Ukrainian intelligence says only 120 of the modern Iskander missiles remain in the Russian arsenal, according to a new report cited by Newsweek.
The Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry released a report on the ongoing conflict on Monday. The report states that Russia used about 80% of its modern missiles and now has only 120 Iskander missiles left. According to the report, the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Ukraine, Vadim Skibytsky, said this in a comment for “Economist”.
Skibitsky said Ukraine has received information suggesting Russia will turn to Iran to help with its alleged supply problems. According to Skibitsky, the Kremlin intends to purchase Fateh-110 and Zolfagar ballistic missiles from Iran for use in the conflict. He adds that these missiles will be sent to Russia by air in the Crimea and by sea in Russian ports on the Caspian Sea.
“We know that the agreements have already been reached,” he says.
The report also noted that Skibitsky acknowledged that Ukraine currently does not have an effective defense against Iranian or similar Iskander missiles that Russia has already used.
Skibitsky said the Russians fired 25 Iskander missiles in October. Ukraine managed to intercept only three. The country is equally defenseless against the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia has installed on some of its military aircraft.
Last month, Iran denied providing Russia with military equipment for its fight against Ukraine. In a statement released by the country’s foreign ministry on October 15, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdolakhian “stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not supplied and will not provide weapons for use in the war in Ukraine”. This came after the Ukrainian military’s general staff announced that the country’s air force had destroyed six Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, the so-called “kamikaze”.
Marina Miron, a researcher at King’s College London (KCL) Department of Defense Studies, told Newsweek that Iran’s alleged involvement could turn things around in the conflict. She explained that the advantages of the Fateh-110 are that “in addition to being relatively cheap, they also have the ability to blend in and be launched from anywhere.”
“So when mobility dwindles in the winter, Russia will have more opportunities to launch Iranian missiles without being detected and possibly intercepted by the likes of HIMARS,” he told Newsweek. “This would give Russia some kind of parity and an opportunity to replenish its stocks, use the cheapest Iranian missiles to defeat Ukraine’s air defense systems, and make sure it can hit most military targets and civilian infrastructure. criticisms “.
Zelensky: Hundreds of Russians die every day in the Donetsk region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that the Donetsk region in the eastern part of the country remains the “epicenter” of fighting and hundreds of Russians are dying every day, Reuters reported.
“The Donetsk region remains the epicenter of the greatest insanity of the occupiers,” Zelensky said in his evening video speech. “Hundreds of them die every day. The ground in front of the Ukrainian posts is covered with the bodies of the occupiers,” he added.
The cities of Bakhmut and Avdeevka are at the center of the heaviest fighting in the Donetsk region.
Zelensky also called for closer security ties with Israel, saying the two countries face similar threats. “I think it is clear to everyone what Ukraine emphasizes and how much Israel emphasizes security,” Zelensky said after speaking with Benjamin Netanyahu, who won the Israeli elections last week. “I believe we can significantly strengthen our countries, especially considering that the threats we face are interlinked,” she added.
For several weeks, Zelensky has been asking Israel to supply Ukraine with weapons, specifically air defense systems.
Zelensky also said he did not rule out the possibility of ownership of even larger companies being seized in favor of the state. “I do not rule out further such decisions,” said the Ukrainian president, hours after the government announced it had taken control of the shares of five large companies. He claimed that some of the five companies weren’t even operational. “Now everyone will work. For the defense. For the repair and renovation of the equipment, to guarantee the defense needs, work on the renovation of our infrastructure,” Zelensky said.
The restoration of the country’s territorial integrity is a fundamental condition for talks with Russia
The head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, said the main condition for resuming negotiations with Russia is the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity, Reuters reported.
Danilov tweeted that Ukraine also needs the “guarantee” provided by modern anti-aircraft systems, fighters, tanks and long-range missiles.
“Russia, negotiations. The main condition of the Ukrainian president is the restoration of the territorial integrity of the country”, added Danilov.
“The guarantee – modern anti-aircraft systems, fighters, tanks and long-range missiles. The strategy – proactive actions. Russian missiles must be destroyed before they are launched into the air, from land or sea,” he specified.
“Dealing with Putin would mean giving up and we will never give him this gift,” said Zelensky’s adviser Mihailo Podoliak in an interview published today in the Italian newspaper Republika. Dialogue would only be possible after Russian forces leave Ukrainian territory, Podoliak added. “We have no choice. Russia has invaded us with mobile crematoria and half a million body bags. If we stop defending ourselves, we will cease to exist. Literally. Physically. We will continue to fight even if they stab us in the back,” he stressed.
Zelensky said Russia should be forced to participate in the peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that it is imperative that Russia be forced into “genuine” peace talks and described the Russian side as a destabilizing force on a number of issues, including climate change, Reuters reported.
In his evening video speech, Zelensky condemned “Russia’s destabilizing influence” because, he said, the world was facing a war and an energy and food crisis and normal international relations had been destroyed. The climate agenda “really suffers” but it cannot be “delayed,” he said.
“So anyone who takes the climate agenda seriously must also be serious about the need to stop Russian aggression immediately, restore our territorial integrity and force Russia to engage in real peace talks,” Zelensky said.
A Zelensky adviser previously said Ukraine is ready for negotiations with the Russian leader, but not with President Vladimir Putin.
Over the weekend, the Washington Post said the Biden administration encouraged Ukrainian leaders to signal their readiness for talks.
Zelensky will attend the G-20 summit next week
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will take part in the G20 summit next week, most likely via a virtual link, his spokesperson said today, Reuters reported.
Last week, Zelensky said he would not attend if Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the meeting, which will be held November 15 and 16 in Indonesia.
The press secretary of the Ukrainian president, Serhiy Nikiforov, did not specify whether Zelensky had changed his position.
The president of Ukraine was awarded the American Medal of Freedom
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was awarded the “Medal of Freedom”, awarded annually by the American NGO National Constitutional Center, which deals with issues related to the US Constitution, DPA reported.
In August, the center announced that Zelensky received the award for his “heroic defense of freedom against Russian tyranny” during the war in Ukraine. And last week, US Senators Chris Coons and Rob Portman visited Kiev and presented Zelensky personally with the medal.
A ceremony was also held last night at the National Constitutional Center, which Zelensky participated in by videoconference from Kiev. He said he was honored to accept the award. Zelensky said millions of people are fighting and working to protect the country. “Now we see what democracies are capable of when they act in unison. Every potential aggressor in the world sees the help the United States and the free world are giving us. They also see all the sanctions imposed on Russia. So every potential aggressor sees. all of this and he is convinced that it is better not to start a war against freedom at all, “Zelensky said.
In a short video message, former US President George W. Bush called Zelensky “the Winston Churchill of our time”. And Jeffrey Rosen, head of the National Constitution Center, read a letter from President Joe Biden calling Zelensky a “rare patriot.” “When Russia launched its brutal attack on Ukraine eight months ago, President Zelensky showed strength and declared: ‘The president is here.’ Ukraine’s sovereignty and the struggle to uphold the fundamental values that unite us. everyone, “Biden said.
The Medal of Freedom was established in 1988 and is awarded to international leaders and other prominent figures who have worked to protect freedom around the world. Previous winners include Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Ali, Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, and Viktor Yushchenko. The medal also comes with a sum of $ 100,000, which Zelensky has now said he will donate to the newly created Ukrainian Veterans Fund.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Zelensky has received numerous awards for his inspirational leadership role, DPA points out. He received the John F. Kennedy Medal of Valor and the Ronald Reagan Medal of Freedom.
