Russia’s South group of troops repelled seven attacks in the Donetsk direction, while Kiev’s losses reached 210 soldiers, one tank and two M777 howitzers, the head of the press center of the group, Georgy Minesashvili said.
"In the Donetsk direction, the coordinated actions of units of the South group of forces allowed them to repel seven attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian armed forces … The enemy lost up to 210 servicemen," Minesashvili said.
He added that the Russian artillery destroyed two M777 howitzers, two D-30 howitzers, one tank, two 120-caliber and one 82-caliber mortars and seven vehicles.
The latest details come as the Defense Ministry revealed that Russian forces took out storage facilities housing Ukraine's stash of depleted uranium, as well as centers specifically used for radio reconnaissance and training sabotage groups.
Despite raised concerns regarding the use of depleted uranium stores, the shipment was received not long after the US Department of Defense announced the weaponry would be included in its $175 million aid package in September.
A Russian reconnaissance and attack helicopter wiped out Ukrainian armored vehicles in the South Donetsk direction. The Russian Aerospace Forces completely dominate the airspace in the special operation zone, obliterating Ukrainian troops.
Russia's Ministry of Defense published footage of a Russian helicopter destroying Ukrainian armored vehicles in the South Donetsk direction.
Helicopters are widely used in the special operation zone as a highly mobile reconnaissance and attack force.
While the much-touted counteroffensive effort launched by Ukraine in early June has had very poor results, the Kiev regime is desperately trying to sacrifice more of its soldiers to promote NATO interests.
At the same time, the unbowed Russian forces are repelling the enemy’s attacks, disrupting their plans, as well as inflicting damage on Ukrainian Nazis and mercenaries.
Russian artillery has been invaluable in the special operation zone, significantly reducing Ukrainian offensive capabilities. The 152 mm Msta-B howitzers are widely used on the frontline as a means of both supporting Russian advances and suppressing enemy firepower.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has published footage of a152 mm Msta-B howitzer wreaking havoc on Ukrainian forces attempting to regroup. The reinforcements were successfully wiped out, leaving only ashes to promote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's ambitions.
Capable of inflicting damage at a range of more than 24 km and firing up to eight rounds per minute, Msta howitzers are a formidable power in the Russian Armed Forces. In addition, they can be deployed both as unarmored towed guns and equipped on armored self-propelled artillery vehicles.
Amid the stalled counteroffensive attempt launched by the Kiev regime in early June, NATO allies desperately need more Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline to be sacrificed for their purposes. Thus, having sacrificed the vast majority of its strategic reserves, Ukrainian forces are trying to regroup, while Russian troops successfully inhibit such maneuvers.
Watch Russian Grad MLRS Eliminate Concentrations of Ukrainian Troops During Special Op
The Russian Grad MLRS is a highly effective multiple rocket launcher system capable of firing up to 40 rockets in quick succession. With a range of up to 40 km, it allows Russian forces to strike targets from a distance, making it ideal for both offensive and defensive operations.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage showing Grad MLRS units of the Tula Airborne Forces in combat.
During aerial reconnaissance, areas with large concentrations of Ukrainian troops were identified and this information was transmitted to the artillery command center of the Tula airborne troops.
After receiving the coordinates, the Grad MLRS immediately moved to the area and attacked the enemy with 122 mm unguided rocket launchers.
Russia Hits Ukraine's Storage Facilities for Depleted Uranium Ammunition - MoD
The Russian armed forces have attacked storage facilities with Storm Shadow cruise missiles and ammunition with depleted uranium in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The goal of the strike was achieved, the ministry said, adding that all objects were hit.
"Tonight [on Sunday night], the Russian armed forces carried out a group strike with high-precision long-range air-launched weapons, as well as attack unmanned aerial vehicles, on the storage sites of the Kiev regime with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, ammunition with depleted uranium, as well as centers for radio reconnaissance and training of sabotage groups of the Ukrainian armed forces," the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in September, the US Defense Department announced a new $175 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes depleted uranium munitions for Abrams tanks, as well as air defense equipment and 155mm artillery shells. Prior to that, the UK pledged that it would give Ukraine radioactive depleted uranium ammunition for the British main battle tanks Challenger 2.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow would react “accordingly” to the transfer of depleted uranium tank shells to Ukraine.
Russian officials have warned of depleted uranium weapons’ dangers. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted late last month that the use of the weapons would turn portions of Ukraine into an "uninhabitable" wasteland, with "radioactive contamination of the soil…already happening" and being recorded.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said that Ukraine has lost up to 255 military in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours.
Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repelled six attacks by Ukrainian military in the Donetsk direction and two attacks in the Krasnyi Lyman direction, the ministry said in a statement.
"Enemy losses [in the Donetsk direction] amounted to up to 255 military personnel, three armored combat vehicles and seven vehicles," the ministry's statement read.
Ukraine has also lost over 180 soldiers both killed and injured in the South Donetsk direction in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
Watch Russian Artillery Strikes Destroy Ukrainian Forces Attempting to Advance
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive in early June. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed, with Ukraine suffering 71,000 casualties.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage showing powerful Russian artillery strikes smashing Ukrainian attempts to advance in the area of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).
"The artillerymen of the 2nd Army Corps are destroying the positions of the Ukrainian forces, which are trying to attack in the direction of Artemovsk, with precise strikes. Their fire is being blocked by UAV operators," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine could have avoided hundreds of thousands of deaths and lost less land if it had reached a peace deal with Russia before the conflict began last February, former US President Donald Trump told NBC News in an interview aired on Sunday.
The loss of Ukrainian territory to Russia is “something that could have been negotiated,” Trump told NBC host Kristen Welker, adding that “a lot of people expected” Kiev to abandon its claims to “Crimea and other parts of the country” in exchange for peace.
“So they could have made a deal where there’s less territory [lost] than Russia has already taken,” Trump continued. “They could have made a deal where nobody was killed…they would have had a Ukrainian country. Now nobody even knows if Ukraine is going to be totally taken over.”
By “other parts of the country,” Trump was likely referring to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, whose sovereignty Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized three days before Russia’s military operation in Ukraine began. Following referendums last September, both regions have now joined the Russian Federation, along with the formerly Ukrainian territories of Kherson and Zaporozhye. Crimea voted to rejoin Russia in 2014.
Trump then repeated his claim that if elected next year, he would have a peace deal worked out within 24 hours.
“I’d get [Russian President Vladimir Putin] into a room, I’d get [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky into a room, then I’d bring them together and I’d have a deal worked out,” he told Welker.
“It would have been easier if the war didn’t start, and you’d have hundreds of thousands of people living, most importantly,” he noted. “But I can get it done and I can get it done quickly.”
Trump then claimed that he kept Ukraine and Russia “from doing anything” during his presidency, arguing that the low oil prices that characterized his term in the White House would have made it too costly for Russia, a leading oil exporter, to finance a military operation.
Trump’s position on Ukraine is diametrically opposed to that of President Joe Biden, who has vowed to bankroll Kiev’s military “for as long as it takes” to defeat Russia on the battlefield. With the exception of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, all of Trump’s opponents in the Republican primary field support some sort of continued military aid to Ukraine.
Among them is Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence. Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Pence accused Trump of “embracing the politics of appeasement,” and “letting Vladimir Putin have what he wants.”
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he campaigns at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. August 12, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Former President Donald Trump said that he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but that it was his decision to push the false claim he won the presidency and try to overturn the results.
“It was my decision, but I listened to some people,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday.
Trump has been indicted over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results. He has pleaded not guilty in all cases and denied any wrongdoing.
A central premise of special counsel Jack Smith’s case, according to his indictment of the former president, is that Trump knew the election claims he was making were false after being told by close aides that he had lost but disseminated them anyway to make them appear legitimate – all in service of an alleged criminal conspiracy.
“I was listening to different people, and when I added it all up, the election was rigged,” Trump told Kristen Welker in the interview, again pushing the false claim as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
“You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened,” Trump said.
The former president said he didn’t listen to his attorneys who told him he lost the election because he didn’t respect them.
“You hire them, you’ve never met these people, you get a recommendation, they turn out to be RINOs (Republicans in name only), or they turn out to be not so good. In many cases, I didn’t respect them,” Trump said. “But I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.”
Following his election loss, Trump tried multiple avenues to overturn the election results. He pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and another official to “recalculate” the numbers and “find” enough votes to let him win.
Trump’s campaign also tried to install fake GOP electors in seven swing states.
The House select committee that investigated Trump’s actions in the lead-up to the January 6, 2021, insurrection argued that the evidence shows he actively worked to “transmit false Electoral College ballots to Congress and the National Archives” despite concerns among his lawyers that doing so could be unlawful.
“That evidence has led to an overriding and straightforward conclusion: the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, whom many others followed. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him,” the committee’s final report states.
Smith’s federal election interference investigation is one of four criminal cases against the former president. Trump is facing four charges in Smith’s case, including obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Trump was also charged in a sweeping Georgia indictment accusing him of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” to overturn the 2020 election.
The European Union could become as dependent on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it was on Russia for energy before the war in Ukraine unless it takes strong measures, a paper prepared for EU leaders said.
The document, obtained by Reuters, will be the basis of discussions on Europe's economic security during a meeting of EU leaders in Granada in Spain on Oct. 5.
Worried by China's growing global assertiveness and economic weight, the leaders will discuss the European Commission's proposals to reduce the risk of Europe being too dependent on China and the need diversify towards Africa and Latin America.
The paper said that because of the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like solar or wind, Europe will need ways to store energy to reach its goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
"This will skyrocket our demand for lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers, which is expected to multiply between 10 and 30 times in the coming years," the paper, prepared by the Spanish presidency of the EU, said.
While the EU has a strong position in the intermediate and assembly phases of making electrolysers, with a more than 50% global market share, it relies heavily on China for fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries crucial for electric vehicles.
"Without implementing strong measures, the European energy ecosystem could have a dependency on China by 2030 of a different nature, but with a similar severity, from the one it had on Russia before the invasion of Ukraine," it said.
According to the European Commission, in 2021, the year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU took more than 40% of its total gas consumption, 27% of oil imports and 46% of coal imports from Russia.
Workers are seen at the production line of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China August 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing Rights
Ending most energy purchases from Russia caused an energy price shock in the EU and a surge in consumer inflation, forcing the European Central Bank to sharply raise interest rates in a move that has curbed economic growth.
Lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells were not the only area of EU vulnerability, the Spanish presidency paper said.
"A similar scenario could unfold in the digital-tech space," the document said. "Forecasts suggest that the demand for digital devices such as sensors, drones, data servers, storage equipment and data transmission networks will rise sharply in this decade."
"The EU has a relatively strong position in the latter, but it shows significant weaknesses in the other areas," it said.
By 2030, this foreign dependency could seriously hinder the productivity gains that the European industry and service sector urgently require and could impede the modernisation of agriculture systems essential to addressing climate change, it said.
