Leaks Suggest Allied Special Forces Have Been In Ukraine
Videos allegedly showing Russians executing Ukrainian. soldiers have bene shared on social media
The leaks are still a difficult subject to broach because they are believable. NATO has denied that they have had any presence in Ukraine bar providing weapons, but they can’t publicly disclose the fact if some personnel were in Ukraine as that would lead to escalation. The Russians need any excuse to try and gain support from other countries, and this could be it.
A video of an alleged beheading of a Ukrainian soldier by Russians filmed last year has surfaced on Telegram. Things really can’t get much worse in terms of prosecuting war crimes, and Zelenskyy has urged world leaders to reconsider their requests for jets in light of the recent videos released. While they have not been confirmed, the Kremlin has said they are horrific but are unverified.
Day 412 (11 April)
Some leaked documents suggest that Egypt had planned to supply Russia with rockets and ammunition.
Russia has been using gliding bombs which can travel up to 72 km, meaning that Ukrainian defences have no means to intercept them.
The German Interior Minister (Nancy Faeser) has said that Germany would ban Russian athletes entering the country if international events permitted them to compete.
Discussions on providing Ukraine with jets continues, and Denmark has said the decision should be made before summer, but it must be the decision of all the allies involved.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto arrived in Moscow and signed an agreement with Gazprom to supply Hungary with energy. Hungary is a member of NATO and the EU but who has refused to impose sanctions against Russia wherever possible and continues to trade with them.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visits Canada to discuss further cooperation in providing aid to Ukraine.
100 more PoW have been returned to Ukraine.
The recent leaked documents suggest there special forces have had a presence in Ukraine. The UK has 50, Latvia, 17, France, 15, the US 14 and the Netherlands one. This has not been confirmed, but it had been quietly suspected hence how intelligence has been gathered.
Day 413 (12 April)
Videos of Russian executing Ukrainian soldiers have been shared by a pro-Kremlin blogger on Telegram. While the videos have not been verified it is possible that such acts took place given that we have seen executions of civilians in Bucha and other regions in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has condemned the acts and has urged countries who are on the fence to reconsider supporting Ukraine, and for the allies to realise that Russia will not stop their acts of aggression.
The leaked documents saga continues where US intelligence suggests 90 special forces units from NATO countries had been deployed to Ukraine. To be honest, that is possible and probable, yet it is not information that should be admitted to while the war is on, for that is the nature of gathering intelligence in that it is covert.
The European Parliament has held a joint session today with the Ukrainian Verhkovna Rada to discuss Ukraine’s ascension to the EU and how to address issues such as the economy, anti-corruption measures and legislation to bring Ukrainian law in line with the EU.
The European Network of National Human Rights has expelled Russia from the organisation. This is hardly a surprise and I doubt the Kremlin cares about such matters since it has violated so many elements of the Human Rights charter.
The next Ramstein meeting for the allies will be on 21 April 2023. This will be the 11th meeting and the issue of jets will be on the agenda no doubt.
It comes as no surprise that Russia has already violated the Black Sea Grain initiative by blocking inspections of grain that were meant to leave Ukraine. Russia had agreed to extend the initiative, but they have violated it before and still operate on their terms and the UN has no power to do anything to reprimand them.
The Polish Prime Minister has exercised a warning to countries that seek to cooperate with China, pointing at Macron.
Some western leaders dream of cooperation with everyone, including Russia and the Far East. We warn against this and propose strategic partnership with the US. (Mateusz Morawiecki Prime Minister of Poland.)
Ukrainian airspace (Ukraerorukh) will be closed until 2029 and will reopen after the war has ended
Reports indicate that Iran has been negotiating with China and Russia to supply the country with ammonium perchlorate, a chemical used to propel missiles.
The battle of Bakhmut continues and reports claim that Russian controls 76.5% of Bakhmut, mainly due to the Wagner group
Russia has built a 120km defence line along Zaporizhzia as they expect the Ukrainian counteroffensive to occur in the region to try and cut off the land bridge to Crimea.
Reports state that there is a rehabilitation centre for Ukrainian soldiers to heal before they return to war.
I watched on TV as Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau met yesterday with the P.M. of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, and announced Canada will provide additional military aid to Ukraine and disbursed at $2.4 billion loan to Ukraine to support essential services. Both leaders focused on efforts to rebuild Ukraine.