One of Vladimir Putin’s top allies has claimed agreeing to any kind of truce with Ukraine “is certain death for our children”.
According to the UK’s ministry of defence, Dmitry Rogozhin – Russia’s installed “senator” in the occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia – warned against any kind of settlement to end the Russia-Ukraine war in a social media post.
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He also “boasted of having burnt Ukrainian books and called for all Ukrainianess’ to be ‘burnt out at the root’,” according to the MoD.
The British intelligence added: “These comments are the latest in a long line of Ukrainophobic sentiments by senior Russian officials that undermine and threaten Ukrainian identity and culture.
“There are likely many individuals within the Russian state who retain maximalist objectives for the war, including the destruction of Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood.”
The MoD noted that such a sentiment is at odds with the “alleged Russian willingness to negotiate” expressed by presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov only last month.
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However, since Peskov’s remarks, Ukraine launched its surprise incursion into southern Russia, breaching the country’s borders for the first time since World War 2.
It now occupies 1,000 sq km of Russian land – that’s just a fraction of the Ukrainian territory Russia currently holds, around 109,000 sq km.
Still, Kyiv’s bold move has enraged the Kremlin and so far does not appear to have pushed it towards negotiating an end to the war.
According to the state news agency TASS, Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov released a threatening statement on Thursday.
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He said: “I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision.
“I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what has happened in the Kursk region.”
And, as the MoD noted, the Kremlin has been questioning Ukraine’s sovereignty for years.
The UK intelligence also noted that in 2017 Putins said Russia is committed to the “extirpation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Attacks on a “sensitive” air base near Moscow are “likely to be of most strategic concern” for Russian leaders, according to UK intelligence.
The ministry of defence (MoD) explained in its daily update that “both Russia and Ukraine have experienced unusually intense attacks deep behind their lines” over the last four days.
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Moscow launched a wave of missile attacks across Ukraine earlier this week, targeting six cities including the capital of Kyiv.
It came just as the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was denouncing Russia in a speech to the UN’s General Assembly, on International Day of Peace.
While much of the war has taken place on Ukrainian soil, attacks in Russia have become increasingly common in recent months as Kyiv hits back – and this week was especially eventful, according to the MoD.
In a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, the UK intelligence officers claimed: “There have been reports of explosions at Russian logistics sites, air bases and command posts in Crimea, the Krasnodar region and near Moscow.”
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Crimea is the Ukrainian peninsula which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 but which Kyiv is determined to retrieve.
The Krasnodar region is to the south of the Ukraine-Russia border, while Moscow, the capital, is much further north and deeper within Russia.
The MoD continued: “It is highly likely that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has again been heavily targeted.
“However, the explosions at Chkalovsky Air Base, near Moscow, are likely to be of most strategic concern to Russian leaders.”
The UK intelligence officers claimed that this is a “sensitive location” because it’s where Russia stores its military aircrafts and VIP transport for Russian leaders.
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The MoD noted that Moscow responded quickly: “Russia has launched long-range strikes at targets across Ukraine repeatedly over the last week.
“This unusual intensity is likely partially in response to the incidents in Russia and Crimea.
“With the ground battle relatively static, each side is seeking advantage by striking through their adversary’s strategic depth.”
Ukraine’s highly-anticipated counteroffensive has made slow progress in recent months, despite claims that it has broken through the Russian defensive lines in some places.
Ukraine has also faced pushback from Poland over its grain exports this week, with Warsaw announcing it plans to stop sending weapons to its beleaguered neighbour.
Thousands of Russian troops are refusing to return to the frontline in Ukraine as their morale plummets, according to the UK.
Two soldiers were last week sentenced to serve at least two years in a penal colony after being convicted of disobeying orders to fight.
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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was reported last month that nearly 100 Russian soldiers a week after being convicted for refusing to go into battle as the war drags on.
“If this trend continues, there will be approximately 5,200 convictions a year for refusing to fight,” the MoD’s latest intelligence update said.
“The high rate of convictions demonstrates the poor state of morale in the Russian Army and the reluctance of some elements to fight.”
The MoD said that was a result of a “lack of training, motivation and high stress situations” faced by Russian forces in the war.
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They added: “Although some soldiers have refused to fight and attrition rates remain high, Russia highly likely mitigates their loss by committing a mass of poorly trained soldiers to the frontline.”
The MoD revealed last month that up to half of Russian fatalities in the war could also have been prevented “with proper first aid”, while crude battlefield medical treatment is causing a huge number of preventable fatalities and amputations.
Vladimir Putin is unlikely to hit his target for recruiting volunteers to the Russian army despite massively increasing their wages, according to UK intelligence.
On the eve of the invasion of Ukraine in February last year, a Russian lieutenant earned 81,200 rubles – around £672 – per month.
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According to the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), by October last year, even those ranked as privates were being paid 195,000 rubles – around £1,615 – a month as Putin tried to boost the numbers signing up to serve.
In their latest intelligence update on X, formerly Twitter, the MoD said some in the junior ranks of the Russian army are now on more than 200,000 rubles – £1,650 – a month
“This is over 2.7 times the Russian national average salary of 72,851 rubles,” they said. “By way of comparison, 2.7 times the average UK salary would equate to over £90,000 a year.
“It is highly likely that the salary and additional benefits are a strong incentive for personnel to join up, especially to those from the poorer areas of Russia.”
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However, the MoD said Russia was still “unlikely to meet its targets for recruiting volunteers to the ranks” despite the massive boost in soldiers’ pay.
The MoD revealed last month that up to half of Russian fatalities in the war could also have been prevented “with proper first aid”, while crude battlefield medical treatment is causing a huge number of preventable fatalities and amputations.
A video of British troops forming a guard of honour for Ukrainian soldiers trained in the UK as they return to the frontline is being shared widely on social media.
Under Operation Interflex, new Ukrainian recruits are given basic British Army training before heading back to defend their homeland.
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Footage tweeted by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence – and then shared by its UK equivalent – shows military personnel lining both sides of a road and saluting the departing Ukrainian soldiers.
The clip also shows some troops holding Ukrainian flags as the buses go by.
The UK MoD tweeted: “We salute our Ukrainian friends as they return home after completing training to defend their freedom, loved ones and independence.”
Ukrainians have been trained in the UK since last summer, and by the first anniversary of the Russian invasion around 10,000 troops left the country combat ready. A further 20,000 are expected to go through the five-week course in 2023.
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The basic training involves surviving in a hostile environment. Troops are taught skills such as basic fieldcraft and medical care, as well as marksmanship and weapon handling.
The training has been adapted to reflect what is needed on the ground, namely trench warfare.
In March, Ukrainian crews completed training on Challenger 2 tanks in the UK and returned home to continue their fight against Russia’s invasion.
Members of Kyiv’s armed forces travelled to Britain shortly after prime minister Rishi Sunak announced in January that the UK would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to help oust the Kremlin’s invaders from Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin finally admitted there have been “mistakes” over the partial mobilisation of Russian reserves, according to the Ministry of Defence.
His admission also came shortly before Russia lost another Ukrainian territory over the weekend, Lyman on Saturday. It was twice as humiliating for the Kremlin, as Moscow had actually just attempted to consolidate its power over land in the east by illegally annexing it on Friday and claiming it as a Russian soil.
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Here’s what you need to know about the latest development in the ongoing war.
Why is Putin’s admission important?
The Ministry of Defence, which revealed the Russian president made the confession while addressing his National Security Council last Thursday, explained that this is a rare acknowledgment the war is not going well for Russia.
According to the UK officials, Putin said: “A lot of questions are being raised during this mobilisation campaign, and we must promptly correct our mistakes and not repeat them.”
The MoD explained: “Putin’s unusually rapid acknowledgement of problems highlights the dysfunction of the mobilisation over its first week.
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“Local officials are likely unclear on the exact scope and legal rationale of the campaign.
“They have almost certainly drafted some personnel who are outside the definitions claimed by Putin and the Ministry of Defence.
“As drafted reservists continue to assembly at tented transit camps, Russian officials are likely struggling to provide training and in finding officers to lead new units.”
What is particularly surprising is this admission happened the day before Putin officially declared four regions of Ukraine part of Russia, after holding sham referendums.
Putin also confidently threatened to come down hard on Ukraine if it tried to reclaim any of the territory he had claimed as new Russian land only last week.
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What’s the latest from the frontline?
While the MoD only revealed Putin’s claims on Monday, he had actually said them last week – before the Russian Defence Ministry admitted it had withdrawn its troops from the strategic eastern town of Lyman, in the Donetsk region.
To recap, the Donetsk region is one of the four areas Russia annexed on Friday. In fact, Kyiv reclaimed the town just a day after Moscow “annexed” it.
Russia’s Defence Ministry tried to explain its retreat on Saturday, claiming: “In connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of [Lyman] to more advantageous lines.”
“The enemy, having a significant superiority in forces and means, introduced reserves and continued the offensive in this direction,” it added.
It also alleged that it had inflicted heavy losses on the Ukrainian frontline but there is no evidence for this yet.
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Lyman was a strategic and logistical hub for Russia, and without it, Moscow’s supply lines will take yet another hit.
As US Defence secretary Lloyd Austin told Reuters: “And without those, [supply] routes it will be more difficult. So it presents a sort of dilemma for the Russians going forward.
“And we think the Ukrainians have done great work to get there and to begin to occupy the city.”
What does this mean for Ukraine?
Reclaiming Lyman is not just a boost for Ukrainian morale, but a strategic bonus.
Now they can move into the Luhansk region – which would cause particularly embarrassment to the Kremlin considering it announced this region fully occupied in early July, and also annexed it last Friday.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s eastern forces, Serhii Cherevatyi, told Reuters: “Lyman is important because it is the next step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas. It is an opportunity to go further to Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk and it is psychologically very important.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy also vowed to take more areas after pushing Russia out of Lyman. On Saturday, he said: “During this week, there were more Ukrainian flags in Donbas. It will be even more in a week.”
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The Ukrainian president continued: “Ukraine will return its own. Both in the east and in the south. And what they tried to annex now, and Crimea, which has been called annexed since 2014.
“Our flag will be everywhere.”
The chances are high. The war in Ukraine is like a Jenga game — the Ukrainian military is gradually setting conditions, slowly and painfully, and then collapse happens momentarily. https://t.co/ClkQTwirdW
Amid continued reports of low morale among Russian troops, and a lack of training for new recruits, videos of Ukrainian soldiers dancing even before Lyman was successfully reclaimed have been widely shared online.
What does Russia think?
According to journalists who watch Russian state TV, commentators are struggling to spin Russia’s losses in Lyman.
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Julia Davis said the former deputy commander of Russia’s southern military district couldn’t explain the defeat, while the BBC’s Francis Scarr noticed how some TV channels just didn’t mention the battle at all.
Scarr claimed only Rossiya 1 was close to the truth when the host admitted there was a “difficult” situation emerging in the Donbas, but even the anchor still insisted that Russia was still “beating off the desperate onslaught of Ukrainian army troops”.
Meanwhile, Russians are said to be trying to flee the country in droves to avoid being called up to fight.
More than 2,000 anti-war protesters have also been arrested since Putin’s partial mobilisation announcement, according to the human rights group OVD-Info.
Stunned reactions keep coming in with respect to Ukraine reclaiming Lyman. Andrey Gurulyov, former deputy commander of Russia’s southern military district, said he couldn’t explain the defeat. He blamed in on a system of lies, “top to bottom” and was suddenly disconnected. pic.twitter.com/O4aoRqVx96
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