RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Russia boosts ammunition production – defense minister
Russia has significantly boosted production of ammunition to support its troops in the Ukraine conflict, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Saturday.
Shoigu delivered his remarks as he met with top military officials at the headquarters of the joint staff of the Russian armed forces, according to the ministry’s statement. There, he was briefed on the current battlefield situation while also raising the issue of supplying the army with munitions.
During the gathering, the minister assured those assembled that “the provision to troops of weapons of destruction is currently under constant control” of the government and the Defense Ministry, with Russian authorities “taking the required measures to boost” production of ammo.
Shoigu went on to say that “due to the expansion of production capacities and the increase in labor productivity” the defense industrial complex “had increased manifold” the amount of munitions produced.
“We are talking about both conventional and high-precision types of weapons. All this allows us to fulfill the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in accordance with the plan for conducting a special military operation,” the minister added, referring to the rank held by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In its statement, the ministry also noted that apart from ramping up ammo production, the meeting was focused on logistics issues.
While visiting the HQ, Shoigu seized the opportunity to award an unspecified number of Russian service members with the Golden Star, which comes together with the highly prestigious title of the Hero of the Russian Federation, as well as with other state decorations.
Amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Moscow has ramped up its defense spending and made an effort to increase production of military equipment. In an interview with Russia 1 TV last month, Vladimir Putin said that Moscow’s forces have been using far more munitions than Ukraine, and they “even had to introduce certain limitations.”
At the time, he also noted that while the West continued to send arms and munitions to Ukraine, the Russian defense industrial complex would produce much more weapons than Kiev would receive from its backers. He added that foreign military assistance to Kiev concerns Russia only because it constitutes “an attempt to prolong the conflict” and will “lead to a bigger tragedy and nothing more.”
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Ukraine furious over Russian UN Security Council presidency
Russia, whose leader is accused of war crimes, assumed charge of the United Nations Security Council on Saturday causing fury in Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy calling it an absurd and destructive move.
The last time Russia held the rotating presidency of the body responsible for maintaining peace and combating acts of international aggression was in February 2022 when Moscow troops launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, we ... have some obviously absurd and destructive news," Zelenskiy said in his daily video address, adding that Russian shelling had killed a five-month-old boy on Friday.
"And at the same time Russia is chairing the U.N. Security Council. It's hard to imagine anything that proves more the total bankruptcy of such institutions," he said.
The presidency rotates alphabetically each month among the 15 members. Although it is largely procedural, the Kremlin and other Russian officials vowed to "exercise all its rights" in the role.
The United States on Thursday urged Russia to "conduct itself professionally" when it assumes the role, saying there was no means to block Moscow from the post.
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) - an international justice body not associated with the UN - issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children rights, accusing them of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia's presidency of the Security Council a "slap in the face to the international community." Zelenskiy said it was time for a general overhaul of global institutions, including the Security Council.
"Reform is obviously necessary to prevent a terrorist state - and any other state that wants to be a terrorist - from destroying the peace," he said.
Some 400 days into the war, which has killed thousands, destroyed Ukrainian cities and set millions of civilians to flight, Russia continues to take over parts of the country, pressing on with its assault in the east.
Earlier, Zelenskiy advisor Andriy Yermak also hit out at Iran, which Kyiv and its allies accuse of supplying Russia with arms. Tehran denies it is giving weapons to Russia.
"It is very telling that on the holiday of one terror state – Iran - another terror state – Russia – begins to preside over the U.N. Security Council," Yermak wrote on Twitter, referring to Iran's Islamic Republic Day holiday.
RT/Reuters
