onsdag 7 december 2022

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response

Bild från Kyiv tidigare under invasionen.  Felipe Dana / AP
Image from Kyiv earlier during the invasion. Felipe Dana / AP 
 
The Russian InvasionThe Battles  
Robot finds in Ukraine could be a sign that the Kremlin is rounding off sanctions from the West  
 
Russia has recently fired cruise missiles at Ukraine that were manufactured as recently as a couple of months ago - long after Western sanctions aimed at cutting off access to components needed to make them. The New York Times reports.  
 
According to the paper, analysis of a robot found in Kyiv in November shows that it was manufactured this summer. According to the independent group Conflict Armament Research, which examines weapons in war, it could be a sign that Russia has managed to circumvent the sanctions. It could also be that Russia had large stocks of the components already. 
 
NYT writes that belligerent countries usually use older ammunition in the first place. However, Damien Spleeters at the organization does not dare to conclude that Russia's robot inventory is about to run out. 
 
- It could be a sign of that, but it is not certain.  
 
Ukrainian soldier in Bachmut in November. Libkos / AP 

Bild från Charkiv i Ukraina visar ryska robotar avfyrade från Belgorod. Vadim Belikov / AP 

The Russian InvasionThe Battles 

Report: Russia is strengthening defenses on its own territory  

Russia is expanding and strengthening its defense positions on Russian territory, the UK Ministry of Defense writes in its latest update. Excavations of trenches have been reported in the Belgorod region since at least April of this year, but now they are probably also more advanced defense systems.  

It is possible that the Russian authorities are thus trying to inflame patriotism in the country. But it is probably also about the genuine but incorrect perception of Russian authorities that Ukrainian forces can invade the country, the ministry writes.  

In recent days, Russia has accused Ukraine of drone attacks against three Russian airfields. Ukrainian sources have told the New York Times that the country's special forces enabled two of the operations. 

Vladimir Putin. Mikhail Metzel / AP

Vladimir Putin. Mikhail Metzel / AP 

Russian invasionVoices about the war  

Leader: The war is not only taking place at the front  

The war in Ukraine is going on to a very high degree, and it was noticed in Wednesday's editorial pages. Expressen's editorial board wants to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin is punished for "people exchange policies reminiscent of Soviet abuses".  

They write that the probability that Putin can be punished in The Hague is small, but that a hybrid tribunal in Ukraine is "worth a try".  

In Sydsvenskan's main editorial, the approaching winter in Ukraine is highlighted, and the challenges that the snow and cold bring with it. The editors describe it as "a humanitarian disaster of unimaginable proportions".  

"Stopping aid to Ukraine is simply not possible".  

Even Aftonbladet's Susanna Kierkegaard directs her gaze at Putin, focusing on something smaller: Chess. She writes that the current chairman of the Russian Chess Federation criticized the war and is on the run, and that he is now expected to be replaced by the more Putin-loyal Sergei Karjakin. 

"The war does not take place only at the front", writes Kierkegaard.

Belarus president Aleksandr Lukasjenko. AP

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko. AP  
 
The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  
Belarus is moving forces and military equipment within the country 
 
Belarus plans to move military equipment and security forces today and tomorrow. This is to test their ability to deal with possible acts of terrorism, states the Belarusian state news agency Belta according to several media.  
 
Belarus claims that it will not participate in Russia's war against Ukraine. However, President Aleksandr Lukashenko has previously ordered the country's forces to join Russian ones near the border with Ukraine. 
 
Ukraine has said for several months that it fears that Belarus and Russia are planning a joint attack on Ukraine's northern border.  
 
Vladimir Putin tillsammans med Irans Ayatollah Ali Khamenei och president Ebrahim Raisi i juli.  AP
Ukraine: Pressed Iran has not sent any robots  
 
Ukraine sees no signs that Iran has so far supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, says President Zelensky's advisor Mychajlo Podoljak, according to The Guardian.  
 
According to the newspaper, the Russian Security Council's Nikolai Patrushev traveled to Iran in November in the hope of such a deal, but according to Ukraine, it has not happened yet. The adviser believes that Iran has been subjected to "diplomatic pressure" at the same time that the protests at home are putting pressure on the regime in Tehran.  
 
- Therefore, they simply do not have time to deal with Russia. It's not their priority. 
 
Western officials reportedly share that assessment, and that Russia has run out of drones previously purchased from Iran.

Blinken och Austin uttalade sig på en pressträff med Australiens utrikesminister Penny Wong. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Blinken and Austin spoke at a press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP  

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

USA: We had nothing to do with attacks in Russia  

The US has "neither encouraged nor enabled" Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, says the country's foreign minister Antony Blinken at a press conference according to several media. This after Russia in recent days accused Ukraine of attacks on three Russian airfields, two of which are located far from the Ukrainian border. 

 He further says that Ukraine has "the equipment they need to defend themselves, their territory and their freedom".  

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States will not try to prevent Ukraine from developing its ability to attack remote targets. 

 

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