RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Russia ‘winning’ fight against Ukraine – retired US Army colonel
Russia is defeating Ukraine and the recent leaks of US classified documents will not change the outcome on the battlefield, retired US Army colonel and former Pentagon adviser Douglas Macgregor has said.
“I think the Russians are winning anyway, and the Russians know the truth,”Macgregor said in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on Sunday.
“The Ukrainians themselves know the truth. They’re in a very terrible position right now. We’ve been pushing them to launch this massive offensive in the spring,” Macgregor argued.
“And, frankly, [Ukrainians] don’t have the forces, they don’t have the resources to make a difference at this point. They really need to fall back and defend against the Russians, who are ultimately going to attack in May and June.”
The documents dumped online sometime this year and recently discovered by news organizations include US intelligence dispatches and documents purported to be the Pentagon’s daily reports on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
According to a file dated February 28, Western countries have been training and equipping nine Ukrainian brigades for a counteroffensive slated for April 30. The same document said that three more brigades were to be formed “internally” in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have said in the past that offensive operations would depend on the supply of tanks and other heavy weapons from the West. Prime Minister Denis Shmigal confirmed on Monday that the counteroffensive would begin “in the nearest future.” He rejected the idea that Kiev was being pressured from abroad regarding the timetable.
** Kremlin reveals details of Putin’s surprise visit to troops
President Vladimir Putin’s unannounced trip to command posts and Russian troops in Kherson Region and the Lugansk People’s Republic took place on Monday, his spokesman has confirmed. Top military officials took part remotely in working meetings with the Russian leader, Dmitry Peskov added.
The Kremlin spokesperson provided new details about the visit, which was first reported on Tuesday morning, in response to multiple questions by journalists.
There was previously some confusion about the date of the inspection, as Putin mentioned Easter while presenting troops with an Orthodox icon. Orthodox Christians marked the holy day last Sunday, but Putin’s remark that Easter was “ongoing” was a reference to a wider celebration that is traditionally observed for 40 days, Peskov explained.
The spokesman also discussed the absences of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, in the footage of Putin’s visit. Both officials joined the president via video link as he chaired working meetings at the military headquarters, Peskov explained.
“It’s hardly appropriate for the commander-in-chief, the minister of defense, and the chief of the General Staff to gather in one place and present such a temptation for the enemy. And, of course, this is a big risk,” the Kremlin spokesman added.
Peskov declined to comment on whether Putin was satisfied with the state of the troops in the two regions, which joined Russia following referendums last year. Inspecting troops is “a routine job of the commander-in-chief,” the presidential spokesman remarked, adding that reporting details about military affairs was the prerogative of the Defense Ministry.
However, Peskov did identify the icon which Putin had brought with him as a gift, explaining that the president had two copies from the original, ‘Savior not made by hands’ – one for soldiers in each region that he visited. The original icon was presented by Russian Emperor Alexander III to his war minister, Pyotr Vannovsky, and is due to be sent to the main cathedral of the Russian military, Peskov said.
Vannovsky was credited by Peskov for leading the ministry during the “active formation and development of our armed forces.” The Kiev-born commander and statesman headed the Russian War Ministry between 1881 and 1898. He later served as public education minister for several months, after the previous incumbent of the office was assassinated by a revolutionary gunman.
** Medvedev cautions South Korea against weapons supplies to Kiev
Deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has warned of the dangers South Korea's plans to supply weapons to Ukraine are fraught with.
"There have emerged new enthusiasts eager to help our enemies. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said that in principle his country is ready to supply the Kiev regime with weapons," Medvedev said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
"Until recently, the South Koreans had vehemently assured that any possibility of supplying lethal weapons to Kiev was completely ruled out," he recalled.
"I wonder what the people of that country will say when they see Russia’s latest weapons in the hands of their closest neighbors - our partners in the DPRK?" Medvedev asked.
"As they say, quid pro quo," he described such a situation.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, in an interview with Reuters published Wednesday, did not rule out that Seoul might agree to supply weapons to Ukraine, if there was a serious threat to its population or if the laws of war were flagrantly violated.
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
US announces $325m in new arms aid for Ukraine, including HIMARS ammo
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration announced $325 million in new military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday to help its military in its war against Russia, including additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), advanced missiles and anti-tank mines.
It is the 36th security package for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and brings total U.S. military assistance for the Kyiv government to more than $35.4 billion in that time.
"This security assistance package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS and artillery rounds, as well as anti-armor systems, small arms, logistics support vehicles, and maintenance support essential to strengthening Ukraine’s defenders on the battlefield," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
HIMARS is a missile launcher mounted on a truck that can fire multiple guided missiles in quick succession. Missiles supplied to Ukraine have a range of up to 50 miles (80 km) and Ukrainian forces have had great success using them to target Russian positions.
"Russia could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes," said Blinken.
In addition to the HIMARS ammunition, the package includes artillery rounds; tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles; anti-tank mines; port and harbor security equipment, and over 9 million rounds of small-arms ammunition, a Statement Department spokesperson said.
The package will be funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which authorizes the president to transfer articles and services from U.S. stocks without congressional approval during an emergency.
** Russia increases shelling, air strikes in Bakhmut - Ukrainian general
Russian forces are stepping up their use of heavy artillery and air strikes in the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Tuesday.
Fighting in and around Bakhmut has for months been the epicentre of the war in Ukraine.
"Currently, the enemy is increasing the activity of heavy artillery and the number of air strikes, turning the city into ruins," General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement.
He said Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, remained committed to taking Bakhmut "at any cost" but was suffering significant losses in the battle for the city.
Reuters could not confirm the battlefield situation. Russia says Ukrainian forces have also suffered heavy losses in Bakhmut.
The city, which had a pre-war population of about 70,000, has been Russia's main target in a winter offensive that has yielded scant gains despite infantry ground combat of an intensity unseen in Europe since World War Two.
Bakhmut's capture could provide a stepping stone for Russia to advance on two bigger cities it has long coveted in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine: Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
The head of the Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded Russia's attempt to take Bakhmut, said this month that its fighters controlled more than 80% of the city.
Ukraine denied this, saying it still controlled considerably more than 20% of the city. The Ukrainian military is widely expected to mount a counteroffensive in coming weeks or months aimed at recapturing Russian-held territory.
RT/TASS/Reuters
