade has been trying to break through heavily-mined Russian defensive lines, making use of US armored vehicles to attack enemy positions.
A member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia military-civilian administration, Vladimir Rogov, wrote on Telegram on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces, backed by armored vehicles and tanks, had managed to “wedge in three sections of our first line of defense” near Robotyne.
Rogov added Russian forces were using their full arsenal, including aviation strikes, to push back against the Ukrainian units carrying out the assault, which he claimed were Western-equipped and trained.
“The fighters of these brigades have been trained abroad, and the brigades themselves are equipped with Western military equipment, including Leopard tanks and Bradley BMPs,” he continued.
The Russian-installed governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, also stated a Ukrainian attack was underway.
Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented or confirmed this offensive.
North Korea “fully supports” Russia’s right to defend its sovereignty: DM
North Korea’s Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam Wednesday said he fully supports what he called “the just struggle of the Russian army” to “defend the sovereignty and security of the country,” according to state newspaper KCNA.
During a reception welcoming the Russian military delegation to Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kang reaffirmed the mandate of the North Korean army to strengthen cooperation against the “anti-imperialist struggle,” and wished the Russian army success in “building a powerful Russia” under President Vladimir Putin, KCNA reported.
Kang noted that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit demonstrates the “might of the militant unity” between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Russian armies and people, against a “common enemy,” KCNA reported.
Shoigu also made a speech stressing that the North Korean army “has become the strongest army in the world,” according to KCNA.
During his visit, Shoigu also met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, KCNA reported. Kim and Shoigu discussed matters “of mutual concern” regarding defense and security. The meeting served to develop DPRK-Russia relations and “strategic and tactical collaboration and cooperation,” according to KCNA.
The meeting took place during a congratulatory visit by Shoigu’s delegation for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, KCNA reported.
US and allies working with Ukraine on alternative routes to deliver grain: White House
The United States and its allies are working with Kyiv on alternative land routes to deliver critical grain to the world after Russia pulled out of the grain deal that had permitted Ukrainian grain to travel through the Black Sea, the White House said Wednesday.
“We are working with our EU partners, we’re working with Ukraine and other European partners to see if there’s other ways to get grain to market over land. But that’s not as efficient,” John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, told reporters at the White House Wednesday.
“The best way for this grain to get to market is through maritime lanes,” he continued, adding, “But we’re working to see what we can do.”
The US has previously warned that Russia could target civilian ships in the Black Sea and blame Ukraine after the Kremlin withdrew participation from the Black Sea grain deal earlier this month. The deal was originally brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last year to ensure the safe passage of grain from Ukrainian ports.
Ukrainian grain is critical to global food supplies, especially for developing countries. Grain prices have risen sharply since the deal collapsed and as Moscow targets Ukrainian port infrastructure.
Ukraine investing heavily in drone technology for war: PM
More than 40 Ukrainian companies have contracts to develop drones for use in the war against Russia, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Shmyhal appeared at a forum marking the first anniversary of the “Army of Drones” project that brought together Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers. The prime minister said the production of UAVs has since increased tenfold.
Both surveillance and attack drones have played a critical role for both sides in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, assisting with targeting enemy weapons, tracking the movement of units and taking out armor.
Shmyhal said the Ukrainian government has allocated about $1 billion this year for investing in Ukrainian UAV manufacturers.
“We have eliminated customs barriers for importing spare parts and complete sets. The profit share of UAV manufacturers has been raised to 25%, and a decision has been made that will facilitate the mass production of ammunition for drones,” he added.
Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian minister of digital transformation, displayed some 1,700 UAVs at the forum that are being sent to the front lines.
The program has so far trained 10,000 operators at 26 training centers, and another 10,000 are slated to be trained in the future.
However, some Ukrainian military officials have recently noted that Russia’s advantage in electronic warfare has blunted the effectiveness of drone operations, as Moscow is able to jam the UAVs.
Ukrainian security service says it carried out October attack on Crimea bridge
After months of silence, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has acknowledged its involvement in the attack on the Crimean bridge in October last year.
“SBU officers have been destroying the enemy in the hottest spots and doing everything to liberate our land as soon as possible. The destruction of the Crimean bridge is one of our achievements,” said SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk at a ceremony in Kyiv to mark the issuing of a postage stamp celebrating the security services.
Earlier this month Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar became the first Ukrainian official to acknowledge directly that Ukraine was responsible for the attack, which involved a powerful explosion on the bridge, apparently caused by a bomb concealed in a shipping container.
The Crimean bridge links the annexed peninsula to mainland Russia.
The crossing is a vital artery for supplying Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, allowing people and goods to flow into the Ukrainian territories that Moscow has occupied in the south and east of the country.
Also known as the Kerch Bridge, it holds personal value for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the Kremlin narrative it marks the “reunification” of Crimea with the Russian mainland.
