LONDON: In a recent intelligence update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the British Defence Ministry announced that Ukraine’s armed forces are achieving “gradual tactical advances” against Russia’s defensive line to the east of the town of Robotyne.
This development marks a significant shift in the ongoing conflict, where Ukraine has been facing Russian aggression for an extended period.
The update, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), also raised the possibility that Russia has redeployed forces from other areas of the front line to replace units that have been degraded near Robotyne. This move is believed to be impacting Russia’s ability to execute offensive operations in other frontline areas, effectively reducing their capacity. It is highly likely that this redeployment is indicative of mounting pressure on Russia’s defensive lines, especially in the vicinity of Robotyne.
Furthermore, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has made an interesting proposal aimed at improving diplomatic relations between Russia and the international community. Guterres conveyed in a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Russia would be eligible to apply for membership and access to the SWIFT banking system for specific transactions related to food and fertilizer. The Russian Agricultural Bank subsidiary in Luxembourg could potentially gain access to SWIFT within 30 days for international payments involving these commodities.
Guterres outlined four measures that the United Nations could facilitate to enhance Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports as part of an effort to persuade Moscow to rejoin the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative. This initiative had previously allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
One of Russia’s key demands in this context has been the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT system. It was cut off from SWIFT by the European Union in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of the preceding year.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded with skepticism to the U.N. chief’s proposals, stating that the promises made lacked any new elements and could not serve as a foundation for tangible progress in terms of restoring Russia’s agricultural exports to normal levels.
In a separate development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a significant claim regarding Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s involvement in the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the Wagner mercenary group. Prigozhin and his top lieutenants died in an unexplained plane crash last month. Zelenskyy did not provide concrete evidence to support this assertion but suggested that Putin had orchestrated the incident.
The fact that he killed Prigozhin — at least that’s the information we all have, not any other kind — that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak, Zelenskyy stated during a conference in Kyiv.
The Kremlin, on the other hand, has vowed to investigate all potential causes of the plane crash, including the possibility of foul play. It has vehemently denied the allegation that Putin ordered the deaths of Prigozhin and his associates, labelling it an “absolute lie.”
