Aha Dua Permata: US pursuing war against Russia — Lavrov on supplies of longer-range missiles to Kiev

US pursuing war against Russia — Lavrov on supplies of longer-range missiles to Kiev

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
©Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

The US controls the military actions in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a commentary for the program called "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" that comes out on the Rossiya-1 television channel, adding that Washington is in fact pursuing a war against Russia by supplying weapons.

"No matter what it says, it (the US - TASS) controls this war, it supplies weapons, munition, intelligence information, data from satellites, it is pursuing a war against us," the minister said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) as he commented on statements by the US on readiness to supply long-range shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine. An excerpt of the commentary was posted by journalist Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel.

"What is happening is that Ukraine has been prepared for years to fight with its hands and its bodies to strategically defeat Russia. No matter what they say, they are managing this war, they are supplying weapons, ammunition, intelligence, satellite data — they are waging a war against us," Lavrov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko that the United States tries to solve all problems it encounters with force, threats or economic sanctions. He highlighted that Russia is not a threat to anyone, and the Americans themselves acknowledge that the real threat emanates from the White House.

Possible supplies of longer-range missiles to Kiev by Western countries will not change the essence of what is going on in Ukraine, Lavrov said. "I am unable to comment on their statements <…> but the fact that it will not change the essence of what is going on in Ukraine is obvious. While what is going on is that Ukraine has been prepared, has long been prepared for inflicting strategic defeat to Russia using its hands and its bodies," the minister said.

Earlier, the Pentagon announced additional security assistance worth $175 mln for Kiev.

In September, US media reported that the Biden administration was looking at supplying Ukraine with ATACMS with a range of up to 190 miles, capable of striking deep into Russian territory, this fall to boost Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

The latest package for the first time includes depleted uranium rounds for previously committed Abrams tanks.

The US and its allies began pouring weapons and ammunition into Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its military operation in the country in February 2022. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further escalation leading to NATO's direct involvement in the conflict.

Watch Russian Ka-52 Helicopter Destroy Ukrainian Control Center

The Ka-52 Alligator is a Russian attack helicopter designed for reconnaissance, target designation and anti-tank warfare.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage of a Ka-52 Alligator reconnaissance and attack helicopter destroying a Ukrainian control center and armored vehicles.

Ukraine launched its counteroffensive against Russia on June 4 after several postponements while Kiev asked its Western donors to increase military and financial aid.

Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed and that Ukraine had lost 71,500 men in the attack. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu added that Ukraine had not achieved any of the goals of its counteroffensive in any direction.

Russian Military Repels 6 Attacks in Donetsk Direction, Kiev Loses 350 Troops

The Russian army repelled six attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk and South Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing up to 350 servicepeople, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"In the South Donetsk direction, three attacks by assault groups of the 35th and 36th brigades of the Ukrainian marines in the areas of Staromaiorskoe of the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR] and Priytnoe of the Zaporozhye Region were repelled during the day by courageous actions of the units of the Vostok group of forces in cooperation with aviation and artillery," the ministry said.

In the Donetsk direction, the units of the Southern group of forces, together with aviation and artillery, repulsed three attacks of assault groups of the 53rd motorized infantry brigade and the 79th airborne assault brigade of the Ukrainian army near the Russian-controlled village of Marinka in the DPR, the ministry said. Kiev has lost up to 180 servicepeople, the ministry added.

Russian aviation and artillery have also hit the shops of the Kharkov armored plant, where Ukrainian tanks were being repaired, as well as Ukrainian command and observation posts were located, the ministry said.

In addition, Russian air defense systems shot down 28 Ukrainian drones, two JDAM aerial bombs, one HARM shell and one HIMARS missile over the past 24 hours, the defense ministry said.

This Russian Warship Rips Ukrainian Drone Boats Apart

Patrol vessels from Project 22160 of the Black Sea Fleet performed best out of all warships during a special military operation, according to media reports.

These relatively modestly equipped patrol ships proved to be a powerful tool against the kamikaze drones used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On 13 September, the vessel Vasily Bykov shot down three Ukrainian speed boats, and on 14 September, the Sergei Kotov destroyed five unmanned vessels using standard armaments.

Recent events have shown that artillery armaments are highly in demand for small patrol ships. Each ship is equipped with the AK-176MA-01 unit, which has a high-speed 76mm cannon, and the MR-123 'Bagira' control system that includes radar for detecting small surface objects. The cannon is capable of firing at both sea and air targets and can operate in manual and automatic guidance modes.

This weapon can effectively target both aerial and surface objectives at a range of more than 10km, making warships which have been equipped with it extremely valuable during the special military operation. Recently, machine guns and cannon played a crucial role in defeating unmanned vessels attacking Sevastopol from the sea. Additionally, ships of this type can be equipped with extra machine-gun emplacements, considerably increasing the density of fire.

Furthermore, Alexander Spiridonov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade, confirmed that these vessels are equipped with Kalibr missiles. Only two Project 22160 ships are operating at present in the Black Sea Fleet, but it is expected that the fleet will grow to six.

The third vessel, Viktor Velikiy, is expected to enter service by the end of 2023.