Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted a major reversal of NATO’s strategy to “denial of deterrence” and restored its combat capabilities to the level of the Cold War. Putin’s dissatisfaction with NATO’s expansion that he declared before the war has become a reality. Russian dissident Karamza, who criticized Putin, was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison, underscoring just how terrified Moscow is.
A fire broke out in Russia’s oil and gas capital suspected of being attacked by Ukrainian drones
The Ukrainian army has launched precise strikes on Russian positions and borders. It is reported that a fire broke out in Russia’s Tyumen state (Tyumen), which was suspected to be attacked by Ukrainian drones.
The Twitter account “@UkraineNewsLive” PO posted a video, which was shot late at night. In addition to the city lights, a violent fire is erupting in the distance. The color of the fire is more obvious than the city lights. “Tyumen is known as the ‘Oil and Gas Capital of the Russian Federation’, so it’s in full flames, locals say meadows, small fish and swamps are in flames,” the tweet said.
The bloody battle of Bakhmut has never been seen before. Russia dispatched regular troops to expand the attack. More than one million Ukrainian refugees returned home to prepare for the big counteroffensive?
Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi warned in a statement on April 18 that Russian forces are stepping up heavy artillery and airstrikes on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in order to bring the The city was reduced to ruins.
Russia has recently launched multiple airstrikes on Ukraine, including homes. Sergiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Military District Command of Ukraine, described on the 15th that bloody battles unseen in decades are taking place in the center of Bakhmut.
The Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group, has been leading Russian forces trying to capture Bakhmut since last summer, Reuters reported. Although the ground combat intensity of the infantry has not been seen in Europe since World War II, it has so far achieved little. For both Russia and Ukraine, the Battle of Bakhmut was the longest and deadliest battle of the war.
However, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian regular army paratroopers have recently airborne Bakhmut to replace the mercenary organization Wagner Group (Wagner Group), and continue to carry out siege warfare.
A spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the paratroopers could limit the ability of the enemy to move from the flank and help the attacking forces take the city.
In the face of closer cooperation between the Russian army and the Wagner mercenary regiment, the Ukrainian army is still holding on and will not give up. However, the fierce battle in Bakhmut seems to be currently dominated by the Russian army. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 15th that Wagner has captured the northern and southern parts of Bakhmut. two surrounding areas.
Russia not only used missiles to attack, but also engaged in close combat between the Russian and Ukrainian armies. The Russian army even chose to bomb the church on the 16th Ukrainian Orthodox Easter day and airstrike another Ukrainian city, Sloviansk (Sloviansk). An apartment building was destroyed. The blast killed 15 people, including a 2-year-old boy, and injured 24.
After the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, more than 8 million Ukrainians fled their homes. According to foreign media estimates, nearly 5 million people are still overseas. Although there is still no sign of ending the war, more than one million Ukrainian refugees have recently returned home. , Relevant analysis believes that Ukrainian refugees may be returning to their hometowns to rebuild their homes, or they may be expelled by other countries.
However, the deputy foreign minister of neighboring Poland, which hosts the most Ukrainian refugees, said that Ukrainian refugees have filled Poland’s labor shortage and there is no plan to encourage Ukrainian refugees to leave.
In addition, some analysts believe that the refugees may return home out of patriotism to prepare for the next major counteroffensive. Ukrainian forces are widely expected to launch a counteroffensive in the coming weeks or months to retake Russian-occupied territory.
At the same time, Russia’s central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina announced on the 18th that Moscow is using assets beyond the reach of Western sanctions to build up international reserves, Russian state-run TASS news agency reported.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Western countries have frozen about $300 billion (or half of it) in Russia’s international reserves.
The Bank of Russia has previously said that gold, Chinese yuan and foreign currency cash are safe assets that would not be affected by potential further sanctions from the West.
Putin and Zelensky inspect the frontline before the Ukrainian counteroffensive
As Ukraine was preparing for a major counteroffensive, Reuters reported that the Russian Kremlin issued a statement on the 18th, saying that President Vladimir Putin went to the Kherson military headquarters in southern Ukraine to listen to the commander of the Airborne Forces and the Dnieper Army. Senior officials reported that they reported to Putin the situation in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia; at the same time Putin also visited the head of the National Guard in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
Although the Kremlin did not specify when Putin visited the front line, the BBC pointed out that Putin mentioned in the video that “Easter is coming”, so it can be inferred that this visit should have happened last week, because Sunday ( April 16) for Orthodox Easter.
This is his first visit to the Kherson front line after Russia annexed four Ukrainian states, a trip that Moscow described as some kind of milestone. Although Russia does not completely control the four Ukrainian states, Moscow still claims sovereignty over these areas.
Kherson City, the capital of Kherson State, was occupied by the Russian army in March last year. In November, the Ukrainian army launched a counter-offensive and successfully regained the capital Kherson City, regaining about 40% of the control of Kherson State. The Russian army completely withdrew On the west bank of the Dnieper River, strengthen positions on the east bank in case Ukraine counterattacks.
However, it was also reported that Putin had visited the occupied area of Maribo and inspected the area by car at night, but was questioned as Putin’s stand-in by the outside world.
After the news of Putin’s inspection came to light, Ukrainian officials said that the Russian army shelled the center of Kherson, killing one person and injuring nine others.
After Russia announced Putin’s visit to two Russian military strongholds in Ukraine, Ukraine subsequently announced President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inspection itinerary, and criticized Putin’s trip as a visit to a “crime scene” in Russia.
Agence France-Presse reported that the Ukrainian presidential palace announced on the 18th that Zelensky personally visited the “advanced positions” (advanced positions) in the town of Avdiivka (Avdiivka) near the Russian-controlled Udon city of Donetsk (Donetsk) on the 16th. ), bringing Orthodox Easter blessings to the Wujun on site.
Photos published on the official website show Zelensky and soldiers sitting around a table with a traditional Easter cake. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the 16th of this month.
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian president, satirized in a Twitter post: “Putin’s harm is really impressive. The whole world was waiting for his statement a year ago, and now it is not waiting. He is not a politician actor …just a “special tour” for the perpetrator of the massacre through occupied and devastated areas, to enjoy one last time the crimes committed by his minions.”
When Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on February 24, he promised to assist Ukraine with 60 Polish-made PT-91 “Tough” main tanks (Twardy), now Twitter A video of the PT-91 “Tough” main tank appearing in the Ukrainian training ground to participate in training was released.
The twitter account “@bayraktar_1love” PO released a video in which you can see Polish-made PT-91 “Tough” main tanks lined up and slowly advancing in order. The tweet said “PT-91 “Tough” main tank column , as previously stated, from Poland to a training ground in Ukraine.”
Restoration of combat power during the Cold War, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major reversal of NATO’s strategy, “denial of deterrence” in response to Putin
“The New York Times” reported on the 17th that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine completely changed the military strategy of NATO (NATO), prompting NATO to restore its combat capabilities to the level of the Cold War, facing an aggressive Russia, and reconsidering the military strategy in its east. The way of deterrence on the border does not allow Russia to go one step further.
The report pointed out that NATO is rapidly changing from the so-called “deterrence by retaliation” (deterrence by retaliation) to “deterrence by denial” (deterrence by denial), which means more military forces are permanently stationed on the border with Russia and between the United States and its allies. Consolidation of military plans, increased defense spending and more specific demands on allies about what kind of troops and equipment they should have.
The past theory was that in the event of a Russian invasion, member states would have to hold out until allied forces (mainly the U.S.) came to their aid and counterattacked to drive the Russians back, but after Russia committed atrocities in occupied Ukraine, Poland. Border states such as Poland and the Baltic states are no longer willing to risk Russian occupation. They point out that in the first days of the Ukrainian invasion, Russian troops occupied an area larger than the Baltic states.
The “New York Times” pointed out that NATO’s current purpose is not only to make its own military stronger and more effective, but also to make them more visible to Russia. “This is a key factor in deterrence.”
Wife of dissident Karamza, who criticized Putin accused of treason, sentenced to 25 years: highlights how afraid the authorities are
A Moscow court sentenced Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison on Monday, the most such crime since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported. the heaviest punishment.
After the court sentenced him to 25 years in prison, Karamza chanted the opposition slogan “Russia will be free”.
The 41-year-old father of three, Karamza, who holds Russian and British passports, has spoken out over the years criticizing Putin and lobbying Western governments to impose sanctions on Russian governments and individuals who violate human rights.
Karamza was indicted by state prosecutors on charges including treason and defaming the Russian military after he criticized Moscow for launching a so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine and was seeking 25 years in prison.
Karamza was arrested hours after CNN aired the interview. In his interview, he pointed out that Russia is ruled by a “regime of murderers”. He also used speeches in the United States and European countries to accuse Moscow of targeting civilian targets in Ukraine for bombing. Russia denies the allegations.
He refused to ask the court to acquit him, saying he was responsible and proud of every word he said. “Criminals should regret what they did. I’m in jail for my political views. I know that one day the clouds will lift over our country.”
Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, Russia has imposed sweeping wartime censorship laws designed to silence dissent across society. “Defamation” of the Russian military is currently punishable by up to five years in prison, and 15 years for knowingly spreading false information about the military.
Karamza’s wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, said the 25-year sentence underscored how much Moscow feared him.
She tweeted: “A quarter of a century is an ‘A+’ for a year of courage, steadfastness and honesty for you. I couldn’t be more proud of you my love and will always support you you.”
“I understand it’s a great affirmation of Vladimir[Karamza]. He’s been around for a long time, and he’s proven once again that he won’t back down, won’t give up his fight, won’t fight,” she said during the webcast event. Betrayed his country and his ideals, and he will keep fighting.”
As soon as the verdict came out, Karamza’s supporters and the international community immediately expressed condemnation and called on the authorities to release Karamza.
Agence France-Presse reporters said that Karamza appeared in the cage that day, wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a gray suit jacket. He smiled at supporters and asked them to write to him in prison.
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