Afghan special forces trained through U. S. troops are now being recruited through the Russian military to fight in Ukraine, three former Afghan generals told The Associated Press.
They said the Russians tried to lure thousands of ex-commandos with offers of normal bills of $1,500 a month and promises of shelter to avoid deportation to what could simply be death at the hands of the Taliban. Many commandos fled to Iran after the chaos. U. S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year.
Gen. Abdul Raof Arghandiwal said he had reached out to a dozen commandos in Iran who need to fight Ukraine but are concerned about deportation for themselves and their families.
“They ask me, ‘Give me a solution?’ Arghandiwal said. “If we go back to Afghanistan, the Taliban will kill us. “
‘BLACKMAILING THE WORLD HUNGRY’: Zelenskyy sidelines Russia for postponing grain deal with Ukraine: updates
Other developments:
►The Ukrainian football federation has suggested to FIFA that it withdraw Iran from the World Cup next month for reasons such as supplying weapons to the Russian military. Iran will face England in 3 weeks’ time in their first meeting in Qatar.
Norway says it is stepping up army readiness, but NATO Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre says there is no explanation for why “Russia will have to invade Norway or any other country directly. “
Czech Prime Minister Petr Filala and many senior members of his government arrived in Kyiv on Monday as part of EU leaders’ latest display for Ukraine.
Russia on Monday defended its resolve to suspend a grain deal with Ukraine, accusing the Black Sea Hall country of shipping grain to global markets “for military and sabotage purposes. “
Vasily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, accused Ukraine, with the West, of carrying out “massive air and sea strikes” against Russia’s Black Sea fleet and infrastructure in Sevastopol in the early morning hours of October 29, “under the canopy. “of the Humanitarian Cereal Corridor.
Ukraine has denied the attack, accusing Russia of mishandling its weapons.
The grain agreement negotiated by the United Nations, signed in July, promises the export of Ukrainian grain to the Black Sea. The agreement, which will be renewed on Nov. 19, has cut global food costs by 15% from its March peak, according to the UN.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it would close the deal on Saturday. On Monday, wheat futures rose 5% in Chicago.
Russia launched a major attack on Ukrainian infrastructure in Monday morning rush hour for the third time this month, prompting travelers to rush to seek protection and paralyzing basic facilities for thousands of Ukrainians.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on social media that initially, 80 percent of the battered capital was without water and part of the city had no electricity. At nightfall, running water was returned to almost a part of those who had lost it and forced the cuts. The city caused a power outage for 4 hours and then for five hours.
Providing air defense systems to prevent such attacks has very sensible precedence for the Pentagon, two senior Pentagon officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said Monday. missiles to more complicated medium-range systems. The Russians are increasingly relying on suicide drones provided by Iran to launch attacks on power plants.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 44 Russian missiles on Monday morning, but movements in missile and drone infrastructure were also reported in Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia and several other regions. The government will introduce emergency force cuts in Ukraine, according to President Kyrylo Tymoshenko’s deputy chief.
Thousands of Russian recruits are coming to the front with weapons that “are in slightly usable condition” and require different ammunition than normal Russian army troops use, Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its latest assessment of the war. The images imply that the rifles are AKMs, dating back to 1959.
The integration of reservists with contracted infantrymen and veterans in Ukraine will mean Russia will have to bring two small arms ammunition units to frontline positions, the ministry said.
“This is very likely to further complicate Russia’s already strained logistics systems,” the assessment said.
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The assets of several major Ukrainian corporations will be seized through the Moscow-based government in Crimea, said Sergey Aksyonov, the Russia-based leader. The Zaliv shipyard in Ukraine and a cement plant in Bakhchysarai are among the sites that will be taken, The Kyiv Independent reports. Other advertisements and tourist services, as well as apartments and houses, may be targeted, adding houses owned by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Aksyonov said.
“Russia’s enemies will make money in Crimea, this is a principled position,” Aksyonov said on Telegram.
Contributor: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY; The Associated Press