The Russian invasion. The sanctions .The outside world's response

Oil tanks in a Russian port. AP 

 

The Russian invasion The sanctions   

Neighbors help Russia circumvent Western sanctions  

 

Despite international sanctions, the Russian economy has stood strong, reports the New York Times. In part, this is because several neighboring countries such as Turkey, China, Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan help the country circumvent the sanctions by importing goods and then reselling them to Russia.  

 

One example is that this summer, Armenia's import of smart mobile phones increased tenfold, while the export of phones also increased sharply.  

 

At the same time, the Russian oil sector is relatively strong. This is partly due to the fact that Russia also circumvents various sanctions here, including by loading and unloading oil at sea where no legislation applies instead of in ports.  

 

On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it estimates the Russian economy will grow by 0.3 percent in 2023, a clear improvement over an earlier forecast of a 2.3 percent

 

 

The Russian InvasionThe Battles  

Russian military: We have captured village north of Bachmut 

 

Russian military claims to have captured the village of Blagodatne north of Bachmut. This is reported by AFP.  

 

The fighting in the region has been going on for many months. The city of Bachmut used to have around 80,000 inhabitants, now only a few thousand of them remain.  

 

In the British Ministry of Defence's latest status report on the war, the assessment is made that Russia now wants to advance southwest of Donetsk in an attempt to split the Ukrainian forces, reports Bloomberg. Therefore, more Russian troops are expected to the towns of Pavlivka and Vuledar 

The Russian InvasionThe Battles 

Report: Unlikely that new Russian offensive will make any major breakthrough More and more 

 

reports support the picture of a new Russian offensive in the near future. Russia is strengthening its groups in the Donbas and there are many indications of an offensive in the area in the coming months, according to the American think tank ISW.  

 

That picture is also shared by the British Ministry of Defence. In recent days, Russia has likely conducted probing strikes around the towns of Pavlivka and Vuhledar ahead of a more concerted attack.  

The purpose is likely to divert the Ukrainian forces from the area around Bachmut where fierce fighting has been going on for the past few weeks.  

 

However, it is unlikely that Russia will be able to make any major breakthroughs as its troops are under heavy pressure, the Ministry of Defense continues.

 

Polish Leopard 2 tanks. Polish Defense Ministry / AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

At least 120 tanks to Ukraine in "first wave" 

 

Ukraine will receive between 120 and 140 tanks from various Western countries in a "first wave" of deliveries. This is what Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says according to Reuters.  

 

He also says that Ukraine is working behind the scenes to convince more countries to assist with tanks. At present, twelve countries have agreed to send tanks. 

 

Zoran Milanovic Markus Schreiber / AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Ukrainian states after the words about Crimea: "Unacceptable"  

 

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs directs harsh criticism at Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, who said that Ukraine will never get Crimea back. The comment is described as "unacceptable", reports Reuters.  

 

"The statements of the President of Croatia are unacceptable, they cast doubt on Ukraine's territorial integrity," writes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko on Facebook. 

 

Zoran Milanovic has also criticized the decision of several Western countries to help Ukraine with advanced tanks, deliveries which he says will only "prolong the war".  

 

The presidency in Croatia is mainly ceremonial. Unlike Milanovic, the country's government has expressed its full support for Ukraine.