The Latvian parliament issued a statement the day before (11) condemning Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism” and its invasion of Ukraine as “targeted genocide”. And called on Western allies to impose more comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. Today (12th), the head of the North American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Darchiyev, warned the United States that if the United States declares Russia a “state sponsoring terrorism”, the diplomatic relations between the two countries will be severely damaged and even broken.
After Russia launched a war of aggression against Ukraine, the Ukrainian people were devastated and displaced. The Ukrainian government called on the world to list Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Russia’s Tass news agency reported that Alexander Darchiyev, the head of the North American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said today that if the U.S. Senate passes the Russia-specific proposal as planned, it will mean Washington has crossed an irreversible line. , so that U.S.-Russian relations have fallen into an irreversible situation.
According to the report, Darciyev said that Russia has warned the United States about this. He also threatened that if the bill is passed, it will “inflict the most serious collateral damage to bilateral diplomatic relations, to the point of de-escalation or even rupture”.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal visited Kyiv last month to discuss with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. State Sponsors of Terrorism). They issued a joint statement that the bill would put Russia in the same category as Iran, Syria and North Korea, and argued that the bill would have near-unanimous support in the Senate.
Zelensky will extend martial law and mobilization order again and not give up counterattack
Ukrainian state news agency reported that the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted to his parliament a draft decree to extend martial law and general mobilization orders again. The 90-day martial law that Zelensky had previously extended will expire on the 23rd.
At present, Zelensky has not released the text of the draft decree and accompanying documents to the public.
Crimea base explosion in the UK: weakening the aviation power of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet
The British Ministry of Defence said today (12th) that an explosion at the Saki Airport operated by Russia in the western part of the Crimean Peninsula on the 9th destroyed at least eight fighter jets and will significantly weaken the aviation capabilities of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
Reuters reported that the British Ministry of Defense pointed out that although the jets damaged in the explosion accounted for only a small part of the overall Russian fleet, because Saki Airport (Saki) is the main operating base of the Russian army, Russia’s combat power in the Black Sea will be reduced. Affected. But events will prompt the Russian military to revise its view of regional threats.
The base’s airfield may still be operational, but its evacuation zone has been severely damaged, according to regular intelligence bulletins posted by the Ministry of Defence on Twitter.
The United States revealed that the Russian army suffered heavy casualties and was unable to capture Udong this year
The New York Times reported on the 11th that U.S. intelligence and military officials estimated that the casualty rate of Russian troops in the Ukraine war was staggeringly high, with an average of 500 people killed or injured every day. Biden administration officials and military experts believe that this means that Russia’s efforts in the Ukrainian war have fallen into a quagmire, and Russian President Vladimir Putin may not achieve his main strategic goal of winning the entire Ukrainian region this year.
The report also said that the U.S.-supplied Haimas multi-tube rocket system has arrived in Ukraine, further hindering the Russian army’s offensive in eastern Ukraine, allowing the Ukrainian army to regain some territory and making it more difficult for the Russian army to advance.
U.S. military officials pointed out that the Russian army took the Udong Luhansk region earlier this summer but stalled in neighboring Donetsk, in large part because of heavy casualties. U.S. Defense Secretary Carr told the media on the 8th that in less than 6 months of war, the Russian army may have suffered 70,000 to 80,000 casualties; because the Ukrainian army has performed well and received various assistance, the Russian army has passed Weeks have paid a huge price for little progress in Udon.
Two U.S. officials pointed out that about 20,000 people may have been killed in the U.S. estimate of Russian losses; one of the 20,000 officials said that 5,000 of the 20,000 people are believed to be Russian civilians related to Putin. Mercenaries and foreign fighters of the military organization “Wagner Group”.
U.S. officials said the U.S. estimated the number of Russian casualties based on satellite imagery, intercepted communications, social media and media reports on the scene. The Russian authorities have classified this as a state secret. Official media rarely mention the deaths of officers and soldiers in their reports. Only in March this year, it said that 1,351 Russian troops were killed. However, at the same time, the United States estimated that the death toll of Russian troops was nearly 5,000. The Ukrainian army also suffered heavy casualties. Although the Ukrainian government has not disclosed the relevant number, it has stated that 100 to 200 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that the Russian army has invested as much as 85% of its field forces into the Ukrainian-Russian war, making it difficult to mobilize enough combat forces to take Donetsk.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hastily deleted a post on social media stating that Kazakhstan was the next Ukraine. It has sparked discussions about whether Moscow will again attack its neighbors. Scholars have pointed out that it is impossible to predict Russia’s foreign policy with rational standards; however, the development paths of the two countries have gradually diverged. Whether Russia is willing to let its ally Kazakh go its own way has made the outside world highly doubtful.
Temur Umarov, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, pointed out in an article on the 10th that McVidev’s remarks reflect the Russian hawkish mentality.
Ma Temu said that Kazakhstan is generally regarded as Russia’s closest ally after Belarus. Kazakhs continue to participate in all Russian integration programmes, such as the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which cooperates with Russia in defence. In addition, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also relied on the Kremlin to stay in power after the violent clashes in Kazakhstan in January.
But after the Russian-Ukrainian war, Kazakhs felt that their mouths were dead, and they joined the camp of Western sanctions against Russia. They not only provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, but also maintained contacts with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Tokayev even publicly refused to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, which were established by themselves and supported by Russia at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June. Considered by many Russians unworthy of being an ally.
Ma Tiemu also pointed out that the economic differences between the two sides seem to have emerged. Kazakhs did not immediately assist Russian companies to bypass Western sanctions, but also welcomed companies that left Russia with open arms. Russia is unlikely to be happy with this situation. Kazakh’s main source of revenue, oil and natural gas exports account for more than 40% of Kazakh’s revenue, and 80% of the oil is exported through Russia from the “Caspian Pipeline Consortium” (CPC). Therefore, when Kazakh oil was blocked when it was exported through Russia, many people wondered whether it was Russia’s retaliation.
Kazakhstan is currently building a freer market economy and friendly relations with Western countries. Reuters reported today, citing three people familiar with the matter, that Kazakh is expected to start exporting some of its crude through Azerbaijan’s largest pipeline from September. From next year, Kazakhstan will also export 3.5 million tons of crude oil through another pipeline. However, the export volume of the diversion is far less than the “Caspian oil pipeline”.
Kazakhs have many weaknesses. A series of products such as edible oil, sugar and milk in Kazakhstan are highly dependent on imports from Russia. Russia is also a major source of petrochemicals, iron, fertilizers and auto parts for Kazakhstan. More than half of Kazakh exports go through Russia. Taking the alternative route is more expensive, Ma Tiemu said.
However, he believes that the development paths of Russia and Kazakhstan will become more and more divergent and will generate more friction. Whether Russia is willing to let Kazakhstan continue on its own path without retaliation has aroused high suspicion from the outside world. Medvedev said that after the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia may turn its attention to Kazakhstan.
The Russian-Ukrainian war lasted for nearly half a year and was already at a stalemate. Faced with internal doubts, Russia began to follow the example of the Soviet Union and launched a series of compulsory “patriotic education”. French media reported that teachers who were unwilling to instill patriotism lost their jobs, were forced to leave their homes, and some were even reported and sentenced.
Vladimir Putin signed a bill in July to encourage children to join the new patriotic youth movement, led by the president himself; it is rumored that teachers will be forced to teach patriotism lessons when school starts in September.
The French newspaper Le Figaro published a follow-up report on the 11th, interviewing a number of Russian teachers, some of whom lost their jobs and were forced to leave their homes for refusing to promote “patriotic ideas”, and some teachers were sentenced for this.
Tatiana Chadrina, 48, who teaches mathematics at a secondary school in a town around Moscow, revealed that as soon as the Russian-Ukrainian war started at the end of February, the academic affairs team started to prepare new teaching materials for “special operations”. The most important message is: “Love for the motherland and how beautiful it is to be willing to sacrifice for the motherland.” She did not want her 7-year-old child to accept this, so she had to leave.
The textbook “Patriotic Lessons” obtained by Le Figaro praised Iran, Cuba and other countries that criticized Western sanctions, and also taught the importance of unity and patriotism, emphasizing that Russia is better than Westerners.
Russian teacher Svetlana said she was “disgusted” by the use of war as a tool. She received several tickets for many anti-Russian-Ukrainian war posts, and pressure from the Ministry of Education was mounting. He even threatened to launch a criminal investigation against her for “defaming the Russian army”. Sverana fled and now lives in Central Asia.
Daniil Ken, director of the Union of Teachers, a union founded with the help of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said it had received hundreds of teachers seeking help. Because we live on a miserable salary from the state, we know that many people are dissatisfied with the situation.”
Dozens of teachers lost their jobs for criticizing Russian aggression and even made it to the local media. In one case, an English teacher just questioned the decision to start a war in class, and was reported by a student on tape. He was finally sentenced to 4 years in prison with a suspended sentence and a 3-year ban from teaching. “.
Nikolai Patrushev, secretary-general of the Russian Federal Security Council, announced in May an overhaul of the education system to learn from the Soviet model and teach traditional Russian values.
Le Figaro pointed out that since April, Russia has sent many volunteer teachers to convey these so-called “good histories”, even to areas in southern Ukraine controlled by the Russian army.
Russian political analyst Ekaterina Schulmann told Le Figaro that the Moscow authorities’ “purpose is very simple, the government considers young people too pro-Western to be trusted, so it is clear that the new priority is to inculcate again. “.