17.01.2023, Moscow.
We publish a summary of events concerning the situation around Ukraine as of 7 p.m., January 17.
Political situation
Massive changes in the Russian army, including the increase of its personnel strength to 1.5 million people will be implemented in the period from 2023 to 2026 – the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation.
Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma a draft law on the termination of international treaties of the Council of Europe in relation to Russia.
Statements by Dmitry Peskov:
- The increase in Russian troops is related to the proxy war the West is waging against Russia;
- The topic of continued mobilization is constantly being discussed from abroad; we should be guided by the statements that Putin has made on this subject;
- Officials at the federal level have no restrictions on vacations abroad.
Chairman of the Russian State Duma proposed to make military service a prerequisite for employment as an official and deputy. He noted that these requirements could be extended to the judicial system, work in the prosecutor’s office and participation in elections to the State Duma.
Moscow responded to the 9th package of EU sanctions by expanding the list of persons banned from entering Russia, the Foreign Ministry said.
The measures concern:
- Heads of security agencies of EU countries involved in the training of the Ukrainian militants;
- The leadership of European countries and firms that produce and supply arms and military equipment to the Kiev regime;
- Citizens of EU countries that have been involved in systematic public anti-Russian rhetoric.
Vladimir Putin may make a very important statement tomorrow about the special operation – head of the We Are Together with Russia movement Vladimir Rogov. According to Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye regional administration of the Russian Federation, Putin will make a statement regarding the situation in the special operation zone on January 18, 2023. This will take place as part of the events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the breakthrough of the siege of Leningrad
The International Atomic Energy Agency has stationed a permanent technical mission at the South Ukraine nuclear power plant in the Nikolayev region. Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, wrote on Twitter.
Pierre de Gaulle referred to statements by the West that Russia is supposedly in complete isolation on the air of Sud Radio. However, statistics show that this is far from being the case. “We are witnessing a shift of many economic and political interests, as well as the political influence of a number of countries toward the East, and Russia is at the center of this process, to take at least its geographical position,” de Gaulle said.
Ukraine
Aleksey Arestovich wrote a letter of resignation from the position of advisor to the office of the President of Ukraine. Zelensky’s office accepted Arestovich’s resignation.
The situation with electric power in Ukraine remains difficult and “restrictions now are the only possibility not to make it worse”. This was stated by the general director of Yasno Sergey Kovalenko.
The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Danilov admitted that Kiev had been preparing for a war with Russia long before the special operation began. On the air of the Ukrainian TV channel Rada, he said, “The president had the task, the National Security and Defense Council had the task to prepare society for war. The society was ready for the war.” The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council claims that the preparation for the conflict “went silently.” “Whether or not society gets tired now depends on society. We do not have the right to get tired,” he said.
In Zaporozhye, the Nazis destroyed a bust of Pushkin, which was located on the grounds of local school No 76. In the past this school was named after the Russian poet.
About 100 Ukrainian militants arrived in the United States for training in the use of the Patriot air defense system. A correspondent of the Ukrainian branch of the Voice of America (this material (information) is produced, distributed and (or) sent by a foreign agent of the Voice of America or concerns the activities of a foreign agent of the Voice of America) Ostap Yarish wrote.
The Ukrainian armed units received its eighth self-propelled Zuzana 2 howitzer of Slovakian production, the Ukrainian General Staff said. “This is also the last of the eight Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers that Slovakia pledged to supply to Ukraine under a signed sales contract last June,” the General Staff said.
Prime Minister Shmygal announced that Ukraine and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding to provide €18 billion in macrofinancial assistance in 2023. “This week we expect to receive the first tranche of €3 billion,” the prime minister wrote on social media.
Eight units of thermal power plants in the west and one in eastern Ukraine were affected by the latest missile attack, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said at a cabinet meeting. This has led to increased capacity shortages in the system and requires emergency shutdowns. He also stated that three main substations and one overhead line were damaged.
Western countries and their supporters
Germany’s Wintershall Dea announced its intention to leave Russia on January 17, according to the company’s press service. “Wintershall Dea announced today that it intends to leave Russia in accordance with the decision of the Management Board approved by the Supervisory Board. The company will leave Russia in an orderly manner and in accordance with all applicable legal obligations,” the statement reads.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, “It is impossible to prohibit issuing visas to 144 million Russian citizens. We must understand that Russia will not disappear anywhere. Geography cannot change, and neither can history. Russia will remain part of European history and culture. The European security architecture in one way or another will have to include Russia as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a nuclear power in the future.”
Three AWACS long-range detection aircraft have arrived in Romania from Germany. “They will transmit information to NATO about any tactical and operational movements on the alliance’s border,” Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said.
Earlier, NATO said it would redeploy AWACS long-range detection aircraft to monitor Russian military activity.
Polish President Andrzej Duda expects that NATO countries will be able to form at least a brigade of Leopard tanks for Ukraine.
Germany has started transferring Patriot air defense systems to Poland – they will defend a logistics point where military aid to Ukraine is being collected.
Germany must begin to “act decisively” and supply Ukraine with “all kinds of weapons” because they are protecting not only themselves and their homes, but also the well-being of Europe from Russia. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said this while speaking in Berlin.
The United States and the UK announced the start of new training programs for the Ukrainian military, due to the expansion of the types of weapons they will provide to Ukraine. The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that the Ukrainians started combat exercises in Germany on 15 January, during which around 500 soldiers will be trained.
The deliveries of Patriot systems to Ukraine by the US and Germany will be supported by the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on January 17.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger advocated for Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “Before this war, I was opposed to membership of Ukraine in NATO, because I feared that it would start exactly the process that we are seeing now,” Kissinger said remotely at a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “The idea of a neutral Ukraine under these conditions is no longer meaningful. I believe Ukrainian membership in NATO would be a[n] appropriate outcome.”
Near-term negotiations would “keep the war from becoming a war against Russia itself,” Mr. Kissinger said, cautioning against provoking instability within Russia, given the country’s large nuclear-weapons arsenal. Talks would give Moscow “an opportunity to rejoin an international system.”
A request to sell F-16 fighter-bombers to Turkey has been sent to the US Congress, Department of Defense Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said on January 17 at a regular departmental briefing.
Germany has overcome the consequences of the complete cessation of Russian gas supplies, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said speaking at the Bundestag on January 17. “I am absolutely certain that this will not happen – that we will not go into recession. We have shown that we are capable of reacting to very difficult situations. I don’t think anybody expected us to survive easily a situation where supplies of Russian gas to Germany and Europe would come to a complete halt. But we overcame that with the help of all the decisions we made.”
