Important Saturday 20 January at 8.20pm:
– British intelligence: Ukraine holds positions on the left bank of the Dnieper;
– According to the IAEA, Russia has placed mines around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant;
– Ukraine: Russia has deployed air defense in Crimea and on the front line;
– Zelensky invited Trump to visit;
– Budanov promised to continue attacking the occupiers in Crimea;
– The White House warned Congress of the imminent loss of Ukraine if a decision on arms aid is not made;
– A bill has been prepared in the Russian parliament that allows the confiscation of money and other assets from people who criticize the country’s armed forces;
– According to an estimate presented by Ukraine on Saturday, Russia has lost around 750 soldiers, four tanks, ten infantry fighting vehicles and 14 artillery pieces in the last 24 hours.
British intelligence: Ukraine maintains positions on the left bank of the Dnieper
Ukraine has managed to maintain a presence on the left bank of the Dnieper River and continues to repel Russian attacks despite logistical concerns, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its intelligence review.
The report notes that, according to the representative of the Defense Forces of the Southern District of Ukraine, there were difficulties in the logistical supply of the left bank of the Dnieper River.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, attempts by Russian forces to remove the Ukrainian defenders from there were unsuccessful, although they almost certainly brought significant benefits. The ministry added that, at the same time, it is very likely that the poor training and coordination of Russian forces in the area will limit their ability to attack.
According to British intelligence, expelling Ukrainian forces from the left bank of the Dnieper is a priority for Russia, and attacks there are likely to continue despite mounting casualties.
According to the IAEA, Russia has placed mines around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Russian soldiers have re-installed mines around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Euromaidan press reported following the announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the IAEA report, in November 2023, the agency’s team discovered mines between the inner and outer fences of the nuclear power plant and removed them, but now new ones have been placed.
Euromaidan added that IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed concern about this and stressed that the presence of mines is against IAEA safety standards.
Although Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022, it continues to operate.
Ukraine: Russia has deployed air defenses in Crimea and on the front lines
Russia has deployed air defense systems in Crimea and on the front lines, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said in an interview with Focus.
“The fact that they filled the contact line with the systems is 100% true. And the fact that Crimea is full of them is 200% true,” Ihnat said.
“But the rest of the Russian territory no longer has so many air defense systems. Russia is practically empty of them. Moscow, Petersburg, Putin’s bunkers are more or less protected, but Ukrainian-made drones can reach Moscow, Petersburg and other oil sites. bases. This is a very good sign,” he added.
Ihnat said that everyone in Russia began to feel the effects of the war. “They feel more and more bitter about the war. The Russians thought that the so-called special military operation was going as planned and that the war would not affect them. Now it’s everyone’s turn. Unfortunately, for the last two years we have been hit: fire, destruction and death. Now they will too,” Ihnat said.
Zelensky invited Trump to visit Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited US President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to present his peace plan that would end the war with Russia within 24 hours, as Trump promised.
“Yes, please, Donald Trump, I invite you to Ukraine, to Kiev. If you can stop the war within 24 hours, I think you can come to Kiev every day I’m here,” Zelenskiy told Channel 4 News.
At the same time, Zelenskiy said he finds Trump’s promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours alarming if it does not include consideration of Ukraine’s interests.
“When he says he makes decisions alone, without both parties [rääkimata]that means without us… It means that if he continues to implement his idea, which no one has heard of and which doesn’t work for our people, it worries me a little,” the Ukrainian president said.
“He is welcome, but I don’t think he can end the war in 24 hours without giving our land to Putin,” Zelensky added.
The former US president and likely Republican presidential candidate in November has said more than once in the past that he has a plan to bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours of his return to the presidency. After winning the Iowa primary earlier this week, Trump reiterated that he would end the war “very quickly” if he won the election.
Zelensky invited Trump to visit Ukraine in November as well. But Trump refused, citing a “conflict of interest” with the administration of now President Joe Biden.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with then US President Donald Trump in New York in September 2019. Author/Source: SCANPIX / TT NYHETSBYRÅN
Budanov promised the continuation of attacks against the occupiers in Crimea
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrõlo Budanov, sees the need to continue to pressure Russia, especially in Crimea, to attack from the air, use naval attack drones and carry out covert special operations.
Lieutenant General Budanov, head of the Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, spoke to the business newspaper Financial Times about the current situation of the aggressor state and the immediate priorities of the war.
“Our units entered Crimea several times (last year),” Budanov recalled, adding that active operations of special units continue.
One of the priorities of the respective missions is the destruction of the occupation army’s logistics in the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, he said.
According to Budanov, Russia’s attempts to advance on the Eastern Front, which began in the autumn, have not yet led to a single breakthrough.
“Their latest attempt (to advance) has been going on for two months now. To no avail, really,” the intelligence chief said.
Budanov added that the number of Russian casualties on the front near Avdijivka had increased significantly in recent weeks. He also expressed doubts about Russia’s ability to sufficiently cover its losses even with North Korea’s support.
The White House warned Congress of Ukraine’s impending defeat
White House officials have warned members of the US Congress that Ukraine could lose the war with Russia within a few weeks or at most within a couple of months if the US does not provide a new military aid package to Kiev, reported the NBC television channel. .
“President Joe Biden’s aides bluntly told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that (…) if Congress doesn’t authorize additional military aid to Ukraine in the coming days, Russia could win the war within a few days. weeks or, at best, months,” NBC reports, citing anonymous sources.
According to sources, the President’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers that Ukraine will lose some air defense and artillery capabilities in the coming weeks, the channel notes.
The White House also fears that the prospect of withdrawing Biden’s pledge to support Kiev “for as long as necessary” could affect the confidence of key US allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, in Washington’s ability to fulfill its obligations , the television reported. channel reported… According to White House officials who met with members of Congress, if Russia won simply because the United States failed to keep its promises, it would have consequences around the world.
At the same time, Bloomberg reported, Biden expressed hope that the Senate would be able to come up with a border bill as early as next week that would satisfy both Democrats and Republicans.
“I think that at least next week we will be able to find a solution in the Senate,” the president said during a meeting with mayors.
Republicans in Congress have reportedly called for tougher measures on immigration in exchange for support for a $110 billion package that includes money for military aid to Ukraine and Israel. Earlier this week, Biden met with congressional leaders in hopes of stepping up efforts to free up those funds.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after the meeting, “I told the president what I’ve been saying for months, which is that we need change at the border, significant policy change.”
“We understand that there are concerns about the security and sovereignty of Ukraine. But the Americans have the same concern about our internal sovereignty, our security,” he said, adding that “we must insist (…) that the border come first”, he underlined.
Russia prepares to confiscate assets of war critics
Russian lawmakers are preparing to pass a bill that would allow them to confiscate money and other assets from people who spread what authorities call “intentionally false information” about the country’s military.
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said Saturday that the measure would also apply to those found guilty of other similar acts such as “discrediting” the armed forces, calling for sanctions against Russia or inciting extremism.
“All those who try to destroy Russia, those who betray it, must receive deserved punishment and compensate for the damage caused to the country at the expense of their property,” Volodin wrote on the Telegram social channel.
He said the bill would be presented on Monday to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Since the start of its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has intensified its crackdown on all forms of political dissent. According to laws adopted in March of the same year, discrediting the armed forces or spreading false information about them is punishable by a long prison sentence.
According to Ukraine, Russia lost 750 soldiers in 24 hours
Ukrainian Armed Forces’ assessment of Russian losses so far in the war since the start of Russia’s large-scale military offensive on February 24, 2022, provided by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Saturday:
– live force approximately 375,270 (comparison with the previous day +750);
– tanks 6171 (+4);
– infantry fighting vehicles 11,455 (+10);
– 8868 artillery systems (+14);
– mobile missile launch systems (MLRS) 967 (+1);
– air defense systems 654 (+0);
– aircraft 331 (+0);
– helicopters 324 (+0);
– operational tactical drones 6934 (+5);
– cruise missiles 1818 (+0);
– cars and other vehicles, including fuel trucks approximately 11,848 (+17);
– ships/boats 23 (+0);
– submarines 1 (+0);
– special equipment 1389 (+5).
Links to: Ukrainskaja pravda, The Kyiv Independent, BNS, Interfax, Reuters, The Guardian
2024-01-20 04:58:00
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