25 JUNE 2023
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he and Ukraine’s Western partners see the situation in Russia in the same way, and they know how to respond to it.
Source: Zelenskyy’s nightly speech.
Details: Zelenskyy has said that on Sunday evening, he discussed the latest developments in Russia with US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Quote: “The longer Russian aggression lasts, the more degradation it causes in Russia itself. One of the manifestations of this degradation is that Russian aggression is gradually returning to its home harbour.
In our conversations with the leaders, we have exchanged our assessments of what is happening in Russia. We see the situation in the same way and know how to respond.”
More details: Zelenskyy has said that he also discussed Ukraine’s “active operations” on the frontline with his partners.
“I thanked our partners for the support provided – it is very significant and it really helps our soldiers move forward. Now the Russian occupiers are suffering losses, which is what we need. Each of their losses is a long-term strengthening of freedom,” Zelenskyy said.
The leaders have also discussed further strengthening of the Ukrainian military. Zelenskyy has thanked the partners for understanding Ukraine’s “long-range needs”.
“I am especially grateful to President Biden and the United States for the reliability of the Patriots. We discussed the strengthening of our artillery, MLRS and other things,” Zelenskyy added.
Background:
- On the evening of 23 June, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagner mercenaries’ rear camps. He, therefore, deployed 25,000 of his mercenaries “to restore justice”.
- On the morning of 24 June, Prigozhin claimed that his forces had taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, including the air base, and were heading “to Moscow” and that his soldiers had shot down three Russian helicopters. Wagner mercenaries also seized military facilities in the Russian city of Voronezh.
- In an emergency address on 24 June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was “fighting for survival” and that attempts were being made to “organise a rebellion” in the country.
- On the afternoon of 24 June, Russian media reported that the Office of the President of the Russian Federation anticipated that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group fighters were likely to reach Moscow’s outskirts in the next few hours, with fighting expected near Russia’s capital. Ukrainian intelligence had information that Putin had urgently left Moscow for his residence in Valdai. The convoy of the Wagner Group’s forces was spotted 400 kilometres from Moscow.
- On the evening of Saturday, 24 June, after a conversation with Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Prigozhin announced that his mercenaries were turning their convoys around and going in the opposite direction, back to their field camps. Later, the Kremlin announced that the criminal case against Prigozhin would be closed and he would “go to Belarus”.
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I’m glad that these leaders know how to respond, whatever that may mean. The crumbling of putanism is an important step to demolish mafia land, hopefully forever.
I think that right now, Ukraine and the international community must focus more on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and perhaps take steps to secure it. In mafia hands, it’s an unimaginable disaster just waiting to happen. The busted dam would be just a side show, by comparison.
At a minimum, keep it in the news, agreed Sir Facts.