In a rare moment of public vulnerability, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for his military to “show results” before the upcoming NATO summit that is being held July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The plea comes as some in Washington are growing weary of providing U.S. arms to Kyiv if its military is incapable of making advances.
A week after Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin fled to Minsk after leading a short-lived mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Poland has begun bolstering its defenses along its border with Belarus where the Polish government will be deploying an additional 500 counterterrorism police. Both Poland and Ukraine have voiced growing concerns over the past week that Wagner might have established bases in Belarus and Kyiv has also announced that it will be strengthening its military positions along its northern border.
Days after Wagner’s short-lived mutiny in southern Russia as the group of mercenaries marched toward Moscow, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Lithuania, “I think what we’re seeing in Russia over the last days demonstrates the fragility of the [Russian] regime, and, of course, it is a demonstration of weakness.”
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 5-year term is set to end in 2024, he told BBC last week that there will not be a Ukrainian presidential election in 2024 if the country is still under martial law due to Russia’s war in the country. The Ukrainian leader said that both the 2024 presidential election and the parliamentary elections, which are supposed to be held this October, will be extended indefinitely.
According to a U.S. military official, Ukrainian forces have lost more than 15 percent of the Bradley fighting vehicles the U.S. has provided to Kyiv. Many of the vehicles have been destroyed as Ukraine began its counteroffensive about three weeks ago amid heavy minefields laid by Russian troops and other difficult resistance.
On Tuesday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that Wagner head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had arrived in Belarus 3 days after he led an armed rebellion against Russia’s defense ministry.
According to the AFP, Russians in some large cities have reported mixed emotions such as “sympathy” and “relief” after the head of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mounted a short-lived armed rebellion that made its way halfway to Moscow from the Rostov region on Saturday before Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko mediated a ceasefire between Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While the armed rebellion launched by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, came as a surprise for most of the world over the weekend, U.S. intelligence officials knew of the plot and briefed Congress on the situation days ahead of Saturday’s mutiny after intelligence officials reportedly observed Wagner fighters mustering forces and gathering weapons.
In new remarks on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an update on the status of Moscow’s hypersonic and nuclear arsenal saying, “About half of the units of Russia’s Strategic Missile Force have been equipped with the latest Yars missile systems and are being rearmed with modern Avangard warheads.”
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he has signed a new law that bans Russian books and publications in Ukraine. It is yet another blow to free speech in the name of war.