The Ukrainian counterattack … the weather gives the “going signal”

Deputy Chairman of the Russian National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev expressed his conviction that the conflict in Ukraine “may continue for decades” if Russia does not resolve it with a decisive victory over “Nazism”. He stirred up controversy again with his fiery and provocative statements, which did not fail to hint at the possibility of moving to the use of nuclear weapons. Medvedev told reporters during a visit to Vietnam that the Ukrainian conflict “may last for a long time, perhaps decades.”

And he added, “This is a new reality, and new conditions for life. As long as this force exists, there will be, for example, three years of armistice, two years of conflict, and the situation will flare up every time.”

In the same context, he saw that “Europe has gone crazy and is trying to inflame the situation in every way,” and he did not rule out that European countries and the United States would supply Kiev with nuclear weapons.

He pointed out that the current developments, including the decision of the European Union and the United States to provide Kiev with F-16 fighter jets, show that the West may also tend to throw nuclear weapons into the battle, stressing that “if this happens, it will have to Russia must launch a preemptive strike.” He added, “This means that a missile with a nuclear charge will reach them. These are irreversible laws of war.”

Analysts point out that the level of danger has not increased, because Russia is already able to reach potential targets with its nuclear weapons. Observers from the American Institute for the Study of War said that the transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus does not mean that there is a great danger related to escalation in the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.

According to the Institute’s analysis, it is still unlikely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, or anywhere else. The institute’s statements come after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said, on Thursday, that the planned arms transfer to his country had already begun, after his meeting with Putin.

According to Moscow, tactical nuclear weapons, which have a shorter range than strategic nuclear missiles, will be stationed on Belarus’ border with Poland. The analysis added that the presence of these weapons in Belarus mainly benefits the expansion of Russia’s military infrastructure and command structures in the neighboring country.

“When it comes to nuclear weapons, it will be necessary to launch a preemptive strike,” Medvedev said.

Britain had announced earlier that it would provide Kiev with missiles containing depleted uranium, which Moscow considered a dangerous development.

It is noteworthy that Medvedev, who, since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, has been threatening a nuclear war, recently wrote on his channel in the “Telegram” network that Ukraine “could disappear from the map as a result of the current conflict.” He said that Kiev is facing two scenarios: “The disintegration of the republic after Defeat Kiev either through a process of relatively slow erosion of the Ukrainian state, or through the immediate collapse of the state.

Medvedev proposed dividing it, so that the east would join Russia, and regions in the west would be integrated into several EU member states, while residents of the central regions could then vote in favor of joining Russia.

That outcome, Medvedev wrote, “ends the conflict with sufficient guarantees that it will not resume in the longer term.” By contrast, if the rest of an independent Ukraine joins the European Union or NATO, the conflict is likely to erupt again “with the risk that it may turn into A large-scale third world war.

The Vice President of the Security Council indicated that “Moscow needs a third scenario for Ukraine to disappear from the map,” which includes the accession of the population of “the central regions and some other regions.” This means “the conflict has completely ended, with guarantees that it will not resume again.”

On the ground, Thursday-Friday night witnessed a violent escalation on all fronts. Ukraine and Russia announced missile and drone attacks, and a series of explosions, on Friday. Russia launched 17 missiles and 31 “kamikaze” drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which added that it had shot down 10 cruise missiles and 23 Iranian “Shahid” drones, as well as two reconnaissance planes.

Warning sirens sounded across the country during the night, and the wave of attacks, which also targeted Kiev, continued until the morning. Ukrainian authorities reported air strikes in the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk. And the military administration in Dnipro announced that there were explosions and the destruction of two companies, a gas station and a house. The administration referred to a major attack, with missiles and drones.

And in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, the missiles called for the intervention of air defenses. Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, said debris from a missile destroyed the roof of a shopping and entertainment center. Elsewhere, a home sustained damage. He also pointed out that there were damages to cars in a garage, without any deaths or injuries.

Russia also reported that its territory was subject to Ukrainian attacks. The report pointed out that there was an explosion in Krasnodar, which is suspected to have come as a result of a drone attack.

And the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the airborne units, in their fortified positions on the southern side of the direction of Artemovsk (Bakhmut), responded to concentrated attacks launched by the Ukrainian armed forces, through which they sought to make a breakthrough on the lines of contact. “Units of the Airborne Forces are confidently conducting active defense and destroying personnel and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the southern side of the Artyomovsk direction,” the ministry statement said. The paratroopers prepared an extensive network of redoubts and repelled all sorties of Ukrainian formations with confidence.

Dozens of artillery shells fell during the past 24 hours in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, according to what was stated on Friday by the governor of the region, which witnessed an armed incursion at the beginning of the week, claimed by two Russian groups fighting on the side of Kiev. Vyacheslav Gladkov said via “Telegram” that the village of Kozinka, in the Grivoron district, was hit by 132 shells. A number of buildings in the area were damaged, but there were no reports of injuries, according to the official.

And Moscow announced that the Ukrainian forces launched an intense attack during the night on the Kherson region, and stated in a statement that “the Ukrainian forces did not stop throughout the night hours directing artillery shelling on the cities located on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region and the surrounding villages, and fired 32 shells at them.” According to the military statement, “During the night, the Kiev regime continued to bomb civilian infrastructure in the towns of Novaya Kakhovka, Velika Lipitikha, Gornostivka and Heroskoye.”

Last November, Moscow withdrew from the city of Kherson and moved its forces to the right bank of the Dnipro River to reinforce defenses along the left bank. Russian forces currently control 75 percent of the territory of the Kherson region, while Kiev controls central areas, including the city of Kherson, the capital of the region.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported on Friday morning that Moscow had launched a series of night raids targeting Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. It reported that “huge explosions were heard in the city of Kiev and in the surrounding areas.” Ukrainian state television indicated that air defenses were addressing air targets over the region. According to the channel, a state of air alert has been declared on almost the entire territory of Ukraine, with the exception of the western regions.