Air warfare is expanding from ground warfare
Austin calls for more aid from the West
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “In a word, Russia has lost”
Russian media “departure with tactical nuclear weapons of the Northern Fleet”
On the 24th, ahead of the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both sides announced a massive offensive. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed his support on the 14th, saying that Ukraine, which had been focused on defense, is highly likely to launch a counterattack against the Russian army this spring. On this day, the British Financial Times (FT) commented that Russia had deployed fighter jets and helicopters to the Ukrainian border, saying, “The war has entered a new phase.”
The West expects that Russia, which has been conducting ground-based operations for a year, will start a full-scale air battle to overturn the unfavorable war situation. It has decided to hurry up support for the latest air defense system in Ukraine and push for additional financial sanctions against Russia.
“Ukraine will resume its counterattack (against Russia) in the spring, and (the timing of the counterattack) will be within a few weeks,” Minister Austin said at a meeting after the meeting of the “Ukraine Defense Liaison Group (UDCG)” held in Brussels, Belgium. called for further assistance. The UDCG is a consultative body launched by the United States in April of last year, and about 50 countries, including North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, South Korea and Japan, are participating.
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, who was present, said, “In short, Russia lost. We have lost in strategy, operations and tactics and will pay a heavy price.” He said, “Russia is a global pariah.”
On this day, nine countries, including Germany, Poland and Norway, decided to donate Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Italy and France also expressed their intention to support air defense systems.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the United States and Europe are considering providing Ukraine with weapons seized from Iranian ships that recently passed the Yemen coast.
The West keeps more than 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition and anti-tank missiles sent by Iran to support the Shia rebels in Yemen. It means sending it to Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden decided to visit Poland, which borders Ukraine on the 20th and 22nd, to express US support. Reuters reported on the 14th that the Biden administration is likely to impose additional sanctions on Russian banks and financial companies.
Russia is intensifying its offensive in eastern Bahmut, threatening Ukrainian forces. The Guardian reported that Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge near Bahmut on the 13th and were preparing to retreat. The New York Times (NYT) reported that American Pete Reed, a former US Marine who died on the 2nd while conducting medical relief activities in Bahmut, was killed by a Russian precision strike missile. This means that there is a possibility that Russia intentionally targeted and killed Americans.
U.S. public broadcaster NPR reported, citing a report from Yale University, that Russia is forcibly instilling Russian culture and history into at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia, which Russia forcibly annexed in 2014. After going through this education from the age of 4 months to 17 years old, they are forcibly adopted by Russian families or mobilized for military training.
Tensions between Russia and the West are also rising. Russia’s RBC news agency reported on the 14th that warships of Russia’s Northern Fleet had set sail with tactical nuclear weapons for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The Dutch Ministry of Defense also said on the 13th that two of its warplanes had intercepted three Russian military aircraft approaching Polish airspace. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) also announced that “Russian fighters and strategic bombers entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on the 13th and took interception measures.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.