Wednesday, 08 March 2023 05:54

What to know after Day 377 of Russia-Ukraine war

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RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Investigators find vessel involved in Nord Stream sabotage

German authorities probing explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines have identified a vessel that appears to have been involved in what is widely regarded as an act of sabotage, a host of German media outlets revealed on Tuesday. The yacht, which was reportedly used in the attack on the pipelines, belongs to a Polish-based company owned by two Ukrainians, according to the reports.

Germany’s ARD broadcaster SWR radio and Die Zeit newspaper launched what they called their own joint journalistic investigation into the activities of the German law enforcement authorities involved in this case.

Their findings indicate the yacht set sail from the German northeastern port city of Rostock on September 6, with the explosives and equipment for the operation arriving in Rostock separately in a delivery truck. The yacht was later identified on the Danish island of Christianso, located just north-east of the island of Bornholm, where the pipelines were damaged on September 26, 2022.

The yacht was then returned to the owners, and the investigators managed to find traces of explosives on a table in its cabin, the outlets claim. The act of sabotage was reportedly carried out by a team of six people, including a captain, two divers, two diving assistants, and a female doctor.

The identities or even nationalities of the suspects remain unclear as they had “professionally forged passports,” which they also used to rent the yacht in the first place, according to German media outlets. The German authorities have also reportedly found no evidence that might point to who might have ordered the pipelines to be sabotaged.

According to ARD, SWR and Die Zeit, a Western secret service organization allegedly tipped off some European “partner services” shortly after the explosions, saying that a “Ukrainian commando” unit was responsible for the attack. The media outlets also claimed there had been “further intelligence indications” that a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind it.

The German government has not commented on the information presented by the media so far. A few days ago, Sweden, Denmark and Germany “informed the United Nations Security Council that the investigations are ongoing and that there are still no results,” a government spokesman declared on Tuesday. Kiev denied any involvement in the incident when contacted by the German media.

Citing some anonymous US intelligence officials, the New York Times on Tuesday reported that a “pro-Ukrainian group” was behind the September 2022 attacks. “No American or British nationals were involved,” it added.

The NYT also said that the bombs that tore apart three out of four pipeline strings at the bottom of the Baltic Sea were “most likely” planted by experienced divers, who might have received “specialized government training in the past.”

** Support for Ukraine aid in decline across West – polls

A year into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, public support for military and financial assistance to Kiev is in decline in the West, a joint survey by the Economist magazine and the pollster YouGov has shown.

Even the most ardent backers of Ukraine are now less enthusiastic about supporting the country, the Economist added, while revealing the poll results on Monday.

Among US Democrats, support for financial aid to Kiev fell from 82% to 75% between April 2022 and February 2023, the poll revealed. Republican support for similar measures almost halved over the same period, from 67% to 39%, it added.

Sending battle tanks to Kiev still appeared to be a popular option, as their delivery to Ukraine was supported by 70% of Democrats and just under 50% of Republicans between late January and mid-February 2023. A poll conducted by the Associated Press in mid-February showed, however, that less than a half of Americans support military aid to Kiev.

Public backing for further restrictions against Moscow that could increase the cost of living in Europe has sharply declined in major European nations over the past year, according to the poll.

In February 2022, 45% of Britons said they would favour such sanctions, but in December 2022 the level of support for the measures dropped to 35% in the UK. In Germany, it fell from almost 40% to less than 30% over the same period, while Spain, Italy and France followed a similar trend.

Another poll published by YouGov on February 24, showed that people in some European nations, including France and Italy, tend to favor a negotiated solution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, over supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

In Italy, 47% of respondents said they would like to see a negotiated end to the fighting, even if it means Kiev having to cede control over some territories to Russia. In France, 38% of people supported this option. Only 29% of Italians and 37% of the French believed Kiev should be supported further, even if it means the conflict will last longer.

Major European nations also saw a decline in support for almost all types of aid to Kiev over the second half of 2022. Most Europeans also believed that conflict had reached a stalemate, with Spanish citizens believing Russia was gaining the upper hand in it. The idea that Kiev is winning the conflict was shared by only a small minority in the European nations covered by the poll.

** Ukrainian troops’ losses jumped by 40% in February, surpassing 11,000 people — Shoigu

The losses of Ukrainian troops jumped by 40% in February, surpassing 11,000 people, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during a conference call with top commanders of the Russian armed forces.

"There’s considerable growth of losses among the personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces. In February alone, they increased by more than 40% compared with January and totaled more than 11,000 servicemen. In connection with this, it’s surprising how the Kiev regime doesn’t care about its people, tolerating any cost to human life to please its Western handlers," he said.

The minister said it continues to be a priority for the Russian armed forces to preserve the lives and health of its personnel and civilians. Shoigu also said Russian troops will continue to perform missions as part of the special operation.

The West, as part of the US strategy to "break Russia by force of weapons," in ramping up arms shipments to Kiev but that doesn’t result in Ukrainian achievements on the battlefield, Shoigu said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Pro-Ukraine group sabotaged pipelines, intelligence suggests, NYT reports

Intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials indicates that a pro-Ukrainian group sabotaged the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines from Russia to Europe last September, but there was no evidence of Kyiv government involvement, the New York Times reported.

The explosions seven months into the Russia-Ukraine war of underwater pipelines between Russia and Germany occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in the Baltic Sea. Both countries have concluded the blasts were deliberate, but have not said who might be responsible.

The United States and NATO have called the pipeline attacks "an act of sabotage," while Russia has blamed the West and called for an independent investigation. Neither side has provided evidence.

On the battlefield, Ukraine's forces continued to fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut on Tuesday despite Russian troops and mercenaries nearly encircling them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated a familiar message, that reclaiming occupied territory was his major goal.

"We are doing everything to liberate our land as quickly as possible, to put a historic end as quickly as possible to attempts to deny freedom to our country and our people," Zelenskiy said in a video address that he has delivered nightly since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 last year.

Tuesday's New York Times report cited U.S. officials as saying there was no evidence that Zelenskiy or his top aides were involved or that the perpetrators were acting at the behest of any Ukrainian government officials. No specific pro-Ukraine group was named as potentially responsible.

"Without a doubt, Ukraine is absolutely not involved in the excesses on the pipelines," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement. "It does not make the slightest bit of sense."

Washington was waiting for investigations in Germany, Sweden and Denmark to conclude, White House spokesperson John Kirby said. Reuters could not independently verify the New York Times report.

BATTLE OF BAKHMUT

Ukrainian forces repelled attacks on Bakhmut as well as on Ivanivske, on the town's western approaches, and on Klishchiivka, on its southern approaches, said a statement on Tuesday night by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Bakhmut is in ruins after more than seven months of bombardments and fighting there.

Several towns and villages near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region came under Russian shellfire, including Dubovo-Vasylivka, Ivanivske, Dyliivka and Bohdanivka, the statement said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the seizure of Bakhmut was critical to punching a hole in Ukrainian defences and would allow Moscow's forces to mount further offensive operations deeper inside Ukraine.

The heavily industrialised Donbas region of eastern Ukraine comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, which with two other Ukrainian regions are claimed by Russia along as its own territory, claims Kyiv and the West reject as illegal.

Other provinces of Ukraine were attacked by Russian troops on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said, including in central Zaporizhzhia region. The Ukrainian-held town of Nikopol opposite the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station came under fire, the statement said.

More than 30 towns on the southern front in Kherson region faced artillery fire, including the regional centre of Kherson and other towns on the west bank of the Dnipro River, according to the statement.

Reuters was not able to verify any of the battlefield accounts.

DIPLOMACY

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and challenges posed by China, the White House said.

Moscow has repeatedly declared that the United States and its allies are using Ukraine to wage war against it. That narrative is rejected by Kyiv and the West, which say Ukraine is fighting for survival against a Russian imperial land grab.

China has proposed a peace plan that Russia is paying close attention to, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

China's foreign minister was joking when he said an "invisible hand" was to blame for driving the conflict in Ukraine, Peskov said.

"Here we can probably disagree with our Chinese comrades. This is of course a joke. You know what the joke is: This is not an invisible hand, this is the hand of the United States of America, this is the hand of Washington," Peskov told reporters.

 

RT/TASS/Reuters

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