[서울=뉴스핌] Correspondent Choi Won-jin = It has been eight months since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 (local time). Contrary to the initial expectation that Russia would quickly capture the capital of Ukraine, Kiiu with overwhelming military power, only parts of the east and south-east of the country were occupied by Russia, and even then, the Ukrainian army currently recapturing it.
On the 4th (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin finally approved the incorporation of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, the eastern regions of Donbas, and Zaporiza and Kherson Oblasts in the southeast. The irony is that among these only Luhansk was completely occupied by the Russian army. Recently, President Putin ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reserve troops, which clearly shows how huge the loss of Russian troops is and how difficult it is to defend even in occupied territories.
◆ Ukrainian forces break through Russian defense lines in Luhansk…
Ukrainian forces are speeding up the process of retaking occupied Russia thanks to military support from the United States and the West.
Ukrainian forces appear to have entered the front of the eastern region of Luhansk Oblast for the first time since the Russian invasion. Luhansk province was fully occupied by Russian forces in July, and several photos posted on social media by CNN show that Ukrainian troops appear to have crossed over from Donetsk Oblast and are stationed in at least one village in Luhansk Oblast.
| Photo of Ukrainian army obtained from social media by CNN. In the photo, a unit holding a Ukrainian flag stands in front of a sign that reads ‘Hrekiuka’ in a village in Luhansk province. [사진=CNN] |
In the photo attached to the broadcast, the Ukrainian unit poses in a group pose while holding a Ukrainian flag in front of a sign that reads ‘Hrekiuka’, a village in Luhansk.
The Governor of Luhansk, Serhi Haidai, also said on Telegram that “the recapture of the occupied Luhansk has begun.”
Another picture confirmed by the broadcaster showed the Ukrainian army in the village of Terni, Donetsk, only about 20 km from the village of Kremina, Luhansk. Military experts predict that now that Russian defense lines in Donetsk and Kharkiv have been breached, the Ukrainian army will soon be able to break through Luhansk’s defenses as well.
Reporter Alexander Coats of the Russian pro-government tabloid Komsomolskaya Paravda also reported that the front in Luhansk was uneasy. He told Telegram, “There are not enough troops to stop the enemy’s attack in Luhansk Oblast. The recent huge loss of Russian troops is also related to the lack of troops. The current situation on the front line is very difficult.”
According to major foreign media outlets, out of the 300,000 that President Putin ordered for partial mobilization, 200,000 have already been sent to the front line, but most of them die as soon as they participate because they have no experience in war or have not received military training. “The Russian soldiers were sent in without proper clothing and equipment,” said Olegsi Danilow, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Commission.
Even the defense of Luhansk Oblast has been blocked, so the Russian Kremlin has not been able to mark the borders of the Russian Federation which have been changed following the recent annexation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Some areas still need to be recovered” when asked “where are the borders” in Kherson and Zaporiza provinces, which are being recaptured by the Ukrainian army, but declined to give an answer specific.
 |
The Ukrainian army also accelerated the process of retaking Kherson Province. On the same day, President Zelensky announced that the northeastern provinces of Kherson, including Novovskresenske, Novohrihorivka and Petropavliuka, had been liberated.
The Russian army, driven by defense, suddenly launched an attack on the capital, Kiiu. The governor of Kii space, Olexi Kuleva, said that six Iranian drones attacked the village of Villa Cherkba, 75 kilometers south of Kiiu, last night, according to Reuters.
For the past three weeks, the Russian army has been attacking the outskirts of Kiiu with the Iranian-made Shahed-136, but the Vila Cherkba area they attacked this day is the closest to Kiiu. The village was engulfed in flames and the residents were evacuated.
Ukraine hopes to regain all Russian-occupied territories within this year, with the exception of Crimea, which was forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014.
At the meeting, it is estimated that there were discussions on where to use the weapons worth $625 million (about 875.4 billion won), which the United States has agreed to provide additional support.
According to the US Department of Defense, the weapons agreed to support Ukraine are also four high-speed mobile artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and ammunition, 16 howitzers of 155mm caliber and 75,000 rounds of shells, 500 precision-guided shells , and anti-. spray tank mine 1000 rounds of 155mm shells for dragons. As a result, the Biden government’s military aid to Ukraine increased to about $17.5 billion (24.5 trillion won).
◆ Putin orders the nationalization of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporiza… a new ‘nuclear button’ rises
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporiza, has emerged as a new nuclear threat as major foreign media and Western experts worry that Putin could use a tactical nuclear weapon.
The Russian Kremlin announced on the 5th the ‘President on the Use of Nuclear Power in the Zaporiza Region’. President Putin himself ordered the nationalization of the Zaporiza nuclear power plant, which means that the Russian government will operate and manage the Zaporiza nuclear power plant in the future.
“The Zaporiza nuclear power plant is now on the territory of the Russian Federation and must be operated under the supervision of our authorities,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Bershinin said at a press conference.
The Japoriza nuclear power station has been shut down since September due to concerns about radiation leaks due to a series of explosions in the area since last August. It has been managed by employees of the state-owned Ukrainian nuclear power plant Energoatom.
Today, the Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi announced that he will visit Kiiwu with a delegation. “It is more urgent than ever to establish the Zaporijah nuclear power plant and its area as a Nuclear Safety and Security Reserve (NSSPZ),” he wrote on Twitter.
The IAEA is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine on measures to stop radiation leaks by turning the Zaporiza nuclear site into a demilitarized zone.
 |
| A Russian armored vehicle is parked outside the Zaporiza nuclear power plant in Ukraine. 2022.09.01 [사진=로이터 뉴스핌] |
Some are raising suspicions that President Putin’s attempt to nationalize the Zaporiza nuclear power plant on the day he declared territorial annexation was an attempt to arm it. It is noted that the Zaporiza nuclear power plant is intended to be recognized as an annex to the territories occupied by Ukraine.
The possibility of radiation leaks due to the fierce battle at the Japoriza nuclear power plant is also an issue. In fact, at least two people were killed early in the morning on the 6th in the city of Zaporiza, Governor Oleksandr Staruk said. If the Ukrainian military begins a full operation to retake Zaporiza, the nuclear power plant will inevitably become more dangerous.
Russia’s preparations for the use of tactical nuclear weapons also came to light. The pro-Russian telegram channel Rivar uploaded a video on the 2nd of a large freight train carrying a troop transport vehicle and new equipment, which is assumed to be linked to the nuclear department of the Russian government.
President Andrzej Duda of Poland, a NATO country, said in an interview with the local media on the 5th that “the United States is considering the possibility of me talking to the American leaders about what they were doing,” he said.
NATO-style nuclear arms sharing refers to the use and deployment of nuclear weapons in NATO member states by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, which have nuclear weapons. The US government has said that it has never had such discussions with Poland, but there seems to be no denying that Putin’s fears of using a nuclear option are on the horizon over NATO.
wonjc6@newspim.com
