Russia Mobilises 300,000 Reservists

Britons facing the death penalty are released in a prisoner swap

September has been a surreal month as we enter the seventh month of the invasion in Ukraine, and Russia shows no signs of ending the ‘special military operation’. The UN General Assembly reconvenes, and there are criticisms of the UN Security Council, and how the UN has handled the conflict.

The world is bracing itself for a nuclear war, or a nuclear disaster and this is very real and is not scaremongering. When nuclear power plants are hit by missiles, this is a serious matter for the world.

As I write this, there have been a number of developments including a major prisoners swap of high profile prisoners, aided by the Saudi government. The UN General Assembly in the 77th session has seen a number of world leaders call for the UN to do more about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Criticisms have been made about the credibility of the Security Council and also that Russia has violated the charter of the UN and has not been punished, What is the point of having a charter and allowing states to breach the rules? The same goes for NATO

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The world reacts to Putin’s statement with Russians protesting, world leaders making more speeches, and the media warns that war is on the way.

Day 209 (20 September)

• Russia has banned men from leaving Crimea without permission. This is because they are going to force all males to fight in the war. In Donetsk, 500 factory workers have been mobilised, which means they will be forced to join Russian army troops to fight in the war against Ukraine.

  

• In Kherson, Ukrainian forces have sunk a Russian military barge in the Dnipro River that was trying to cross the Nova Kakhovka and Kozatske. The barge contained weapons and military personnel were also onboard. This is part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has surprised the Russians. The Ukrainian army has also destroyed five Russian drones and a Russian SU-25 jet aircraft, and a KH – 59 Ovod air to surface guided cruise missile

  

• In Germany, there has been support for the Russian Communist Party as far right groups visit occupied regions in eastern Ukraine, under the guise of allegedly wishing to see the humanitarian crisis for themselves. The Ukrainian see this as an act of support for Russia and also consider it a criminal offence. The Alternative for Germany party was due to visit Ukraine, but have since cancelled the visit due to criticism.

  

• Two former capital OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) members of staff have been sentenced to 13 years in jail in regions run by Russian separatists. The charges are for treason, and these are the members of staff that the OSCE left behind when they evacuated Ukraine in a hurry (ditching files and vehicles in Russia) after failing to provide intelligence that the Russian proxies had been advancing and that an invasion was imminent.

  

• In recently liberated Kozacha Lopan, a border village, fighting and attacks continue as Russia tries to hold on to areas they had invaded. Border territories are high on the list as it enable Russia to have a base to cross over into Ukraine easily.

• Bohdan Lvov, the Ukrainian deputy chairman of the Supreme Court has been accused of having Russian citizenship (he denies it) and for also issuing unlawful rulings, where he took part in extortion for these rulings with another official. The Supreme Court judges are gathering signatures to dismiss him. Ukrainian betrayal can be found in all corners of the government and infrastructure, and these have all lead to Russia been able to invade Ukraine so swiftly.

Day 210 (21 September)

• Putin has announced the partial military mobilisation of 300,000 Russian reservists. He has claimed this is necessary to ensure the safety and security of Russian territory. In an address to Russia, he has claimed that the West is trying to destroy Russia. This is the largest mobilisation since the Second World War, and has resulted in all flights out of Russia being fully booked as men seek to leave Russia to avoid being conscripted. Russia has also considered implementing a ban, preventing men from leaving Russia. This can be seen as Russia taking a step towards escalation in this war, and there should be a cause for concern because Putin is not seeking a peaceful resolution no is he interested in discussions either by this very action.

  In addition, Sergei Shogun, the Defence Minister has stated that:

  We are not just fighting with Ukraine but with the collective West.

  This can be considered an escalation of war, where Russia is declaring war against the West, and the UN really need to act before more people are killed. People have protested over the mobilisation announcement and there have been a number of arrests already. Students will be exempt from being called up, but direct flights to Turkey and Armenia have sold out. These destinations do not require Russians to have visas to enter, and other flights with stopovers have increased in price as people seek methods to avoid being called up.

  

  Latvia, Finland and Lithuania are countries that border Russia, and they have stated they will not offer refuge for Russians who seek to avoid being called up, and no special visas will be issued. Kaliningrad is in particular a concern as it shares a border with Lithuania and there might be in influx of men trying to escape.

  

• In occupied territories, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya, the threatened sham referendums have been earmarked to take place in the next few days (Friday 23 September). The West have naturally declared that they would be considered invalid, as Russian rushes to annex territory. This comes, despite other world theatres such as Erdogan claiming that Russia can seek a peaceful solution without Ukraine having to give up any land. It's clear that Erdogan, and other world leaders that believe a peaceful solution is possible, and that Russia will handover territory that they have occupied without a fight are being unrealistic.

  

  This is also a move so that Russia can mobilise citizens in the occupied territories and force them to fight against the Ukrainians. That is why the Ukrainian government has urged citizens to evacuate for their own safety, especially men of an age that can be drafted into the military.

  

• Putin has issued a threat to the west, claiming that:

  “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to defend Russia and our people, we will use all means we have this is not a bluff. The territorial integrity of a motherland, our independence and freedom will be secured, I repeat with all the means we have.”

  

  Putin has stated that this action is necessary to protect those in the recently ‘liberated lands.’ The decree has already been signed and mobilisation has already begun, leaving Russians that do not wish to fight little opportunity to escape and leave Russia

  

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• There has been false Russian propaganda on Russian state TV claiming that NATO troops are actively fighting the Russians in Ukraine. What the Russian media is doing is brainwashing again and failing to differentiate between volunteer foreign fighters versus actual NATO troops. This is in a bid to turn people against the West. NATO troops are not involved in any fighting in Ukraine have supplied some weapons to help Ukraine defend itself. The Russian propaganda further goes on to claim that NATO commanders are active in Ukraine. This is not true, and that is why Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in the UK and the US under the supervision of other countries.

• Zelenskyy has responded to the recent claims stating that Ukrainian intelligence has said that the mobilisation has been in place for a month already. He has also stated that Ukraine will continue with the liberation of occupied territories. In Luhansk, Ukrainian troops have destroyed another ammunition depot as the troops seek to liberate the area.

  

• The credibility of the UN Security Council comes under scrutiny as I have stated before because how can you have Russia as a permanent member of the Security Council when they are invading sovereign states? The Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida has called for a debate on how dysfunctional the Security Council is.

  

  Scholz of Germany also has stated that the Security Council needs to be reformed, and has made reference to China's poor human rights record and has suggested other member state support German their candidacy to be part of the Security Council as a permanent member. I would also add that there needs to be a way to remove members that violate or breach the rules, as the Russians have been allowed to invade Ukraine for seven months, and all they have bene given is some stern statements that they have ignored.

  As I have stated previously, this make the UN look like a joke and it has no credibility, and countries have only just realised this, or had the courage to say something at the 77th Session of UNGA (20-26 September 2022) that opened yesterday for the first day of high level debates.

  

• Some good news, 5 Britons have been released in a prisoner swap aided by Saudi Arabia. This included Aiden Aslin and probably Shaun Pinner who faced the death penalty. The transfer of the prisoners is being carried out by the Saudi Arabian government and among those being released are citizens from Croatia, Sweden, Morocco and the US. The Saudi government will then arrange for the prisoners of war to return to their own countries. This move arose due to mediation from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, and these swaps are relevant as the death sentence had been passed on a number of the captives. The details of the identities of the swap may never be released, but they must have been people that the Russians valued, but the important thing is that the prisoners of war have not been killed

  

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• Biden, like many other world leaders, has used their address at the UN General Assembly to highlight the inadequacies of the UN in handling the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has stated that the invasion breaches the UN Charter, something we have said since 24 February 2022. The question is why hasn’t the UN done anything proactive? This is why the UN exists, to prevent war in the first place

  

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  The USA wants to end this war on fair terms. But you cannot take the territory of another country by force. The only country standing in this way is Russia.

• China has also called for a ceasefire, through dialogue. I suspect that China is concerned about the economy after Covid-19 and cannot afford the effects of war.

  

• Ukraine has been capturing a number of Russian soldiers, or some may have chosen to surrender in order to save their lives. The Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk has stated that if they do not wish to be returned to Russia, they will not be exchanged in any prisoner swaps.