Belgorod

Moscow drone attacks are a morale booster for Ukraine and a warning for Russia – here's why

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023

Though widely sensationalised as a major attack against the heart of the Russian government, they caused only minor damage, mostly to high-rise buildings.

Key Points: 
  • Though widely sensationalised as a major attack against the heart of the Russian government, they caused only minor damage, mostly to high-rise buildings.
  • In early May, Russia alleged that Ukraine had targeted President Putin with a drone strike, which Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, promptly denied.
  • And Ukraine is thought to have been behind a series of drone strikes against airbases in Russia’s Kursk, Saratov and Ryazan regions, up to 300 miles inside Russian territory.
  • There have also been drone strikes against Russian oil pipelines and refineries including near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a crucial oil export hub for Russia.

Intensifying air war

    • First, it suggests that at the moment, there is a lull in the ground war and an intensification of the air war.
    • The costs of the intensifying air war are particularly borne by Ukraine, which has endured daily waves of drone and missile attacks since then, including on its capital Kyiv.
    • Read more:
      Ukraine war: Zelensky's diplomatic tour has improved the ground for a fresh military offensive – but it needs to come soon

Deportation plans

    • Defences against an expected Ukrainian offensive have been massively fortified along the around 1,000km of frontline and along the beaches of Crimea.
    • On April 27, Putin signed a decree that forces residents in the occupied territories either to accept Russian citizenship or become stateless.
    • This is most likely an attempt to withstand Ukrainian pressure during Kyiv’s anticipated offensive until it runs out of steam.

Ukraine’s message to Russia

    • The drone strikes on Moscow can be seen as preparations for that.
    • In attacking deep inside Russia, these strikes will also force Russia to keep air defences close to symbolically and strategically important assets, rather than deploying them closer to the frontline with Ukraine.
    • The attacks also send a message to the Russian people that the “special military operation” is making them less, not more, secure.

Ukraine recap: Moscow's 'pyrrhic victory' in Bakhmut prompts unrest in the Russian military, but it's all smiles for Zelensky

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, May 27, 2023

You’d be inclined to agree with the description proffered by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) that this was a “pyrrhic victory”.

Key Points: 
  • You’d be inclined to agree with the description proffered by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) that this was a “pyrrhic victory”.
  • Meanwhile Ukrainian forces continue to launch counterattacks in the area – so Russia’s confidence could well prove to be misplaced.
  • And the battle has caused a great deal of friction between the regular army, the Wagner Group and some of the hardline Russian commentators.
  • While all this has been going on, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, has been on a bit of a world tour.

Fighting on Russian soil

    • But analysts of this conflict have access to open-source intelligence that makes pinpointing where the fighting going on a great deal more accurate.
    • The fighting, in a number of small settlements in the Belgorod oblast close to the Ukraine border, appears to have involved a mix of pro-Ukraine Russian partisans and members of an anti-Putin neo-Nazi militia – although none of this has been fully confirmed.
    • Read more:
      Ukraine war: what we know so far about reports of battles being fought across the border in Russia

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The trouble with the Wagner Group

    • The aforementioned Wagner Group boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been bitterly complaining about Russian military leadership.
    • “But what”, Prigozhin speculated, “if it turns out that this grandfather is a complete asshole?”

      Read more:
      Putin under pressure: the military melodrama between the Wagner group and Russia’s armed forces

      Incidentally, the UK government is considering designating the Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation, the first government to do so.

    • Read more:
      Wagner Group: what it would mean for the UK to designate Putin's private army a 'terrorist organisation'

Russians are Europeans too

Ukraine war: Russia scales back May 9 Victory Day celebrations amid fear of popular protests

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 28, 2023

Victory Day, which commemorates the defeat of Nazism in Europe is the most important holiday in Russia.

Key Points: 
  • Victory Day, which commemorates the defeat of Nazism in Europe is the most important holiday in Russia.
  • That year, the Victory Day parade was held on the Red Square in Moscow for first time since 1945.
  • May 9 became a day of public celebrations, family outings, concerts and fireworks – all broadcast on national television.
  • Victory Day was the only major public holiday that made the transition to post-Soviet Russia.
  • In the Putin era – especially after the 2014 occupation of Crimea – Victory Day foregrounds readiness to fight to protect the motherland and the value of self-sacrifice.

March of the Immortals

    • They could have contributed in any capacity – armed forces fighters and service personnel, partisans, home-front workers, and more.
    • The following year, Immortal Regiment marches were organised in many Russian cities, as well as in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Israel.
    • Sensing a successful popular initiative, the state moved in and took over organisation of the Immortal Regiment and its publicity.

Controlling the message

    • Russian official media explain the scaling down of celebrations in pragmatic terms, citing potential “provocations” and “terrorist attacks”.
    • But the real reason probably has to do with controlling the official narrative of the war.
    • So the message of Victory Day celebrations must be carefully controlled and curated.
    • The last thing the Kremlin wants is for large numbers of people to turn up holding pictures of their loved ones killed in Ukraine.

NEW Concept Non-Profit Gate to Ukraine Cuts Out Intermediary Donations Go Straight from Your Pocket to Families in Need

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 5, 2023

“As native Ukrainians, we made it our mission to create an innovative delivery system, which we hope will become the model for altruism.

Key Points: 
  • “As native Ukrainians, we made it our mission to create an innovative delivery system, which we hope will become the model for altruism.
  • It's fully transparent and provides the fastest way to get much-needed funds directly to the source with no go-between.
  • Families apply for a donation capped at $100 USD, which can buy a month of groceries, diapers, or medications.
  • Since founding Gate to Ukraine earlier this year, Alex and his team have raised over $220,000 USD for 2,000 Ukrainian families and counting .