US hosts air defence meeting today after Polish missile strike
Russian missiles land in NATO member Poland killing two
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Ukraine has “huge numbers of agents” embedded in the Russia’s war machine, a senior defence official has said. And, speaking before a fatal explosion in Poland which killed two people, Oleksii Reznikov claimed operatives have discovered Vladimir Putin opted to launch multiple missile strikes on his country to send a signal prior to a crucial meeting of Western defence staff.
Mr Reznikov tweeted: “Declassified! Huge number of Ukrainian agents work in Russian MoD and general staff.
“They, traditionally, initiate missile terror just before #Ramstein meetings – where we find solutions for our security&defence.
“#Ramstein 7 will be held tomorrow…Stay tuned!”
The Pentagon last week confirmed next week’s seventh meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will be held in the so-called Ramstein format, named after Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Poland has said it was considering calling for emergency consultations under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which provides for such talks if one of the 30 allies considers that its territory might be under threat. But Wednesday’s meeting did not appear to be Article 4 consultations.
BLOG IS NOW CLOSED, READ THE NIGHTLY COVERAGE BELOW
KEY EVENTS
Blog is now closed
Good morning, and thank you for reading the Express nightly coverage for Ukraine.
The blog is now closed, but a new live blog to bring you updates will be open later today.
President Zelensky says Ukraine is not to blame for Polish missile
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he had “no doubts” that Ukraine was not to blame for the missile strike that killed two people in Poland on Tuesday.
He said he had spoken with his top commanders and was assured “it wasn’t our missile”.
President Zelensky has also called for Ukraine to be allowed access to the investigation accruing and the area the missile struck.
It comes at a time NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine’s air defence missiles were “most likely” to blame
US President Joe Biden disputes Ukraine leader Zelensky over Poland missile
US President Joe Biden on Thursday disputed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that a missile that landed in Poland on Tuesday, causing a blast that killed two people.
“That’s not the evidence,” Biden told reporters at the White House upon returning from a trip to Asia.
Explosions reported in Crimea
The Ukrainian media is currently reporting explosions at a what appears to be a Russian airfield.
In 2014, Russia was condemned worldwide after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Rishi Sunak blames Vladimir Putin for destabilising the world economy
Prime Minister said Vladimir Putin was to blame for causing a “cruel and unrelenting” war that has affected economies across the world.
He also called on NATO for “a full investigation into the circumstances behind missiles falling in Poland yesterday”.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Ukraine’s President Zelensky and said afterwards: “whatever the outcome of that investigation [into the explosion in Poland], Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is squarely to blame for the ongoing violence”.
US Chief Spy meets Polish President
Polish president, Andrzej Duda, met with US central intelligence agency (CIA) director William Burns in Warsaw, Poland.
The Secretary of State of Poland, Jacek Siewiera, said on social media:
“In the evening, president Andrzej Duda talked with the head of the CIA, William Burns, who is in Warsaw after his visits to Ankara and Kiev.
The conversation concerned the general security situation, the context of recent events appeared. Lots of work on the PL-US line today.”
Billionaire Andrew Forrest launches $25bn fund for reconstruction in Ukraine
Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has launched a fund worth at least $25bn (£21bn) to help rebuild war-torn Ukraine.
The billionaire has committed $500 million to the fund but organisations have said it could eventually grow to $100 billion.
President Zalensky thanked Mr Forrest.
The Ukraine leader said: “We will take advantage of the fact that what the Russians have destroyed can readily be replaced with the latest, most modern green and digital infrastructure.”
Russian economy in freefall as it officially enters recession in nightmare for Putin
Russia has entered a recession as its GDP fell by 4 percent in the third quarter of the year, according to a statistics agency.
The Russian economy has suffered a massive drop in trade after pro-Ukraine powers enacted sweeping and devastating sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
It was also dealt a blow after hundreds of thousands of Russians – many believed to be high-skilled workers – fled the country after Putin announced a partial mobilisation in response to heavy losses in Ukraine.
According to figures published by Rossat, Russia’s economy contracted by 4.1 percent in the second quarter of this year, before levelling off at a steady 4 percent compared with the previous year.
READ MORE
Chances of full Ukrainian victory ‘not high’ but peace is possible, US General says
Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that Russia was still a military threat despite recent setbacks.
The United States’ top General has played down the odds of any short term Ukraine military victory, warning that Russia still had significant combat power.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it is unlikely that Kyiv can force Moscow out of all the territory that it currently occupies in a Pentagon Press conference.
READ MORE
NATO row breaks out as Zelensky savaged for ‘destructive lies’ over Poland missile
NATO and Ukraine found themselves at odds at an urgent meeting on Wednesday, it has been revealed, as Volodymyr Zelensky said he had “no doubt” a missile that killed two people after landing in Poland near the Ukrainian border was not of Ukrainian origin.
NATO, Warsaw and the US all said they believed the missile was “likely” fired by Ukraine in order to defend themselves against Russian missiles, with the alliance’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg making clear that it was “not Ukraine’s fault”, as the firing of the missile was “the direct result” of Putin’s invasion of the country.
But Mr Zelensky would not budge on the issue, insisting that a report he received from the incident left him certain that it was “not our missile or our missile strike”.
His statements have reportedly irked at least one Kyiv-based diplomat from a NATO country, who told the Financial Times: “This is getting ridiculous. The Ukrainians are destroying [our] confidence in them. Nobody is blaming Ukraine and they are openly lying. This is more destructive than the missile.”
READ MORE
‘They were good people’: Two men killed by a Poland missile strike identified
The two polish men were farm workers Bogdan Ciupek, age 60, and Bogusaw Wos, age 62.
Mr Ciupek worked as a tractor driver and lived in the nearby village of Setniki while Mr Wos was a foreman at a grain warehouse where he worked for nearly 40 years.
The two men were killed around 3:40pm local time when an S-300 rocket fell on the Polish village of Przewodów, near the Ukrainian border.
Locals residents in Przewodów reported hearing “strange whistles” as the missile flew above them in the sky and then heard a “massive explosion, about a thousand decibels” as it landed.
READ MORE
Putin facing ‘some serious problems inside Russia’ over growing internal pressure
Vladimir Putin is grappling with growing internal pressure as Russian citizens are growing conscious of the Russian Army’s repeated defeats on the battlefield, a former NATO Ambassador said.
Former NATO ambassador Kurt Volker said the latest wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine is the most recent sign Vladimir Putin is under growing pressure in Russia.
His forces’ repeated failures and retreats from the battleground signal Russia have been met with nationwide counterattacks on Ukraine, with missiles raining down on major Ukrainian cities. Russian citizens are growing aware of the reality of the war despite the Kremlin’s war propaganda, Mr Volker said, suggesting Putin’s position is becoming untenable.
READ MORE
Russia caused ‘diversion’ for West as it launched 85 cruise missiles on Ukraine
Russia has caused a “diversion” for the West by raising the issue of two missiles in Poland on the same day it launched 85 cruise missiles on Ukraine, an expert has said.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Poland was hit by two Russia-produced missiles that killed two people. However, later Poland President and US President Joe Biden held back from linking the attack with the Kremlin.
Ukraine expert Igor Sushko tweeted: “Kremlin is full of glee to see people in the West tearing each other apart bickering over whether it was a Russian missile or Ukrainian air-defence missile that killed two civilians in a NATO country on the day Russia launched 85 cruise missiles.
“It’s a diversion – Russia caused it.”
Shock footage shows relentless Russian missile launch in most aggressive attack yet
Footage shared by Ukraine’s Defence Ministry shows the country’s military shooting down Russian cruise missiles.
In the clip, shared on Twitter, Ukrainian soldiers can be seen cheering as they shot down Russian missiles. Ukraine shot down 73 cruise missiles on Tuesday as Russia launched a fresh missile attack across the country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the planned attack targeted energy infrastructure and shut down power in many cities.
He said: “We’re working, will restore everything. We will survive everything.”
Ukraine: Zelensky's 'holding out for total victory' says Krushelnycky
Missile strike “probably an accident”, says Polish President
A missile that hit a Polish village close to the Ukrainian border was probably fired by Ukrainian forces defending against a Russian missile onslaught, Poland’s president has said.
Andrzej Duda said the hit, which killed two people on Tuesday evening, was not an attack on his country by Russia and there is a “high probability” Ukrainian defence forces were involved.
Earlier, Rishi Sunak, attending the G20 summit in Bali, joined other western leaders in condemning Moscow’s latest barrage against Ukraine’s infrastructure, which they said was the ultimate cause of the blast.
Mr Duda said: “We have no proof at this point to suggest the missile was fired by the Russian side.
“Ukraine’s defence was launching their missiles in various directions and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory.”
NATO “constantly assessing” its presence in the east, says Stoltenberg
Asked if Nato would be providing more air defence on the eastern border after the incident in Poland, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: “We are constantly assessing our presence in the eastern part of the alliance.
“We have significantly increased our presence on land and sea and in the air and that has significantly increased our air defence capabilities, especially in the eastern part of the alliance.
“At the same time, we have no indication that this incident was a result of a deliberate attack on Nato territory and we have no indications that Russia is planning offensive military actions against Nato allies.
“I think this demonstrates the dangers connected to the ongoing war in Ukraine but hasn’t changed our fundamental assessment of the threat against Nato allies.”
‘Russia bears ultimate responsibility,’ says NATO chief
Speaking after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said there was no indication Russia was preparing military action against Nato members.
He said: “We have no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack.
“I have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military action against Nato.
“Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks.
“But let me be clear, this is not Ukraine’s fault.
“Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Kremlin praises Biden’s “restraint”
The Kremlin is offering rare praise for the United States, applauding President Joe Biden’s “restrained” reaction to reports about a Russian-made missile landing in Poland.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday dismissed much of the reaction to the missile hit as “hysterical, frenzied”.
NATO allies are investigating how and why a missile that Poland said was Russian-made came down in Polish farmland, killing two, on Tuesday, amid a large-scale bombardment of Ukraine targets by Moscow’s forces.
Biden said it was “unlikely” that Russia fired the missile but added: “We’ll see.”
Russian pundits rattled over fears of potential uprising amid growing popular discontent
A Russian talk show guest has warned of a potential revolt in Russia and compared the country’s current state to the run-up to the 1917 revolution which toppled the Tzar.
The pundit told fellow panellists on state television that the Russian public needed to be prepared for a “long and difficult” war over Ukraine and warned that during World War I in 1916 the Tsar had mistakenly thought that public support for the conflict was endless.
The pundit said: “In August of 1914, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov also thought it was endless. He thought the war would end by Christmas.
“Everybody thought so, not one world war started as a world war. Everybody thought it would end quickly, by Christmas. They will march on Paris, we will march on Berlin.
He added: “They’re already preparing their society for a long war.
“A long difficult war that they intend to win. We should start preparing our society for a long difficult war.
“Not for a victory march, not for quick victories but precisely for a long difficult war.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
“Russia is losing, Ukraine is winning”, says Ellwood
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of Parliament’s defence committee, has said Russia is losing its war on Ukraine – but warned Vladimir Putin’s missile strikes prove the conflict is far from over.
Mr Ellwood, who is currently visiting the Ukrainian port of Odesa, tweeted that he was “delighted…to catch up with my old friend Gennadiy Trukhanov – Mayor of Odesa.
“Ukraine is winning. Russia is losing.
“But as today’s missile attacks proves -it’s far from over & not the time to be striking any deals.”
G20 condemns Russia’s war on Ukraine
Members of the Group of 20 leading economies ended their summit Wednesday with a declaration of firm condemnation of the war in Ukraine and a warning that the conflict is making an already delicate world economy worse.
The summit’s closing statement was noteworthy because world leaders managed to highlight a denunciation of the war despite the divisions among the group, which includes not only Russia but also countries such as China and India that have significant trade ties with Moscow and have stopped short of outright criticism of the war.
The statement said: “Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy.”
The use of the words “most members” was a telling sign of the divisions, as was an acknowledgement that “there were other views and different assessments” and that the G-20 is “not the forum to resolve security issues.”
Even so, the statement’s use of language from a March UN resolution that deplored “in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” and demanded “its complete and unconditional withdrawal” from Ukrainian territory was a “big breakthrough,” according to John Kirton, director of the G20 Research Group.
Putin facing ‘some serious problems inside Russia’ over growing internal pressure
Former NATO ambassador Kurt Volker said the latest wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine is the most recent sign Vladimir Putin is under growing pressure in Russia.
His forces’ repeated failures and retreats from the battleground signal Russia have been met with nationwide counterattacks on Ukraine, with missiles raining down on major Ukrainian cities.
Russian citizens are growing aware of the reality of the war despite the Kremlin’s war propaganda, Mr Volker said, suggesting Putin’s position is becoming untenable.
Mr Volker told CNN: “I think Putin is facing some serious problems inside Russia, where everyone knows that his war against Ukraine is failing and is deeply damaging to Russia, both militarily and economically.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Russia ‘seeking medium-long range missiles from Iran’ as Moscow ‘running out’ of weapons
Russia is now seeking precision medium long-range missiles from its ally Iran, a military expert has said.
Robert Fox, defence editor of the Evening Standard, also discussed the Russian bombardment of Lviv and explained that the missiles used were likely to have been launched from Russia, and some may have also been air-launched by Russian bombers over the Caspian Sea.
Mr Fox warned that a threat was posed by precision missiles becoming unprecise as they could hit the wrong target.
He told GB New: “We’ve had from a defence briefing that Russia is running out of its own precision weapons.
“And is now seeking medium long-range missiles from Iran.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Sunak accuses Putin of “utter contempt”
Rishi Sunak has accused Russia’s President Vladimir Putin of showing “utter contempt” for the international order as Western leaders vowed to establish how a missile came to hit a Polish village close to the Ukrainian border.
Speaking at the end of the G20 summit in Bali, the Prime Minister said there were already teams on the ground trying to work out what happened, amid reports it may have been a Ukrainian missile fired in defence against a Russia attack.
However, Mr Sunak stressed that the incident took place against a barrage of more than 80 Russian missiles launched against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
“That was happening at a time when the G20 was gathered trying to find resolution to some of the world’s challenges and the same time Putin was raining down indiscriminately that volume of missile attack,” he said.
“I think it shows utter contempt for the international rules-based system.”
Swathes of Ukraine without power after Russian bombardment, said grid operator
Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator says power will be out across large areas of Ukraine on Wednesday after Russia’s biggest bombardment of the country’s energy infrastructure in the nearly nine-month war.
Ukrenergo said the outages will be both scheduled and unannounced, due to emergency work being carried out.
Russia fired over 90 missiles and over 10 attack drones at Ukraine on Tuesday, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Ukrainian forces shot down 77 missiles and 11 drones, it said.
The Ukrainian energy minister said the attack was “the most massive” bombardment of power facilities in the nearly 9-month-old invasion, striking both power generation and transmission systems.
Ukraine’s presidential office says at least six civilians were killed on by the Russian attacks and another 17 were wounded.
US hosts defence meeting today as Russian spies hand over missile secrets
Ukraine has “huge numbers of agents” embedded in the Russia’s war machine, a senior defence official has said.
And, speaking before a fatal explosion in Poland which killed two people, Oleksii Reznikov claimed operatives have discovered Vladimir Putin opted to launch multiple missile strikes on his country to send a signal prior to a crucial meeting of Western defence staff.
Mr Reznikov tweeted: “Declassified! Huge number of Ukrainian agents work in Russian MoD and general staff.
“They, traditionally, initiate missile terror just before #Ramstein meetings – where we find solutions for our security&defence. #Ramstein 7 will be held tomorrow…Stay tuned!”
Erdogan delivers brutal G20 slapdown to ‘unimportant’ Biden after Poland missile strike
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has snubbed Joe Biden after the US meeting called by the US President to discuss yesterday’s deadly missile strikes on Poland.
Details are still emerging following yesterday’s explosions, with Warsaw saying a Russian-made missile fell in the country’s east, killing two people.
Mr Biden had invited leaders from other NATO countries to discuss the alarming development at the G20 summit in Bali.
However, when asked why he had opted to skip the talks, Turkish President Mr Erdogan, who had met with Mr Biden earlier, did not mince his words, saying: “We are not obliged to attend unimportant meetings.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Source: Read Full Article