Ex-CIA chief David Petraeus believes a Ukrainian victory in the war against Russia is “increasingly likely”. And the MI6 boss scoffs at Putin’s army. All voices and developments on the Ukraine war here in the ticker.
2:58 p.m .: After reports of tens of thousands of casualties in the war against Ukraine, the head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 has mocked the Russian army. “You’re running out of breath…” Richard Moore tweeted on Saturday. He quoted a tweet from the British Ministry of Defense from the previous day. “The Kremlin is desperate. Russia has lost tens of thousands of soldiers and is using Soviet-era weapons. Their outdated missiles are killing and injuring innocent Ukrainians,” the agency wrote. “Russia will not win this unjustified war.”
MI6, otherwise known for its secrecy, has been much more transparent since the beginning of the Russian war, and secret service chief Moore keeps looking for the public. In addition, the British Ministry of Defense publishes the latest secret service findings on the course of the war on a daily basis. London wants to counter statements from Moscow.
1:39 p.m .: The Russian embassy caused a stir with a tweet on Friday evening. Shortly after the attack on a prison in eastern Ukraine that killed “more than 50” Ukrainian prisoners, according to Zelenskyy, the embassy posted: “The Azov military deserve the execution. Not by firing squad, but by hanging, because they’re not real soldiers. You deserve a degrading death.”
Russia denies firing at the prison and blames Ukraine, which in turn blames Russia. However, there are indications that the attack was carried out by Russian forces.
11:27 a.m.: Poland is asking Germany for a better offer for a ring swap of tanks to support Ukraine. Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote a letter to his German colleague Christine Lambrecht (SPD), which was published by the Wpolityce portal in Warsaw on Friday evening. He hopes for a “serious offer” that will “contribute significantly to strengthening Polish and regional defense capacities”.
Poland gave Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, arms worth almost 1.7 billion euros, the minister wrote. These included tanks, armored personnel carriers and other heavy weapons, some of post-Soviet design and some of the most modern like the Krab howitzer. “These shipments have created gaps in our defense capabilities.”
Poland had not shown itself to be satisfied with the previous Berlin offer of 20 Leopard 2 tanks with piecemeal delivery from 2023. When dissatisfaction became public in Warsaw, Lambrecht explained again in a letter to Blaszczak how small the German holdings were. She suggested both countries should order new Leopard 2 together. Poland should be given priority on extradition. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on this letter.
“I would like to emphasize that we do not expect undeserved benefits,” Blaszczak replied. It is about “used capabilities that are well known to our military and that can be easily and quickly deployed in the Polish Armed Forces.”
Saturday, July 30, 7:18 a.m.: Former US general and ex-CIA chief David Petraeus believes it is possible that Ukraine can bring back areas occupied by Russia in the war of aggression. “Indeed, it seems increasingly likely that Ukrainian forces could recapture much, if not all, of the areas occupied by Russian forces in recent months,” he told Bild (Saturday).
“If NATO and other western states continue to allocate resources at the current pace, … I believe the Ukrainian forces will be able to stop further Russian advances and begin to retake the territories captured by the Russians since February 24 ‘ said Petraeus. Russia launched its war of aggression against the neighboring country at the end of February.
At the same time, the former director of the US foreign intelligence service CIA warned of the consequences of a possible Russian victory for Europe: “A military success by Russia in Ukraine, which I consider very unlikely, would be catastrophic for European security.” The Atlantic Alliance has now achieved this understood: “Frankly, I believe that the leaders of NATO – and the leaders of the Western non-NATO countries – have recognized this and are taking the necessary measures to ensure that Russia cannot succeed” , says Petraeus.
7:33 p.m .: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. On Friday morning (local time) there was an “open and direct discussion” about an offer to release US basketball player Brittney Griner and American citizen Paul Whelan, Blinken said in Washington.
6:20 p.m .: After the alleged artillery attack on a camp with Ukrainian prisoners of war, the government in Kyiv called on the international community to declare Russia a terrorist state. “The Russians have committed another horrific war crime and shelled the prison in occupied Olenivka where they hold Ukrainian prisoners of war,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Friday. All partner states should strongly condemn this “brutal violation of international law”.
In the prison near Olenivka in the part of Donetsk region controlled by separatists, according to Russian information, more than 50 prisoners of war had previously been killed by Ukrainian shelling. More than 100 prisoners were injured. According to Moscow and local sources, the attack was carried out by the Ukrainian army using Himars precision rocket launchers. Kyiv rejected the allegations and in turn accused the Russian army of deliberately shelling the barracks with members of the controversial Azov regiment. The information cannot be independently verified.
The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, joined the call for a harsh international condemnation of the attack. “This is a cynical and insidious crime that will go down in history as the Olenivka terrorist act,” Yermak said on Twitter. The Russians don’t care who they kill. “The important thing for them is the murder and the constant lying to hide the evidence,” said the 50-year-old. In addition, Yermak from the West demanded missiles with a range of 300 kilometers for existing US-type multiple rocket launchers.
2:23 p.m .: British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that Russia is currently failing in many areas in the war against Ukraine. Therefore, it could be that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to change his strategy again.
“The Russians are currently failing on the ground in many areas,” the minister told Sky News. “Putin’s plans A, B and C have failed, and he could look around for plan D.” But Wallace did not specify what a plan D might entail.
2:05 p.m .: During a visit to the port city of Odessa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced the imminent start of grain exports across the Black Sea. “I think it starts today or tomorrow,” said the 44-year-old on Friday. This marks the departure of the first grain ship since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began in February.
1:05 p.m .: To further support the Ukrainian land forces, the Bundeswehr wants to deliver 16 bridge-laying tanks to the country. With the armored vehicles of the Beaver type, “the Ukrainian troops can overcome water or obstacles in combat,” the Federal Ministry of Defense announced on Friday in Berlin. The first six systems are scheduled for delivery later this year, starting in the fall. Ten more systems will follow next year.
With the bridge-laying tank Beaver, cuts in the terrain, gorges or bodies of water can be overcome. The armored rapid bridge, which is 22 meters long in total, is coupled together from two halves during laying. According to the Bundeswehr, the transport and laying vehicle is a Leopard 1 tank chassis.
12.25 p.m .: Some self-propelled howitzers delivered from Germany to Ukraine are already broken a month after delivery. This is reported by the “Spiegel”.
In the middle of the week, the Ministry of Defense received information from Kyiv that some of the seven guns were displaying error messages after intensive shelling of Russian positions. Several howitzers should therefore be in need of repair.
The Bundeswehr assumes that the problems are related to the high rate of fire of the Ukrainians. This puts a lot of strain on the loading mechanism, they say. For the troops, 100 shots a day are already considered a high-intensity mission. However, the Ukrainian military apparently fired far more shells.
In addition, soldiers are said to have tried to fire special ammunition at too great a distance at the beginning. This so-called “smart” ammunition is actually intended for particularly precise hits.
In Bundeswehr circles, the wear and tear is therefore considered understandable. Nevertheless, after the report, the Bundeswehr immediately agreed to quickly send further packages of spare parts to Ukraine. This should fix the problems that have occurred.
11:58 a.m .: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he is ready to hear his US colleague Antony Blinken on a prisoner exchange and the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports. “In the next few days we will propose a suitable date (for a phone call) to our American colleagues,” Lavrov said on Friday in Tashkent, according to the Interfax agency. It would be the first meeting between the two diplomats since the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine.
Blinken had announced that they wanted to use the phone call for the release of US basketball player Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia, and her compatriot Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for alleged espionage. According to Lavrov, the Foreign Ministry is basically not responsible for prisoner exchange issues. “But I still hear what he has to say.”
From his point of view, it would also be interesting to learn how the USA intends to fulfill its obligations to implement the grain deal under the auspices of the UN. “When it comes to Russian grain, it is precisely the US sanctions that have prevented the contracts from being fully implemented,” Lavrov said. In this context, he complained about port bans for Russian ships and restrictions on insurance and financing of cargo.
Friday, February 29, 8:33 a.m.: Research by the Reuters news agency shows that Russia sent agents to Ukraine long before the invasion to prepare for the takeover of the country. Apparently, the Kremlin believed that these would help Russia conquer Ukraine in a matter of days.
For example, while the quick takeover failed, the agents helped in the quick occupation of Chernobyl. According to the Reuters report, a particularly large number of Russian FSB agents are said to have worked there. “In return for payment, Ukrainian officials gave Russian spies information about Ukraine’s military readiness.”
The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, also warns: “In addition to the external enemy, unfortunately we also have an internal enemy, and it is no less dangerous.”
8:50 p.m .: Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck accused Russia of lying in the dispute over a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. The Green politician spoke of a “farce” at a citizens’ dialogue in Bayreuth on Thursday evening. The turbine serviced in Canada has been in Germany since last Monday. All the papers were there, he had them in his own hands. But Russia refuses to bring the turbine into its own country. “They lie to your face.”
According to the Kremlin, Russia is hoping for a speedy return of the repaired gas turbine in view of the throttled gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany. The turbine will then be installed in the Portovaya gas compressor station, after which work can begin to restart it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. Russia therefore throttled deliveries to 20 percent of maximum capacity.
There were further incidents at the event in the evening: there were said to have been loud whistles and boos against the Minister of Economics. Many citizens shouted at Habeck: “Get lost”. The Green politician was described as a “warmonger” on posters. Overall, the protesters were in the minority at the citizens’ dialogue, which was estimated to have several hundred participants.
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