LITTLE SIGN OF KHERSON OFFENSIVE: There’s little sign yet on the outskirts of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson of an imminent counteroffensive.“[I]n trenches less than a mile from Russia’s positions in the area, Ukrainian soldiers hunker down from an escalating onslaught of artillery, with little ability to advance,” The Washington Post’s LOVEDAY MORRIS, LIZ SLY, DALTON BENNETT and ANASTACIA GALOUCHKA reported. “Residents who have fled villages in the Kherson region have described Russian forces moving in reinforcements, and officials have eyed those troop movements warily.”
“They’ve dug in,” OLEKSANDR VILKUL, head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, told the Post. “We know that they are trying to fortify their positions. The enemy has significantly increased its artillery along the entire [60-mile front] line.”
The Ukrainians lack the requisite artillery and armored vehicles needed to make a push, per the Post, giving Russian forces the chance to regroup and build up, while Kyiv struggles to pay its soldiers due to slowly arriving Western funds .
NatSec Daily wants to know: Is the Kherson counteroffensive a ruse, perhaps intended to divert Russia’s attention away from Ukraine's east? Likely not, but we’ve been wondering why Kyiv has so loudly telegraphed its intentions.
KEEP A LID ON IT: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY cautioned the country's defense officials against speaking to the press amid fears they may be leaking military tactics in their fight against Russia, The Guardian reported.
"If you want to generate loud headlines, that’s one thing — it’s frankly irresponsible. If you want victory for Ukraine, that is another thing, and you should be aware of your responsibility for every word you say about our state’s plans for defense or counter attacks," Zelenskyy said.
The warning came as two Ukrainian officials told POLITICO that Ukraine was responsible for an attack on a Russian airbase in Crimea. The Kremlin claims that explosions were the result of accidentally detonated munitions while Ukraine's defense ministry denied responsibility for the blasts.
U.S. and UN officials have been concerned by recent fighting near nuclear facilities, prompting Russia to reject calls for a demilitarized zone near a Ukrainian nuclear facility.
EVACUATION FROM NEAR NUCLEAR PLANT: Fears of a radiation leak at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant led Ukrainian officials to plan for evacuations of nearby residents.
“The power plant is not just in enemy hands, but in the hands of untrained specialists who can cause a tragedy,” Ukrainian Interior Minister DENYS MONASTYRSKYI told The Wall Street Journal’s YAROSLAV TROFIMOV , adding that the access of Ukrainian personnel has been restricted in some areas. “The level of danger is the highest. It’s hard to even imagine the scale of the tragedy if Russian activities continue there. We have to prepare for all scenarios now.”
Concerns are mounting about the fate of Europe’s largest nuclear plant, equipped with six reactors. Russia rejected a United Nations plea to demilitarize the area around Zaporizhzhia as the facility gets rocked with more shelling . Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of striking the plant.
― dow, Friday, 12 August 2022 22:11 (one year ago) link