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Day 545 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key occasions of the 24 hours:
Elon Musk admitted to the Pentagon that he spoke with Putin
Elon Musk has spoken to Putin and has continuously denied the allegations. This is clear from a New Yorker article, which shows that Musk admitted to the Pentagon his verbal telephone exchange with the Russian president.
Interestingly, shortly after that conversation, Musk bizarrely published his concepts for preventing war in Ukraine, which echoed the Kremlin’s wishes.
Last year, the billionaire denied rumors of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he still informed the U. S. Department of Defense. UU. de this conversation. In its Monday article, the New Yorker cited Colin Kahl, a former senior Pentagon official, and a few other unnamed government officials.
Musk was invited to an exchange of views with the Pentagon, and the branch pushed for the Ukrainian armed forces to continue the Starlink web satellite system operated through Musk’s space company SpaceX. At the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Musk donated Starlink receivers. to Kiev and allowed its free use.
However, SpaceX later said it did not need to continue paying for the terminals. Musk briefed Pentagon officials on his verbal exchange with Putin about discussions on the issue, writes The New Yorker.
“I only spoke to Putin once and 18 months ago,” the billionaire tweeted.
The verbal exchange about trips in the area.
Finally, SpaceX agreed to allow Ukraine to maintain Starlink terminals for the time being. That year, the U. S. Department of Defense. He signed a contract with the company to cover prices.
The attraction of the verbal exchange with Putin is that Musk then published concepts for a solution to the conflict. In particular, he proposed that Ukraine give up the Crimean peninsula, annexed through Russia in violation of foreign law, to end the war, as well as the organization of referfinishums in the territories occupied through Russia. Given Russian aggression, those concepts have attracted much criticism.
Russian strategic bomber destroyed
Satellite photographs from Planet Lab showed that on August 19 a Ukrainian drone destroyed a Russian strategic bomber at its base in the Novgorod region. Images of a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber on fire made the impression on social media on Sunday and the BBC showed it later. Today, satellite photographs from August 16 and 21 clearly show the burned site and that the supersonic planes involved in the attacks on Ukraine have been moved.
A source told Novaya Gazeta that Russia has lately had about 40 such aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but that it has the ability to upgrade them with new ones.
London: Some of the drone strikes opposing Russia may simply come from its territory
The attack on the Tu-22M3 bomber in Russia’s Novgorod region is an argument for some anti-Russian drone strikes to be carried out from Russian territory itself.
This is clear from today’s summary of British Army intelligence, on the Ministry of Defence’s X profile (until recently “Twitter”).
This time, London released the data hours after initial reports that the Aug. 19 attack may have destroyed the Tu-22 strategic bomber, as shown in Planet Labs satellite photographs transmitted via the BBC’s Russian service.
A source told Novaya Gazeta that Russia has lately had about 40 such aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but that it has the ability to upgrade them with new ones.
According to British Army intelligence, the bomber destroyed with a “very high degree of probability”, but if the Russian Ministry of Defense’s claim about the use of a quadcopter drone is true, it reinforces the thesis that some of the attacks took place from Russian territory, given that such ships probably do not have the diversity necessary to reach the Soltsy base from positions outside Russia.
Britain also notes that this is at least the third attack on airfields with Russian long-range aircraft and highlights Russia’s ability to protect strategic locations inside the country.
This morning, the Ukrainian newspaper NV reported that the drone attacks on Russian army airports were carried out through an organization of saboteurs whose activities were coordinated through Ukrainian special services. For this, NV refers to an interlocutor within the General Intelligence Directorate, i. e. the Ukrainian. The intelligence services of the army. The interlocutor claims that in recent days these teams neutralized “five Russian aircraft, in addition to strategic bombers, which launched missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. “
These operations are carried out through agents cooperating with Ukrainian army intelligence, and the attack in the Novgorod region is an example, as well as the attack on Shaykovka airport in the Kaluga region, where two other bombers were destroyed in drone strikes.
Ukraine officially insists that the subversive equipment are drone strikes on Russian territory, and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says some of them are likely from Russia and not Ukraine. At the same time, last month, Kiev replaced its strategy, starting to talk, through local channels. and foreign publications and comments by officials, about their role in various operations opposed to Russia.
Zelensky insists on lifting ban on transporting Ukrainian grain to Bulgaria and four countries
The export and transit of agricultural products from Ukraine will be fully restored from September 15. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on this point in a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen in Athens.
Zelensky attended in the Greek capital the dinner offered by the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, committed to the enlargement of the EU.
He wrote on social media that he thanked von der Leyen for efforts to repair Ukrainian exports and the transit of agricultural products and insisted that they be fully repaired from mid-September. Then the ban imposed through Bulgaria and four other countries – Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – on imports of wheat, corn and sunflower from Ukraine – expired.
All five countries have obtained permission from Brussels to ban the import of Ukrainian goods due to logistical difficulties and limited garage capacity that cannot accommodate the accumulation of Ukrainian imports. All five countries provide transit transport for only the four products. protested the ban and demanded its lifting
Von der Leyen and Zelensky also discussed Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership. Kiev is due to start accession negotiations by the end of 2023.
Vucic and Zelenskiy held “good” and “open” talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held talks in Athens on Tuesday that the two leaders described as “good” and “open,” Reuters reported.
Serbia has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the UN and other foreign forums, but has not imposed sanctions on Moscow.
He also maintains publicity and military cooperation with his classic Slavic and Orthodox best friend as he seeks to join the European Union.
In April, documents leaked through the Pentagon showed that Serbia had agreed to supply weapons and ammunition to Kiev or send them to Ukraine. Vucic said Serbia has never sold weapons or ammunition to Ukraine or Russia, even though Serbian weapons would possibly have reached the battlefield from third countries.
“An open, fair and fruitful meeting with the Serbian president,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram with a photo of the two leaders shaking hands.
He gave many details, but added: “An intelligent verbal exchange on respect for the Charter of the United Nations and the inviolability of borders . . . For the common future of our nations in the common European home. For the progress of our relations, this is in our mutual interest. “
In an Instagram post, Vucic said he had a “good and open” verbal exchange with Zelensky over issues such as the territorial integrity of the two countries.
Ukraine recognizes Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. At the same time, Belgrade recognizes Russia’s annexation of occupied parts of Ukraine through Moscow. “We reviewed the developments in Ukraine and Kosovo and reiterated that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Vucic wrote.
The two leaders, who were in Athens as Greece hosts an assembly of Balkan leaders, expressed support for their countries’ membership in the EU.
Ukraine that its troops had entered a strategic village in the southeast
Ukraine announced on Tuesday that its troops had entered the strategic southeastern village of Robotyne, a potential advance in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, Reuters reported.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that Ukrainian infantrymen are organizing the evacuation of civilians after entering Robotyne, but are still being attacked by Russian forces.
“Our infantrymen in the village of Robotyne,” General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, wrote on Telegram in a photo of a soldier in a tank.
Robotyne is located 10 km south of the front line of the city of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on a main road leading to Tokmak, a Russian-occupied railway and road hub.
The capture of Tokmak would be a cornerstone as Ukrainian troops advance south toward the Sea of Azov with the aim of dividing Russian professional forces. The Institute for the Study of War, an American think tank and experts, described the Ukrainian attacks on Robotyne. “Tactically significant. ” Advances in the region could allow Ukrainian forces to begin operating beyond the thickest part of Russian minefields that have delayed a counteroffensive that began in early June, he said. A video released by the Ukrainian military shows a woman kissing a Ukrainian soldier and several evacuees talking on the phone with relatives.
“Psychologically it was very complicated (. . . ). We waited so long that today they arrived without warning. We couldn’t even be our own (. . . ) We are very grateful to the guys (troops),” the 52-year-old said. -said the old man in the video a woman.
Reuters was unable to verify the location of the footage or the date the clip was filmed.
Russia, which sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, did not comment on the reports.
Ukrainian drones shot down near Moscow and over Bryansk
Four Ukrainian drones were shot down near Moscow and over Bryansk Oblast, which borders Ukraine, Russian officials said early this morning. An air alert was declared in several oblasts of Ukraine last night.
A drone shot down in the district of Odintsovo, near the village of Chastsy west of Moscow, shortly after 03:00 local time 4 explosions were heard.
The Russian Defense Ministry said there were no injuries in the attack. One of the unmanned aerial vehicles shot down over Krasnogorsk, Moskovsk Oblast.
Videos and images from the scene show broken windows of a high-rise apartment building, debris on the sidewalk and a broken down car.
Airspace over the Russian capital was briefly closed and Moscow’s three main airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo — temporarily suspended flights.
Some of them were moved to cities. The Defense Ministry said the army intercepted an attempted terrorist attack in the Bryansk region, where two machines were also destroyed.
A few days ago, Russia reported a series of attempted Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow. Again, some airports were closed.
An air alert was declared last night in the Ukrainian provinces of Sumy and Chernihiv, as well as in Kiev province.
Earlier, the head of the Chernihiv region’s administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, said a Russian drone crashed into a civilian building, but gave no further details.
Explosions were also reported in Zaporizhzhia following a drone attack.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said the situation in the Kupyansk region remained unclear and heavy shelling continued there.
According to her, the Russians are regrouping and will send more infantrymen to the area.
Greece to Ukrainian F-16 pilots
Greece has submitted Ukrainian pilots for the F-16 fighter jets that Denmark and the Netherlands decided to send to Kiev last weekend. This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his stopover in Athens.
Greece will participate in the education of our F-16 pilots. “Thank you for this proposal,” Zelensky said at a joint briefing with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ukrainian pilots will receive training to fly the F-16 in Denmark and Romania.
The Ukrainian president arrived unannounced in the Greek capital, where he participated tonight in a dinner and an informal debate with the leaders of the Balkans, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel. The dinner was also attended by Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov. .
Prigozhin’s first video speech after the Moscow march
Two months after the attempted march to Moscow, Eugene Prigozhin posted his first video speech on social media. It is assumed that the video with the author of “Wagner” was shot in Africa. Prigozhin appears in the middle of an abandoned area, dressed in camouflage clothing and a gun in his hand. In the distance are other armed men and a pickup truck.
The Russian government claims that after the coup attempt, some of Wagner’s fighters and Prigozhin himself left for Belarus. Following these reports, Poland increased the presence of its army on its border with the country.
At the end of July it became known that “Wagner” was making plans for his presence in Africa. “We are working. The temperature is 50 degrees Celsius, exactly as we like it. ” Wagner” performs reconnaissance and search operations. We make Russia wonderful on all continents and a freer Africa. Justice and happiness for the peoples of Africa. “Life is a nightmare for ISIS, al Qaeda and other bandits. We recruit real fighters and continue to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to us. We have made promises that we will keep,” the video speech read.
Putin will watch BRICS resolution to (not) West from afar
How can a handful of countries with nearly 3 billion people and a quarter of the world’s economy challenge Western supremacy?
It seems an undeniable question, but in reality it has many tricks, and the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, collectively known as BRICS, who are gathered (almost all) know it.
These are five other economies, with other interests. Russia has been affected by the war in Ukraine and its isolation from its classic economic partners, China, as well as weak economic indicators, prompting considerations about the status of the world’s second-largest economy. Brazil: the heterogeneous interests of its continent and the foreign relations between which it tries to maneuver. Despite unabashedly cordial relations with Moscow, South Africa and Brazil need to completely lose Washington.
However, how much do they shake hands to discover?The dispute between rivals China and India, the authoritarian state with the world’s largest population and democracy with the world’s largest population, in a bloc where decisions are made by consensus, may doom the BRICS transformation. in a “non-Western” option to the G7.
This will come as no surprise; For 15 years, the union has failed to transform its developing economic strength into political strength. If the right technique were the right one, it would be a new opportunity for a vital rival of the West. At least in words, some of the five countries will not hesitate to give this impression before Thursday.
The BRICS organization represents more than 40% of the world’s population and about 26% of the global economy, and provides a forum of choice for countries outside diplomatic channels and ruled through the classical Western powers. Their influence and economic weight are encouraging more countries to join. The query is which countries would be admitted.
At their fifteenth summit in South Africa (the president will rotate until the end of the year), the leaders will face each other for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will constitute Russia and will participate alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin will only attend virtually after an arrest warrant was issued against him through the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in March. South Africa is a state party to the ICC and if Putin were to appear, it would be forced to arrest him. . This means that even if Putin hopes to bet on the BRICS to show that his country is not isolated because of the war in Ukraine, he cannot even stop in a “partner country” that opposes this isolation.
The expansion of the BRICS would likely be controversial, but leaders need at least the Global South to listen: 67 leaders from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean have been invited. The guest list includes the New Development Bank (until recently the BRICS Development Bank), the UN Secretary-General and others.
By the way, there was also someone from the West who wanted to participate: French President Emmanuel Macron. However, because of its position on the war in Ukraine, Russia rejected this idea.
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said last week that the BRICS countries were seeking to show “global leadership to address the wishes of the BRICS countries. . . of most of the world, that is. . . the progress and inclusion of the Global Community. “South in multilateral systems”: a veiled blow against Western domination.
But China needs to go further: for the BRICS to become a bitter rival of the Group of Seven (G-7), an option for Western aid to progress, “reform global governance systems (to) build representation. . . developing emerging countries and markets. “
Beijing’s thesis is that political union will be the collective voice of the BRICS in the world. New Delhi, however, questioned this idea and prefers the non-alignment of the union. Pretoria is careful to say that the thesis about the “anti-Western” “The detail of the enlargement of the BRICS is “totally false”.
India, the rotating chair of the G20, also believes that the “politicization” of the BRICS, with the participation of the countries of the South, will transform the agreement into a club that basically serves Chinese interests by opposing the West. On the contrary, the Asian giant prefers, through immediate expansion, to demonstrate that the next world warmly supports it. But even the question of who else deserves to enter the club is controversial.
Amid discussions of global geopolitics, industry, and infrastructure, a number of topics can be overshadowed by one of the most controversial: scaling. At least 23 countries have expressed interest in such an approach.
Among those who want to enter are several countries: from Venezuela and Argentina, through Ethiopia and Egypt, to Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, the positions of the BRICS are as heterogeneous as they are heterogeneous. .
Enlargement tempts some countries, but it is not unanimous. How will it be carried out? What will be the criteria?And no less important: to which countries to say “yes”?
The driving force behind this expansionist drive is China, which considers itself capable of rallying many countries of the South that oppose the United States in this dizzying race. Behind this position is Russia, which seeks tactics to isolate other Western countries after the war in Ukraine, but not Brazil, which thinks that it is not the time (and in fact does not need enlargement to diminish its weight in the world). India is about to take sides. South Africa is the product of the first enlargement when the BRICs became BRICS in 2011, just two years after their first assembly in Yekaterinburg, but for now it remains the latest to join.
The African countries with which the BRICS are interested in cooperating and interacting with the African Continental Free Trade Area, the largest in terms of number of participants and population, are Pretoria. More African members of the BRICS would be welcome; “BRICS and Africa” is also the thematic corner of the current meeting.
According to the “Financial Times”, it is still imaginable to invite several countries such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Argentina. Until Thursday, the criteria that will make these or other countries eligible will be discussed: for example, a minimum population or a GDP. product or willingness to work with an NDB bank.
The organization is also expected to talk about how to boost local currency fundraising and lending under the New Development Bank, NDB, long known as the BRICS Bank. Using a local currency will help lessen the threat of impact on the currency. fluctuations, said South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
De-dollarization can be a complicated task, especially since the financing presented through the NDB is less than that presented through the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. For example, in a decade, the NDB has approved billions of dollars in financing, about one-third of what the World Bank presented last year alone.
The bank has yet to talk about the BRICS self-lending scheme, proposed through Brazil and subsidized through Russia earlier this year as an option to overcome dependence on the dollar. The host country, South Africa, said talks were in place at this time. The opponent of the proposal is back. India, which prefers to locate tactics to develop its industry in national currencies.
The dollar has appreciated against emerging-market currencies since Russia invaded Ukraine and the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates to fight inflation in early 2022, making it more expensive to service dollar-denominated debt for those countries.
The NDB is also expanding and the summit may be just a key platform to attract more member countries. Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt joined the bank in 2021. Uruguay is part of the accession process, while Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia have expressed interest.
For now, there is agreement among the countries on more symbolic measures, albeit with a call, such as the creation of a new qualification formula for universities, for which, according to Moscow, the time has come.
The bloc’s divisions, if overcome, will recall the words of Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill, who coined the term BRIC in 2011:
“Apart from the creation of the BRICS bank. . . It’s hard to know what the organization has done besides meeting every year. “
Novinite remains the only Bulgarian media outlet to publish a summary of events and highlights similar to the conflict. Our policy began on the first day, 24. 02. 2022, and will not prevent until the war is over. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide their readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support!#rester informed
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