A day of war in a nutshell
Russia could mobilize a million fighters – Lavrov and Kuleba will clash
22/09/2022, 21:22
Russian mobilization is underway. In the West, there are doubts about the quality of future fighters. The Kremlin downplays the number of Russians fleeing the draft. The foreign ministers of the warring parties meet in the UN Security Council and the Union submits a request for the supply of tanks in the Bundestag. 211. War day in brief:
Dead during the shelling of the Donetsk separatist center
The debate over Russian mobilization has put the fighting in Ukraine on the back burner, but the fighting continues. Artillery fire has killed at least six people in the eastern Ukrainian separatist stronghold of Donetsk. Six others were injured, the head of the Donetsk city administration Alexei Kulemsin said in Telegram. The 48-year-old man blames the Ukrainian army for the shelling. The Ukrainian governor of the region, Oleksandr Starukh, on the other hand, accuses the Russian army of shelling the city of Zaporizhia in Telegram. However, it does not report any damage or casualties. In addition, the Ukrainian military claims to have shot down two unmanned Russian drones and a Mi-24 attack helicopter near the city of Kostroma. Kostromka is in the Kherson region, where Ukrainian troops recently launched a counteroffensive.
Russia is said to have summoned the arrested
The day after the announced partial mobilization continues to be the central issue surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The night before, people in many Russian cities took to the streets against the conscription of young men. There are more than a thousand arrested. According to some civil rights activists, some of those arrested received their draft documents at the police station.
The Americans and the British doubt the quality of the midfielders
There are serious doubts in the West about the effectiveness of the reservists called up by Russia. “Russia will likely have to deal with logistical and administrative problems even if it only musters 300,000 troops,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said, citing intelligence findings. However, the newly built units were “probably unable to fight for months”. The American think tank Institute for the Study of War also sounds similar. It says there are conflicting reports about how well Russian reservists are prepared for their partial mobilization deployment. Many of them are believed to be generally poorly educated and have received no refresher training.
Russia could call up a million fighters
However, there are also doubts about the number of reservists mentioned. The Internet portal of the “Novaya Gazeta” newspaper, which has since been closed in Russia, writes that President Vladimir Putin has given the Ministry of Defense a free hand to mobilize up to a million men. This is in point 7 of Putin’s Wednesday decree. This item was missing from the publication and was classified as “For Official Use Only”. The newspaper, which operates from exile, referred to alleged sources from the Russian presidential office in its report. The Kremlin immediately denied the report. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke about the lie, as reported by Russian agencies.
More Russians want to travel to Finland
There is also disagreement about whether or not many people left Russia, or at least attempted to do so. Russia’s presidential office has described reports of mass departures of Russian men from the country after partial mobilization as exaggerated. Already the day before, there were numerous reports of attempts by Russians to leave the country by plane or car. Therefore, desired destinations are Turkey, Finland and some former Soviet republics, which do not require a visa. Border traffic in southeastern Finland increased and was busier than usual, border guards in the region said. According to Matti Pitkäniitty, head of international affairs of the Finnish border guard, a total of 4,824 Russians crossed the border on Wednesday. On the same day last week, it was 3,133. The Border Guard had previously denied social media reports of 35 kilometers of traffic jams in front of the Russian-Finnish border.
EU states do not agree to accept Russian deserters
The European Commission is trying to find a common position among the member states on the issue of Russians leaving the country. However, Commission spokesman Peter Stano said EU countries must decide on Russians’ applications for entry on a case-by-case basis, taking into account fundamental rights and the right to asylum. Noting reports of increasing departures, Stano said half a million Russians had left their homes since the Russian invasion began in February. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has already rejected the request. Those who do not want to fulfill their obligations towards their own state do not yet meet the conditions for granting a humanitarian visa. Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin also expressed skepticism. “The will of the government is very clear, we believe that Russian tourism must be stopped, as well as transit through Finland,” she said. Your country is considering entry restrictions for Russian citizens.
Oil and diamonds could be sanctioned
Further sanctions against Russia as a result of the announced partial mobilization are also being prepared at the European level. The foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states agreed on this at an informal meeting on the sidelines of the UN Heads of State and Government Conference in New York. “We will explore new restrictive measures, we will adopt them,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the meeting. Sanctions could include a price cap on Russian oil. A diamond embargo is also being discussed, Brussels diplomats confirmed. However, the biggest source of uncertainty remains Hungary: According to a media report, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is demanding that all EU sanctions against Russia be lifted by the end of the year.
Lavrov and Kuleba face off at the UN Security Council
Elsewhere, not only Russia, but the country was discussed: in the UN Security Council. However, this turned out to be a little different than expected. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was initially late with his speech. He then made serious accusations against Ukraine, accusing the West of directly interfering in the war by providing arms and other support to Kiev. The Russian foreign minister disappeared again immediately after his speech and was represented by his deputy Sergei Vershinin for the rest of the time. This earned derision from his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba: “I also noticed today that Russian diplomats are fleeing just like Russian soldiers.” He accused Moscow of serious war crimes and warned that Russia could not win the war. The chief diplomats of the USA, Germany and other Western countries expressed themselves similarly. The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met for the first time since the start of the war at the most powerful UN body in New York.
The head of the IAEA is negotiating a protective zone around the Zaporoží nuclear power plant
Attempts are being made elsewhere to bring the two warring parties to the table. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has begun “genuine negotiations” with Russia and Ukraine to establish a buffer zone for the embattled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, according to director Rafael Grossi. Grossi told reporters in New York that he met the two foreign ministers on the sidelines of a general debate at the UN General Assembly. “The wheels are in motion.”
Germany nationalized gas importer SEFE
Germany also continues to struggle with the economic consequences of the Russian invasion. After the most important German gas importer Uniper was nationalized, Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) – formerly Gazprom Germania – is now also to be transferred to the state. The Berlin-based gas importer is a subsidiary of Gazprom and is already under federal administration.
The CDU wants to put pressure on the traffic lights of applications for the delivery of tankers
In the dispute over the supply of tanks to Ukraine, the Union is increasing the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the partial mobilization of Russia. The CDU and CSU are hoping for support from the traffic light coalition with their Bundestag application for the supply of battle tanks and armored personnel carriers. But Scholz and Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht have made it clear that they want to stick to the previous line when it comes to the delivery of heavy weapons. It remains true that Germany “does not go it alone” on the tank issue, Chancellor Scholz said the day before. The German government regularly points out that no NATO ally has yet delivered modern Western tanks to Ukraine. Green politician Anton Hofreiter contradicted himself in “RTL Direkt” in the evening. The traffic light government’s argument that it should not go alone is not correct: “Stoltenberg spoke, the American ambassador spoke.”
Other texts about the war in Ukraine:
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