KIEV (dpa-AFX) – According to Moscow’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Russian armed forces have achieved success in the Ukrainian war. The combat potential of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been significantly weakened and sensitive blows have been inflicted on the enemy, Shoigu said on Tuesday at a meeting of the military leadership in Moscow. His information could not be verified. Meanwhile, Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer believes that a further escalation of the current war in Europe cannot be ruled out and is therefore urging an expansion of Germany’s and NATO’s defense capabilities.
Shoigu sees defensive successes
Shoigu also said that recent Ukrainian attacks in the Bakhmut and Soledar areas of the Donetsk region had been repelled. Ukrainian attempts to break through the Russian defense lines at Robotyne and Werbowe in the Zaporizhia region also failed, he said. Shoigu contradicted Ukrainian statements that there had been successful advances there.
The Defense Minister emphasized that Russia has enough volunteers and contract soldiers to carry out the tasks in the war. Their number is now 335,000 people. In September alone, more than 50,000 citizens signed up for military service.
Inspector General: What’s next?
According to Inspector General Breuer, the question remains what comes next. In a speech on German Unity Day in Brussels, Breuer pointed out that, in his view, there were signs of Russia’s attack on the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the war of aggression on mainland Ukraine that began in 2022. But back then you were stuck in a comfort zone and didn’t want to believe it.
The consequence of the developments is that one now has to support the partners who are seen as possible new frontline states, explained the highest-ranking German soldier. Germany is doing this, for example, by setting up a Bundeswehr brigade for Lithuania.
Drone attacks and numerous shootings
Ukrainian air defense officials said they shot down 29 drones and one Iskander missile in massive Russian air strikes. During the night’s attacks, only two so-called kamikaze drones of the Iranian type Shahed-136/131 were not shot down, the country’s air force said on Tuesday. According to the information, the material damage was limited.
In Russia, the governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomas, accused the Ukrainian armed forces of shelling the village of Klimovo with cluster munitions. Several residential buildings were damaged. According to initial findings, no one was injured.
German arms exports are heading for a record
German arms exports are heading for a record this year, primarily because of the billion-dollar arms deliveries to Ukraine. In the first three quarters, the federal government has already approved exports worth 8.76 billion euros, more than in the entire previous year (8.36 billion euros). Ukraine accounted for more than a third of the export permits at 3.3 billion euros.
By the end of the year, the record value from 2021 will most likely be exceeded. At that time, the coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD approved arms exports worth 9.35 billion euros in its last year in government.
Russia is counting on war weariness in the West
According to the Kremlin, Russia is relying on increasing fatigue in the West in supporting the country in its war of aggression against Ukraine. “We have repeatedly said before that, according to our forecasts, fatigue will set in with this conflict, and fatigue from this completely absurd sponsorship of the Kiev regime is increasing in various countries, including in the United States,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday according to Russian state news agency Tass. “This fatigue will lead to a fragmentation of the political leadership and a growth of contradictions,” Peskov said.
London: Moscow brands critics ‘foreign agents’
According to the British assessment, Russia has been successful with its tactics of branding critics, media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as “foreign agents”. “The measures will significantly restrict the information space within Russia,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. “This makes it increasingly difficult to express a point of view that deviates from the official line, including dissenting opinions on the war.”/mrd/DP/men