American institute: “Wagner group is building three military camps in Belarus” – “Counteroffensive will take a very long time” | Abroad

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for his country to be formally invited to join the transatlantic alliance at this month’s NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. He is asking for a “very clear signal” that his country can become a full member of NATO after the war, he said during a visit by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Kiev.

He also urged the training of his troops in Kiev on Saturday to learn how to fly US-made fighter jets. The Netherlands, Denmark and our country are involved in the training of Ukrainian pilots for F-16 aircraft, but according to Zelensky “a number of partners are dragging their feet”. According to him, no start dates or flight schedules have yet been set.

The Ukrainian army has a ‘bridgehead’ taken on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson, southern Ukraine. This is reported by the British intelligence services.

Within military strategy, a bridgehead refers, among other things, to an area on an enemy-controlled bank of a river that, if successfully captured, can secure a stronghold for further advance.

The Ukrainians have been moving troops to the east bank of the river, near the destroyed Antonivka Bridge near Kherson, for about a week, the British Ministry of Defense said in its daily update on the war based on intelligence information. .

The city of Kherson, the capital of the region of the same name, has been suffering from congoing attacks by Russia in the aftermath of flooding from the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the dam, but Moscow denies it.

Although Kherson, on the west bank of the Dnipro, was recaptured by Ukrainian troops a few months ago, large areas of the region are still under the Russians checked.

According to the British intelligence services, the fighting around the bridgehead is complicated by flooding, destruction and mud due to the collapse of the dam. According to London, Russia has moved part of its troops from the banks of the Dnipro to the Zaporizhia region in recent weeks.

Ukrainian forces launched a long-awaited counter-offensive against the Russians earlier this month, but progress seems slow.

Mercenary group Wagner is building three military camps in Belarus, according to American experts. “New satellite images taken on June 30 show at least 303 tents on a former army base in Belarus, which can host 20 to 50 people,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its daily status report. There are also reports of plans for two camps in western Belarus.

Last week, several independent Russian and Belarusian media already reported the construction of at least one military camp in Belarus for Wagner soldiers. The reports have not yet been officially confirmed. Western media such as ‘The Washington Post’ have now published photos of the suspected Wagner camp near the city of Asipovichy.

Last Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner troops occupied the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and then headed for Moscow. After negotiations, in which Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took on the role of mediator, Prigozhin unexpectedly recalled his troops. According to the Kremlin, he was granted amnesty on the condition that he leave the country.

The Ukrainian army has made progress on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river. So says British intelligence.

The Ukrainians have a so-called ‘bridgehead’ conquered. This means territory on the side of a river occupied by the enemy. From that stronghold one can further advance to arise.

Ukrainian troops have been moving towards the river bank for about a week, according to the British Ministry of Defence. However, the battle around the bank is complicated by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on June 6, and subsequent flooding.

The city of Kherson was recaptured by Ukrainian troops a few months ago, but large parts of the region are still under Russian control. Since the dam breach, Russian troops have launched many attacks on the city. Kiev and Moscow hold each other responsible for the dam breach.

Ukraine’s counter-offensive is progressing slowly, but steadily. Soldiers make their way through the minefieldssays dUS Army General Mark Milley.

The rather slow pace does not surprise him. “It’s about 500 to 2,000 meters of ground gained per day. War on paper is different from war in reality. Real people die there. They are on the front lines and in vehicles. Real bodies being torn apart by explosives,” he told the National Press Club in Washington.

“I had said before that this would take six, eight or ten weeks. It will take a long time and it will be very bloody, nobody has any illusions about that.” Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the counter-offensive was “slower than desired.”

CIA director William J. Burns gained insight into Ukraine’s military strategy during a secret visit to Ukraine in June. In the ambitious plan, Kiev wants to force Moscow into new peace talks by retaking large areas of territory. That should happen before the fall, the head of US intelligence was told. That reports the American newspaper ‘The Washington Post’.

Military planners in Kyiv have expressed optimism to Burns about winning back a significant amount of territory by the fall: pushing further into eastern Ukraine and advancing artillery to the Crimean border to force the Russians to negotiations. So say three sources familiar with Kiev’s military planning.

“Russia will only negotiate if it feels threatened,” a senior Ukrainian official said.

Burns’ trip, previously unreported, included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine’s top intelligence officials. The visit came at a critical moment in the conflict, now the Ukrainian forces struggle to capitalize on their long-awaited counter-offensive. But they say most of their Western-trained and equipped assault brigades have yet to be deployed.

The Russian intelligence service (FSB) has been ordered to assassinate Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, claims. “Whether they will succeed? Only time will tell”, it sounds.

According to Budanov, “possible assassinations won’t happen anytime soon anyway” because FSB should “take time to figure out how best to approach Prigozhin.” “Significant question marks also remain. Will they succeed? Will they have the courage to carry out that order?” said Budanov.