Global Courant
The Ukrainian counter-offensive continues, but appears less intense. Ukraine has not made significant progress so far and in some cases its forces have been pushed back.
The The Russians have published some figures about the Ukrainian losses in September so far. Ukraine has lost more than 17,000 soldiers so far this month, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told a ministry board meeting.
According to him, Kiev lost three Western-made tanks, including two German Leopards and a British Challenger.
The figures also include the loss of seven American-made Bradley fighting vehicles, 77 American M777 howitzers and 51 self-propelled howitzers made in Germany, France, Poland and the United States.
The Russians say they have destroyed a British make Stormer air defense system. The Stormer is a military armored vehicle manufactured by the British company Alvis Vickers, now known as BAE Systems Land & Armaments, that uses laser-guided interceptors. It is believed to destroy slow-flying aircraft, especially helicopters, and drones.
The British-made Stormer Air Defense System.
Some American Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine ahead of schedule. The head of the Ukrainian military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GRO), says the Abrams tanks should be reserved for special operations and not used for general combat because they will be destroyed.
Meanwhile, one of the Leopard tanks was destroyed by the Russians this week had a three-man German crew. Two of the three crew members were killed instantly. The third crew member survived for a while and told the Russians he was a mechanic. It is far from clear why Germans manned the tank. Is this a pattern for the future?
Russia also bombed a number of Ukrainian airfields and destroyed two MIG-29 aircraft and various airplane hangers.
Russia too port of Odessa attacked, destroying grain storage facilities and loading docks. Russian aerial bombardment of Ukrainian military and civilian assets appeared to be quite intense and persistent.
The Ukrainians claim they killed the Russian admiral Viktor Sokolov, Black Sea Commander and 34 others when a Stormshadow missile struck the Russian Admiralty headquarters in Sevastopol. The claim appears to have been false.
The Admiral appeared (via video) during a meeting of Russian commanders led by Russian Defense Minister Shoigu. (He wasn’t the only Navy commander to appear via video link.)
The Ukrainians say it was a fake video. However, it appears that their claims about the death of the admiral and the other “victims” were grossly exaggerated. The Russians say only one person was killed in the attack. The Admiralty building was severely damaged and the area was closed due to the ensuing fire.
The United States has come up with a lengthy statement of “priority reforms” presented at the conference Multi-donor coordination platform for Ukraine held in Brussels. The The US Embassy in Kiev released a copy to Ukraine.
It includes a number of proposals to fight corruption, some of it aimed at defense procurement and some at the management of energy companies, including Ukrenerg and Naftogas, and to create supervisory boards (laden with Americans) for Ukroboronprom (which produces 125mm ammunition produces), NABU (Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau) and SAPO (Special Anti-Corruption Bureau), including independence of the Attorney General, aimed at blocking undue political influence on investigations.
One of the most sensational proposals is to limit the scope of the activities of the Ukrainian SBU (Security Service of Ukraine), the Ukrainian equivalent of the old Soviet KGB. The proposal is to limit the SBU to counterintelligence, anti-espionage and the fight against terrorism and cyberterrorism.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has a corruption problem. Photo: The presidency of Ukraine
The language used is very broad and unclear. SBU is used by Zelensky to suppress the opposition and regularly arrest anyone who opposes the government for any reason.
It has also been used for launching attacks on the leaders and members of the Russian Orthodox Church, some of whom are accused of selling weapons. SBU is also getting used to it enforce draft avoidance. Presumably the idea is to limit it, but only a little.
It is unlikely that these rather limited ‘reforms’ will be implemented. The fact that it was presented at a low political level in Brussels, and only as a draft proposal, indicates that the Biden administration is not seriously trying to curb corruption in Ukraine.
Stephen Bryen is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute. This article was originally published on his Substack, Weapons and Strategy. Asia Times republishes it with permission.
Similar:
Loading…
