Humanity is at risk if the West seeks to punish Russia over Ukraine, official warns
Former President Dmitry Medvedev said on Telegram on Wednesday that he thought the idea of ”creating tribunals or courts for the so-called investigation of Russia’s actions” in Ukraine was “crazy”.
Ekaterina Shtukina | Sputnik | Reuters
A senior Russian official has warned that humanity could be at risk if the West tries to punish Russia for its actions in Ukraine, responding to US calls for an international tribunal to prosecute potential war crimes in the country.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev, once known for his more liberal stance but now a determined hawk as deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said on Telegram on Wednesday that he thought it was a “crazy” idea “to create tribunals or courts for the so-called investigation of Russia’s actions” in Ukraine.
“These proposals are not only legally invalid. The idea of punishing a country that has one of the largest nuclear capabilities is absurd in itself. And it potentially poses a threat to the existence of humanity.”
He said the US itself had sown “chaos and devastation around the world under the guise of ‘true democracy'”, criticizing the US for killing Indians, nuclear attacks on Japan and involvement in the wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
At the end of his Telegram message, Medvedev referred to the Bible, saying that if the US judged Russia, it could face the wrath of God.
“The USA and its worthless puppets should remember the words of the Bible: ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged; so that one day the great day of His wrath will not come to their house and who can stand?”, Medvedev said.
— Holly Elite
Russia’s claims that it destroyed 2 US-made HIMARS are false, Ukraine claims
A Ukrainian serviceman on a HIMAR system on July 1, 2022 in eastern Ukraine. “The HIMARS missile systems provided by American partners are constantly delivering devastating strikes on strategically important enemy points, resulting in colossal losses among equipment, personnel and occupation forces,” Ukraine said.
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Russia said on Wednesday it had destroyed two US-made missile systems (Ukraine has received eight such systems from the US in recent weeks), but Ukraine denied this, saying it was propaganda and fake news.
“Russian propagandists are actively spreading fake news about the alleged destruction of the US HIMARS artillery system,” the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook yesterday, adding that it was “nothing but another Russian hoax.” HIMARs refers to highly mobile artillery missile systems.
“The HIMARS missile systems provided by American partners are constantly delivering devastating strikes on strategically important enemy points, resulting in colossal losses among equipment, personnel and occupation forces,” Ukraine said.
Ukraine’s denial came after the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that it had destroyed two US-made HIMARS.
“Air-based precision missiles have destroyed 2 US-made Himars salvo fire systems and 2 ammunition depots near Malotaranovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said in its latest military briefing on Wednesday.
CNBC and NBC News could not immediately confirm the claim or the video released by the ministry purporting to be of the HIMARS strike.
— Holly Elite
Russian forces are finally feeling the impact of Western artillery, Zelensky says
“Finally, it feels like the Western artillery – the weapons that Ukraine received from its partners – has started to act very powerfully,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his late-night address on Wednesday.
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The heavy armaments provided to Ukraine by its Western allies are finally having an effect on Russia, Ukraine’s president said.
“Finally, it feels like the Western artillery – the weapons that Ukraine received from its partners – has started to act very powerfully,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his late-night address on Wednesday.
The accuracy of such weapons is exactly what Ukraine needs at this time, Zelensky said, especially as it tries to repel Russia’s aggressive tactics in the east of the country.
“Our defenders are making very tangible hits on warehouses and other points that are important to the logistics of the occupiers, and this significantly reduces the offensive potential of the Russian army. The losses of the occupiers will only increase every week, as will the difficulty of supplying them,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine is asking for more heavy weaponry from its NATO allies to try to deal with Russia’s near-continuous bombing of front-line cities, particularly Luhansk (which has been taken over by Russia), and as it tries to fight its way in the neighboring Donetsk region.
Both make up Donbas in eastern Ukraine, with Moscow saying the main goal of its invasion is to “liberate” the region.
— Holly Elite
Think tank says West could help Ukraine get Soviet-era equipment from non-NATO countries
Rescue operations are underway following Russian missile attacks in the Sergievka neighborhood of Odesa, Ukraine, which left at least 17 people dead and 31 injured on July 1, 2022.
Metin Aktash | Anatolian Agency | Getty Images
Ukraine needs continued support from non-NATO countries to secure enough Soviet-era weapons and ammunition to continue its battle with Moscow, according to a new report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
While the West should continue working to transition Ukraine to standard NATO equipment, the report notes that this will take time and training. For now, Ukraine will remain partially dependent on Soviet-standard equipment, the report said.
“Although Washington has examined stockpiles of NATO allies and the Pentagon has explored other potential options, an exhaustive search focused on non-NATO countries reveals solid supplies of unused Soviet and Russian weapons (and accompanying spare parts and ammunition) that Washington could to help Kyiv acquire quickly,” the report said.
FDD, a non-partisan, non-profit research institute focused on foreign policy and national security, has identified more than 6,300 eligible systems from non-NATO countries most likely to transfer weapons to Ukraine. These countries were defined as those that voted in favor of Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine in the UN General Assembly, voted to remove Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, or attended at least one meeting of the US-hosted Defense Contact Group of Ukraine.
— Natalie Tam
Russia earns roughly $1 billion a day in oil and gas export earnings, expert says
A model of a petrol pump is seen in front of the colors of the Ukrainian and Russian flags in this illustration taken on March 25, 2022.
Dado Ruvic | Reuters
Despite multiple coordinated global sanctions, Russia still brings in about $1 billion a day in oil and gas export earnings.
In the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, Washington and its allies have imposed rounds of coordinated sanctions that have overtaken Russia behind Iran and North Korea as the world’s most sanctioned country.
However, Russia still receives significant revenue from energy exports, according to research compiled by Gerard DiPippo, a senior fellow in the Economics Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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DiPippo found that oil and gas accounted for 47% of Russia’s revenue from January to May this year. And while Russian oil production fell in April, revenue rose 80%.
“By comparison, Russian fiscal data suggests that Moscow spent $325 million per day on military spending in April, the most recent data available,” DiPippo wrote, referring to Moscow’s ability to still finance its war in Ukraine.
— Amanda Macias
Britain’s foreign secretary is calling on NATO allies to bring Finland and Sweden under Article 5
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomes British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss ahead of their bilateral meeting in Brussels, Belgium, January 24, 2022.
Olivier Matisse | Reuters
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called on NATO allies to bring Sweden and Finland under the alliance’s Article 5 umbrella “as quickly as possible”.
“The decision of both countries puts them at risk of a potentially aggressive Russian response. Russia has already made several threatening comments in public about the possibility of Sweden and Finland becoming members of NATO,” Truss wrote in a statement.
The 30-member alliance has consistently warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that an attack on one NATO member state would be seen as an attack on all, triggering the group’s cornerstone Article 5 mutual defense clause.
To date, the 30-member alliance has invoked Article 5 only once – in defense of the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
— Amanda Macias
Ukraine is trying to contain Russian forces on the border with Donetsk
A view of damaged artillery equipment against Severodonetsk from a hill in Lisichansk, Ukraine, Monday, June 13, 2022.
Marcus Yam | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Ukrainian forces are trying to contain Russian fighters on the border between the neighboring regions of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, according to Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.
Haydai said on Telegram on Wednesday that the Russian occupiers had suffered “significant losses” as they tried to advance from a region they captured last weekend into Donetsk as part of their mission to, as Moscow calls it, “liberate” Donbass.
He said Russian forces were trying to advance towards Donetsk but were cut off on the Bakhmut-Lisichansk highway passing near Bilokhorivka. “Under the pressure of our defenders, the enemy was forced to retreat,” Heidai wrote.
The official said Russian forces were unable to carry out orders to advance due to “significant personnel losses”.
“During the assault on Lisichansk alone, thousands of Russian soldiers…
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