Jul 28 Buonasera Mag
Day 155: Kherson bridge, Kaliningrad, travel restrictions for RU/ns, China, South Korea, RT in France, Medvedev, Shoigu, Tsihanouskaya, articles by Herbst, Snyder, WSJ, RU spies in NYC, Avdeeva,
Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
Stories we’re following…
Ukraine confirms strikes on key bridge in Kherson. Ukraine hit Antonivsky Bridge in the occupied Kherson with artillery overnight, severely damaging it. The bridge is one of the two crossings over the Dnipro River which Russia uses to transit military personnel and equipment.
The first shipment of sanctioned goods has transferred from Kaliningrad to Lithuania. A major milestone that follows EU efforts to push for free transit of goods via Kaliningrad. 60 freight cars of cement moved across the borders.
Governor: Russia strikes infrastructure in Kyiv Oblast early on July 28. According to Kyiv Oblast Governor Oleksiy Kuleba, Russian forces struck an infrastructure object in one of the communities in Vyshhorodsky District north of the capital.
84% of Ukrainians are against peace with Russia if it involves territorial concessions. According to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey published on July 27, only 10% of Ukrainians are ready for some territorial concessions.
Travel restrictions for Russian citizens should be agreed on the EU level. @MFAestonia is working on proposals for the EU to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens. There could be humanitarian exceptions but they are to be processed separately, Estonian FM @UrmasReinsalu said.
President-elect @Tsihanouskaya: "When I say that Belarusians and Ukrainians now have a common enemy and a common goal, I say this not only as a politician. I say this as a mother. Because both dictators are destroying our children, our homes and our future."
South Korea has refrained from arming Ukraine but is playing a key role in replenishing Poland's military capabilities 980 South Korean K2 tanks, 648 K9 howitzers and 48 FA-50 fighter jets are on their way to Poland.
The EU Court of Justice has rejected the appeal of the Russian broadcaster RT (France) which appealed to freedom of expression among the 4 reasons for the appeal. The CJEU states that Russia is "engaged in a propaganda campaign to justify and support its aggression against Ukraine, targeting civil society in the European Union, and neighboring countries "who continue by reporting the reasons for the refusal".
Russia threatens with “harsh response” if West increases weapon supplies to Ukraine. "Increasing supplies of Western weapons to Kyiv may force the Russian Federation to take tougher actions," said Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of Russia's delegation on arms control in Vienna.
Russia's Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev published a map where Ukraine is divided into parts, with the biggest one belonging to Russia, and smaller ones to Poland and Romania.
Russian defense minister Shoigu: “This is all temporary. There will be the Soviet Union again, no one will go anywhere, and we will live in peace”.
Snyder, The State of the Russo-Ukrainian War
The war only ends when Putin realizes that Russia is losing it, in the precise sense that he realizes that his personal position is threatened. In other words, it is not a direct translation from territory held or lost, or from casualties taken or inflicted, but a political conjuncture that is hard to seize precisely. Most likely, Russian defeat looks like Ukrainian battlefield momentum that changes the mood in Russia and creates visible tension within the Russian state, thereby forcing Putin to change his story. Is that possible?
What is happening in Mariupol
Herbst, Moscow shattered two illusions with one missile strike. The White House needs to accept reality.
But this is the first illusion: For months, Moscow’s blockade has been designed, among other things, to produce pain in the Global South and raise pressure on the West to force Ukraine into an unsatisfactory peace with Russia. While Russian President Vladimir Putin has been called out by the United States, NATO, and the European Union for this cynical policy, he has faced no criticism from the actual victims of the policy.
What is Orban’s vision for Hungary?
Shekhovtsov, How MEPs serve Russia via fake election-monitoring
When the European Parliament (EP) considered, on 1 March 2022, a resolution that condemned "in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against and invasion of Ukraine", only 13 out of 676 MEPs who took part in the vote declined to support the motion.
Maria Adveeda reports…
WSJ, Biden to Speak With Chinese President Xi on Thursday
President Biden will speak Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a U.S. official said, amid new tension over Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and a decision over whether to remove some Trump-era tariffs.
Separately, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby said Tuesday there would be a “robust agenda” during the call, including about Taiwan and the war in Ukraine. When they speak, it will be the fifth call between the two leaders, he said.
The Daily Beast, Secret Briefing Zeroes in on Suspected Russian Spy Station in New York
The previously unreported briefing touched on concerns about the compound and its potential ties to Russian espionage operations—concerns which Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) raised in March of this year when he sent a letter to the Directors of the FBI, CIA, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice.
‘From Russia with Love’- a Russian military operation
In March 2020, as Italians were in the grips of the pandemic, former PM Conte gave the green light to a Russian operation, ‘From Russia with Love’. Under the guise of medical aid to Italy, the Russians arrived with military vechicles and equipment, personnel and researchers, including a chemical warfare unit.
The Italian public were told that it was a humanitarian gesture on the part of Russia. They were lied to by the sitting prime minister. What became of the Russian equipment and personnel is currently unknown, but we do know is that the Italian government paid entirely for the Russian operation to the tune of 3 million euro.
While some Italian parliamentarians have demanded an investigation into the matter, so much is still in the dark. There doesn’t seem to be any concern raised about the Russian operation or the former government’s role in it in the current electoral campaign.
Decode39, Italy to send more weapons to Ukraine, boost NATO in the east
Still sending weapons. The Italian government is gearing up to approve its fourth military aid package for Ukraine. Rome intends to honour its promises, notwithstanding the collapse of Mario Draghi’s government and internal friction around providing Kyiv with more arms.
As the PM reiterated in one of his last speeches to Parliament, Italy believes sending weapons is the only way to help Ukrainians defend themselves.
“Italy is firmly supporting Ukraine by sending military equipment, in line with parliamentary decisions and alongside our allies and partners,” said Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday.
The alt~news networks: new analysis by Dave Troy
Click on the tweet to see the image and all the connections.
