Ukraine, there is no end in sight. Putin: advanced nuclear weapons, Zelensky announces “big news”

Two months after the plane crash in which the head of the Wagner group died, Russian President Vladimir Putin entrusted a close associate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrei Troshev, with the task of supervising the volunteer units to be sent to fight in Ukraine. . The mercenary group, according to Moscow’s message, now works for the Ministry of Defense: a concept that became clear when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, to a question on the subject, replied that Troshev already works in the Ministry of Defense . Putin also signed a decree on autumn conscription, which provides for military service for 130 thousand men, aged 18 to 27, who are not in reserve.

On the opposite front, however, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that “tomorrow there will be important news for Ukraine, for our warriors, for our entire state.” Kiev, he stressed, is “working to ensure that the coming weeks add strength to Ukraine, internal strength and the necessary cooperation with the world. So that the world hears us, understands us and supports us.”

Troshev, known by the nickname “Gray Hair”, is a retired army officer: he played a leading role in Wagner since its creation in 2014 and faced European Union sanctions for his role in Syria as the group’s executive director. Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was also present at the meeting between him and Putin, a sign that Wagner’s mercenaries are likely to be under the ministry’s command and an indication that the Kremlin’s plan is to relocate them. forward in Ukraine following its brief armed uprising of 23 and 24 June and the death of Prigozhin and the group’s leaders in the plane crash of 23 August.

The private army, which once numbered tens of thousands of soldiers, is a valuable asset that the Kremlin wants to exploit. According to London’s 007, hundreds of Wagner’s former fighters began moving to Ukraine to fight for the Russian army or pro-Russian private military companies. Wagner’s veterans would concentrate around Bakhmut, where their experience would be needed because they know the Ukrainian front line and tactics well after having fought there last winter.

Meanwhile, Moscow announced that it has tested a new missile for use in Ukraine. The vice-chairman of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, reported that he witnessed the testing of a new modern high-precision missile at the Kapustin Yar facility, stressing that it was developed specifically for use in the special military operation zone, an expression with that Moscow refers to the war in Ukraine. “Testing will continue,” Medvedev announced. Russia is working on creating “advanced nuclear weapons capable of maintaining strategic balance in the world”, Putin announced in a message to nuclear industry workers, in which he praised the work of the state-owned company Rosatom. A warning that comes just hours before the news that Moscow will increase defense spending in 2024

Source: IL Tempo

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