Russian Digest
Top stories I'm keeping an eye on!
Ukrainian military says it shot down 29 out of 30 missiles in Russian May 18 attacks
Ukraine's air defense successfully shot down 29 Russian missiles, two kamikaze drones, and two reconnaissance drones on May 17-18, according to the General Staff.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia launched several missile attacks against Ukraine from 9:00 p.m. on May 17 until 5:30 a.m. on May 18.
In total, Russia launched 22 long-range X-101/X-555 missiles from two Tu-160s and eight Tu-95s.
The General Staff wrote that six Kalibr cruises missiles were launched from the Black Sea, and two Iskander missiles were launched from ground-based operational-tactical missile systems.
Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, was once again the main target of the attacks. According to Andriy Nebytov, the head of the Kyiv Oblast police, no significant damage was recorded from falling missile debris, nor were there any casualties.
However, Ukraine's Southern Command reported that one person was killed, and two others were wounded following Russian missile strikes in Odesa Oblast.
Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Command, said on national television that an industrial facility on the outskirts of Odesa was hit, and the two injured people were guards working there.
An unspecified infrastructure object was also damaged in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, according to the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration. There were no casualties.
The previous mass attack came on May 16, during which Ukrainian air defense successfully shot down 25 Russian missiles targeting Ukraine overnight, including six Kinzhal ballistic missiles.
However, Russia was able to damage the Patriot air defense system slightly, CNN reported on May 16.
U.S. officials do not believe the Patriot air defense system must be removed from the battlefield for repairs, CNN followed up on May 17, quoting undisclosed U.S. officials.
Zelensky Is Expected to Travel to Japan for G7, Seeking Arms and Aid
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was preparing to make the audacious trip halfway around the world as his country moves toward a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is expected to appear in person at the Group of 7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, this weekend, several officials said, making an audacious trip halfway across the world as he tries to win commitments for continued arms and aid from the world’s wealthiest democracies.
The officials did not say when Mr. Zelensky would arrive, hoping to keep details of his travels vague for security reasons. But the leaders gathered in Hiroshima — who include President Biden and his counterparts from Japan, Canada, Britain, France, Germany and Italy — will be talking over the next three days about all dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine. That is likely to include discussions about sanctions enforcement, over whether to provide F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, and about the possibility of negotiations over an armistice or peace treaty.
So far, there have been no public announcements about Mr. Zelensky’s plans, and the Ukrainian news media has suggested that he will join the summit virtually. But in the past week, he has visited Britain and other European nations, and his willingness to travel outside Kyiv is intended in part to demonstrate that he has confidence in the stability of his own government. There have been no known efforts by the Russians to interfere with his travels.
Read More:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/world/europe/zelensky-g7-japan-visit.html
US signals to allies it won’t block their export of F-16 jets to Ukraine
The Biden administration has signaled to European allies in recent weeks that the US would allow them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, sources familiar with the discussions said, as the White House comes under increasing pressure from members of Congress and allies to help Ukraine procure the planes amid intensifying Russian aerial attacks.
Administration officials are not aware, however, of any formal requests by any allies to export F-16s, and State Department officials who would normally be tasked with the paperwork to approve such third-party transfers have not been told to get to work, officials said.
A handful of European countries have a supply of the US-made F-16s, including the Netherlands, which has signaled a willingness to export some of them to Ukraine. But the US would have to approve that third party transfer because of the jets’ sensitive US technology.
Read More:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/18/politics/us-allies-f-16-jets-ukraine/index.html
Belarus began building fortifications on the border with Ukraine
Defensive fortifications appeared on the border between Belarus and Ukraine. According to "Belarusian Gayun," "dragon's teeth" - concrete anti-tank gouges - were noticed 10 km from Gomel.
In addition, not far from the place where the "dragon's teeth" were built, presumably fortifications are being built, the newspaper notes. At the exit from the village of Kalinino, they noticed special equipment.
At the same time, the President of Belarus called the information about the impending counter-offensive of Ukraine “disinformation”.
“There is no “counterattack”, from my point of view, and cannot be. It's just crazy. One to five at the front to fight on equipment and manpower is just crazy! No, we need to escalate, we need to cheat the Ukrainians in order to continue and drown us in this confrontation, ”Lukashenko said during a meeting of the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly ( quoted by Belta).
"Dragon teeth" have a square-pyramidal shape, they are made of reinforced concrete. The height of one gouge is from 90 to 120 cm. Such fortifications were widely used during the Second World War to stop the advance of enemy equipment and infantry.
On the Ukrainian front, they began to be actively used by Russian troops after a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive. In September, Wagner PMC mercenaries began to build fortifications, RIA FAN reported. They were called the "Wagner Line", which was supposed to stretch east from the Russian-Ukrainian border to Kremennaya, and then south to Svetlodarsk. The CNN publication reported that the length of the line could reach 217 km.
In addition, it was reported about the construction of the "line" of Sergei Surovikin on the left bank of the Dnieper, where Russian troops retreated after the surrender of Kherson. The construction of "dragon's teeth" was also reported by the governors of the regions bordering Ukraine, in particular, the head of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov.
BiZness as usual: 25 European companies still supplying the Russian army
Sanctions against Russian defense companies have not interfered with Western supplies – equipment is still being imported by military contractors who have escaped sanctions lists. European businessmen have continued to sell goods to Russian firms that supply the country’s army with microchips for missiles, shells, fuses, tactical boots, body armor, engines for warships, and many other goods. The Insider confirmed supplies coming in from Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Austria, and Poland.
Machine tools for manufacturing rockets
Moscow-based Stan LLC, a developer of modern numerically controlled machine tools, is part of the Rostec State Corporation. Despite Rostec being sanctioned, the German company Vansped Logistics (on behalf of Reißaus & Baumberg Maschinenbau GmbH) has already supplied Stan with technical equipment for foundries after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the ImportGenius database, deliveries were made in July 2022.
Stan is a supplier to several Russian defense enterprises. In particular, the firm carried out the technical re-equipment of the 123rd Aviation Repair Plant (founded by the Ministry of Defense), which provides maintenance for Russian military aircraft. Stan is also a contractor for the Tactical Missiles Corporation: it supplied equipment for one of its subsidiaries, PO Strela, which makes anti-ship missiles.
According to a database for the analysis of government contracts, Stan LLC has been awareded 125 contracts to the total amount of more than 14 billion roubles ($173 million). The following state-run firms are among Stan’s clients:
ODK-Kuznetsov PJSC, which produces engines for the Tu-160M strategic bombers;
JSC Uralvagonzavod Research and Production Corporation – Russia’s only designer and manufacturer of tanks;
JSC NIKIET – Russia’s leading firm for the decommissioning of nuclear submarines;
Admiralty Shipyards JSC – Russia’s main center for the production of non-nuclear submarines;
JSC “Marine Underwater Arms - Hydropribor” – a manufacturer of torpedoes and sea mines;
Kometa Corporation (part of the Almaz-Antey Corporation) – a firm that develops, manufactures and exploits space controlling and scouting systems.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, Rostec's first deputy general director Vladimir Artyakov stressed the importance of supplies from Stan in making Tu-160 strategic bombers (which are used to launch Kh-555 cruise missiles at Ukraine).
Read More:
https://theins.ru/en/economics/261792
Norway will give Ukraine three radars to detect artillery and up to eight MLRS
Norway, in cooperation with the UK, will transfer several long-range multiple rocket launchers and radar systems to Ukraine. This was reported on the website of the Norwegian government.
“Today we confirm the delivery of long-range artillery and radars. Norway is providing three radars for locating Arthur artillery and up to eight long-range rocket launchers of the MLRS type,” Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said.
The Norwegian government said in a statement that this significant contribution to the defense of Ukraine testifies "to the determination of our governments to support the Ukrainian people together."
Gram also noted that his country contributes to the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the UK and Norway. Starting this summer, Norway has pledged to double the number of its instructors in Operation Interflex.
Interflex is a UK-led operation to train and train the Ukrainian Armed Forces, launched in July 2022.
Earlier, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed that London sent Storm Shadow missiles to Kiev. He said that this was a "calibrated" and "proportional" response to Putin's war in Ukraine.
“We have seen what the Ukrainians are capable of when they have the right opportunities,” Wallace said.
UK and Norway team up to protect undersea cables, gas pipes in wake of Nord Stream attacks
Britain will send its first patrolling ship, the RFA Proteus, to the North Sea in July.
The U.K. and Norway signed a security partnership to prevent attacks against undersea infrastructure including gas pipeline and cables.
Under the agreement, announced Thursday by the defense ministers of both countries, Britain and Norway are promising to exchange intelligence, counter mine threats and improve their ability to detect submarines from hostile nations.
U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Thursday that Russia has “the intent and capability” to sabotage critical Western infrastructure, but he refused to blame Moscow for last year’s attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Swedish investigators said last month that a state actor was most likely responsible for the blasts, but that the incident remained “difficult to investigate.”
“What we know is the Russians have a work program, they have a specific naval program designed to both look at and potentially sabotage or attack critical national infrastructure belonging to its adversaries,” Wallace said at a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Bjørn Arild Gram.
Russia “has a number of submarines and other pieces of equipment and spy ships and everything else specifically designed for that purpose,” Wallace added.
Read More:
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-norway-team-up-protect-undersea-cables-gas-pipelines/
G7: UK to ban Russian diamonds in Ukraine war sanctions
Russian diamond imports to the UK will be banned in the latest sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine.
Imports of Russian-origin copper, aluminium and nickel will be blocked, under legislation to be introduced later this year.
Rishi Sunak said the UK must show "violence and coercion do not reap rewards" ahead of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
The Russian diamond industry was worth $4bn (£3.2bn) in exports in 2021.
The UK government said it was also planning to target 86 more people and companies connected to President Vladimir Putin, including people who are "actively undermining the impact of existing sanctions".
Read More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65632568
Clamping down on Russia’s sanctions evasion
Western leaders need to get tougher on offshore secrecy jurisdictions
Allies of Ukraine gathering in Japan this week for the G7 summit may approach the next round of sanctions talks with trepidation. An agreement on restricting the Russian diamond trade is welcome but, from here, many of the grander proposals to stem the flow of money and critical goods to Russia raise diplomatic problems.
The EU and Japan oppose US proposals to ban all but a few specified categories of exports to Russia. Any move by the EU to block imports of refined products made from Russian crude will irritate India — and the US, if it drives up energy prices. If the EU further restricts exports passing through Russia en route to other places, it will hurt countries such as Kazakhstan.
But there are win-wins out there. There is one under-discussed tool used by Russia in almost every sanctions-evasion attempt: secrecy jurisdictions.
The war is a good reason for leaders to focus, once again, on the offshore world. What was once primarily a tax evasion industry has been swelled by loot-stashing. The multinational Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs Task Force issued an advisory in March noting that a lot of avoidance vehicles were “located in jurisdictions that are tax or corporate formation havens, which may afford a degree of secrecy to Russian elites and their proxies.”
But this goes much further than merely helping oligarchs stash their gains. Secrecy jurisdictions have been a key tool for Russia to get critical goods — from machine tools to semiconductors. As one expert group put it: their procurement networks consist of “long chains of shell and front companies, often established in low-disclosure jurisdictions or those with strategic [anti-money laundering] deficiencies.”
Look at the buying network recently revealed by the FT to be operating from a house in North London. Mykines Corporation LLP, which sent $1.2bn of sensitive goods to Russia, is a UK entity ultimately owned by a pair of British Virgin Islands companies — a secrecy jurisdiction.
Read More:
https://www.ft.com/content/5ecbc9f0-ee9e-46db-8a67-91f2fdf985d3
Accounting error frees up $3 billion for Ukraine weapons assistance
The Biden administration made an accounting error in assessing the value of military support the US has given to Ukraine to date, freeing up approximately $3 billion more in aid, multiple congressional and administration officials told CNN.
The accounting error occurred because when the US transferred weaponry to Ukraine, they used the value of the replacement instead of the value of actual weapon, defense officials explained. That drove up the cost of each package — because new weaponry costs more than old weaponry — and resulted in the false assumption that more of the funding had been used.
The error – briefed to lawmakers and congressional staffers Thursday – triggered frustration from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees. They believe the mistake reduced the amount of US support that went to Ukraine leading up to the counteroffensive.
“The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic, to say the least. These funds could have been used for extra supplies and weapons for the upcoming counteroffensive, instead of rationing funds to last for the remainder of the fiscal year,” Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee and Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote in a statement Thursday.
Read More:
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is looking for contract soldiers to be sent to Ukraine through the Moscow State Budgetary Institution Zhilischnik. They post vacancies for "security guards" with a salary of up to 270 thousand rubles.
The BBC Russian Service drew attention to the announcements about the search for "guards" that were posted by some Moscow State Budgetary Institution "Zhilischnik" engaged in servicing residential buildings. Such vacancies, in particular, were published by Zhilischniki of Kuzminok and the Ryazan region.
The "guards" are promised a salary of 170-240 thousand rubles, the status of a combat veteran, benefits, payments for children, and "preservation of the main workplace for two years." At the same time, work experience is not required, but it is indicated that it will be necessary to undergo training “for up to 2 months.”
Zhilishchnik of the Kuzminki district indicates that the vacancy is connected with the “Russian Ministry of Defense,” there is no such information in a similar announcement of Zhilishchnik of the Ryazan region.
The correspondent of the BBC Russian Service called the number indicated in the ads (he was the same for the vacancies of the "guards.") The person who answered the call explained that "We are talking about concluding a contract for military service, this is work in a special operation zone."
“The contract will be with the Ministry of Defense, just for an additional payment from the city of Moscow, you are hired by the State Budgetary Institution Zhilischnik. You seem to be coming from an organization,” he said.
When asked why the vacancy indicated “guard,” the source of the BBC Russian Service said: “Because such vacancies cannot be advertised by an organization that is not related to the Ministry of Defense.”
In December 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a large-scale reform of the army, which, among other things, meant a significant increase in the total number of troops - by about 500 thousand people.
According to Western intelligence, the Russian Defense Ministry is trying to expand the recruitment of contract soldiers, to make up for the losses that Russian troops suffered during the invasion of Ukraine, while not announcing a new wave of mobilization so as not to provoke discontent within the country.
Ex-Wagner commander who sought asylum in Norway wants to return to Russia
A former commander of Russia's Wagner group who sought asylum in Norway after crossing the Russian-Norwegian border in January said on Wednesday he wanted to return to Russia even though he believed this could pose a risk to his life.
Andrei Medvedev, who has previously spoken about his time fighting in Ukraine, said in one of several videos posted on YouTube that he had decided by himself that he wanted to return to his home country.
"Recently I've decided that I'm ready to go back to the Russian Federation. I've contacted the Russian embassy in Oslo for help, to facilitate my return," Medvedev said in one of five short videos, adding that he made this decision on his own.
Read More:
Also my analysis of this story:
https://twitter.com/OlgaNYC1211/status/1659401152650149890?s=20
The Obliteration Of Bakhmut: New Satellite Photos Reveal A City Of Smoldering Ruins
New satellite images of Ukraine's eastern city of Bakhmut reveal the utter devastation that has been wrought by months of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces. Russian forces launched 55 attacks on Ukrainian positions on Bakhmut over the past day, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its daily bulletin.
Photos:
https://www.rferl.org/a/bakhmut-ukraine-satellite-images-maxar-destruction/32416025.html