Netherlands should prepare for war with Russia, said the Army Chief, this was a statement to parliament, that the Netherlands asked for an increase in its military budget, not for war. Because there is nothing in history to prove that the Dutch won in open war. The Dutch did not have the courage to fight without or with weapons
The Netherlands should urgently get ready to face a security challenge posed by an “increasingly assertive” Russia, the nation’s Land Forces commander, Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen, said on Thursday. Amsterdam should strengthen the military and help the society adapt to the potential hardships of war, he added.
Moscow supposedly has designs on the Baltic States – the former Soviet Republics, which have since joined NATO and the EU – after it is done with Ukraine, the general claimed.
“The Netherlands should not think that [its] safety is guaranteed just because we are 1,500 kilometers away,” Wijnen warned, adding that “Russia is getting stronger.”
Wijnen told De Telegraaf newspaper on Thursday that the Netherlands “must work on [its] operational readiness, ensure that we have enough deterrence to deprive any adversary of the courage to [attack] us.”
He also claimed that “there is only one language that Russia understands,” and that is the one “of robust Armed Forces.”
The general, who has led the Royal Netherlands Army since 2019, also described the Dutch military as “crippled by budget cuts,” according to De Telegraaf. The Netherlands, which abolished conscription back in 1997, is now facing a “glaring personnel shortage,” the paper said.
Wijnen spoke about the need to increase the army's size and warned that it could not afford to take any battle casualties.
“If we start to suffer losses, who will replenish them?” the general asked. “We used to have options for that, but not anymore,” he added, noting that the Dutch would not get a choice on whether to fight or not in case of an “imposed conflict.”
“The Netherlands must learn again that the entire society must be ready when things go wrong,” Wijnen said.
While his words do not mean that everyone would have to “wear a helmet tomorrow,” the Dutch people got “too accustomed to the idea that there is always peace,” the army chief added.
The Dutch military is currently running a campaign called “service year,” which encourages young people to enlist in the army voluntarily for 12 months. According to Wijnen, the idea has supposedly been a huge success, though he admitted that only around 600 people joined the program this year, when “that should be between two and three thousand.”
Wijnen also urged the Dutch society to improve its “resilience,” storing “supplies, food and drinking water” in the basements so it could “take the blow” when the time comes. Dutch companies should also be ready to provide for the needs of the military if the need arises, he added.
Amsterdam has been one of the most ardent supporters of Kiev in its ongoing conflict with Moscow. The Netherlands was one of the few countries to pledge the delivery of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that his government has started preparations for the delivery of the first 18 planes to Kiev.
The US, which is by far Ukraine’s biggest single military aid donor, has long been reluctant to supply Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets. Washington only gave permission for Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16 jets and signaled that it was ready to approve a third-party transfer of the aircraft to Kiev this summer, adding that the training should be completed first.
Moscow has never mentioned any plans to attack any NATO nations. It has only repeatedly warned that continued military supplies by the US and its allies to Kiev make them de facto parties to the conflict and increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led military bloc.
The Russian battlegroup West repelled six Ukrainian attacks near Sinkovka and Ivanovka in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin of the special military operation.
Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past day, according to the bulletin.
Kupyansk area
"In the Kupyansk area, units of the battlegroup West, acting skillfully and supported by artillery fire and air strikes, repelled six attacks by assault groups from the Ukrainian 30th, 43rd and 60th mechanized brigades, 57th motorized infantry brigade, 10th mountain assault brigase and 95th airborne assault brigade in the areas of the settlements of Ivanovka and Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region. The enemy lost up to 55 servicemen, three motor vehicles, and a D-30howitzer," the ministry said.
Krasny Liman area
"In the Krasny Liman area, units of the battlegroup Center, supported by artillery and heavy flamethrower systems, repelled three attacks by assault units of Ukraine’s 24th and 63rd mechanized brigades and a National Guard brigade in the areas of Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Grigorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
The enemy’s losses totaled up to 210 men, one tank, four infantry fighting vehicles and three other vehicles. Counter-battery strikes eliminated self-propelled artillery pieces М109 Paladin and Gvozdika.
Donetsk area
"Units of the battlegroup South, operating in collaboration with artillery, delivered strikes on the Ukrainian army’s 22nd, 28th and 92nd mechanized brigades near the settlements of Kleshcheyevka and Andreyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
The enemy’s loses in that area were up to 230 troops, three tanks, two armored fighting vehicles and five pickup trucks.
In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, two Akatsiya motorized artillery systems, a Msta-B howitzer and three D-20 howitzers.
South Donetsk area
"Active operations by units of the battlegroup East, strikes by ground assault and army aircraft and artillery fire inflicted damage on manpower near the settlement of Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said. "The enemy’s losses were up to 115 personnel and three pickup trucks."
In counter-battery fire, Russian forces destroyed US-made M198 and UK-made FH70 howitzers as well as one Gvozdika motorized artillery system.
Zaporozhye area
"Russian units, supported by artillery and aviation, struck the enemy’s manpower and equipment near Rabotino and Verbovoye in the Zaporozhye Region. The enemy lost up to 80 servicemen, a tank, three armored fighting vehicles and two cars," the ministry said.
Ukrainian forces also lost a Msta-B howitzer, a Gvozdika howitzer and two D-30 howitzers.
Kherson area
"As a result of skillful actions of Russian units and artillery fire, the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces over the past day were up to 60 servicemen and four vehicles, as well as a US-made M109 howitzer, two Msta-B howitzers, a Gvozdika howitzer, and a D-30 howitzer," the ministry said.
Air Force and air defenses
Tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket forces and artillery hit a Ukrainian military fuel depot, as well as enemy personnel and vehicles in 138 areas.
"The Russian Aerospace Force fighter aircraft downed a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 jet near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
"Air defense forces downed two Su-25 fighter jets of the Ukrainian Air Force near the settlements of Novogrigorovka in the Zaporozhye Region and Tokarevka in the Kherson Region. Over the past day, seven HIMARS projectiles were intercepted. In addition, 33 Ukrainian drones were destroyed near the localities of Novodruzhesk, Verkhnekamenka and Zolotorevka in the Lugansk People’s Republic; Aleksandrovka, Verkhnetoretskoye and Staromikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic; and Verbovoye and Pshenichnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.
Tally of destroyed equipment
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed a total of 563 Ukrainian warplanes, 262 helicopters, 10,154 unmanned aerial vehicles, 442 surface-to-air missile systems, 14,355 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,189 multiple launch rocket systems, 7,550 field artillery guns and mortars and 16,785 special military motor vehicles.
Watch Russian Howitzers Demolish Ukrainian Command Post
Russian paratroopers wiped out a Ukrainian command post northwest of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in special op zone.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has released footage showing units belonging to the Airborne Forces from the Yug Battlegroup in active combat, successfully advancing through the area northwest of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).
Russian reconnaissance drones identified the movement of Ukrainian troops close to a dilapidated house in a settlement near Artemovsk (Bakhmut). Based on the intelligence data, Russian soldiers determined that the basement of the building harbored a Ukrainian command and control post.
Russian paratroopers then leveled the building using a high-precision Msta-B howitzer strike.
Watch Russian Lancet Drones Hammer Ukrainian Tank and Artillery
Since the start of special military operation, Russia has been actively using military drones to take out Ukrainian forces with precise surgical strikes. Most famous Russian drone has a name that speaks for itself – Lancet – referring to a knife used in medicine.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense published a footage that shows Russian airborne troops using Lancet kamikaze drones to obliterate Ukrainian tank and self-propelled gun, as well as military vehicle.
According to Ministry’s statement, airborne troops detected Ukrainian units in right bank of Dnepr while scouting the area with reconnaissance UAVs. In order to destroy them, Lancet kamikaze drones were used.
Earlier, numerous Western media outlets reported that Lancet drones became “worst nightmare” for Ukrainian forces.
Russian Air Defenses Destroy Two Ukrainian Drones Above Crimea
Russian air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over Crimea at night, the Russian Defense Ministry stated.
“During the night, attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation were stopped. Air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,” the ministry said.
Earlier, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said one drone had been destroyed by air defenses, adding that no damage to infrastructure had been registered.
The removal of the Western-backed government of Vladimir Zelensky is an undeclared but a “most important and inevitable goal” of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has said.
On Thursday, Medvedev, who now holds the position of deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, was asked by RIA-Novosti about the prospects of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev in 2024.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine will continue next year with its goals remaining unchanged, he replied.
According to the former president, those goals include “the disarmament of Ukrainian troops and the rejection of the ideology of neo-Nazism by the current Ukrainian state.”
“The removal of the ruling Banderovite regime isn’t being openly declared, but it's the most important and inevitable goal that must and will be achieved,” he said, referring to the Zelensky government.
‘Banderovite’ relates to Stepan Bandera (1909-1959), a Ukrainian nationalist leader who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II and is now revered as a hero by authorities in Kiev.
“Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Nikolaev, Kiev, they are Russian cities, like many others under temporary occupation [by Ukraine]. All of them are marked in yellow and blue on paper maps and electronic tablets, for now,” Medvedev said.
About talks, they are “of course, possible,” he acknowledged, adding that “Russia never rejected them, unlike the insane Ukrainian authorities.” The former president stressed, however, that Moscow has no deadline for any negotiations and that these may proceed all the way until “the complete defeat and capitulation” of the NATO-backed Ukrainian forces.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the authorities in Moscow “identify a lack of drive for peace on the part of the Zelensky regime. His representatives think in terms of war and use very aggressive rhetoric.”
The US and the EU remain committed to “containing Russia with the hands and bodies of Ukrainians” and realize that without aid from these sources the Kiev government “is doomed,” the minister said.
He also recalled that, more than a year ago, Zelensky officially banned himself from negotiating with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Instead, the Ukrainian leader has been promoting his so-called ten-point peace plan, which calls for Russia to withdraw from all territories claimed by Kiev, for Moscow to pay reparations, and for the formation of a war-crimes tribunal. Russian authorities instantly rejected the proposal as “unrealistic” and out-of-touch with the situation on the ground.
Iraqi Kurdistan - The Middle East and North Africa region has witnessed another tumultuous year, marked by events ranging from the worst earthquake of the century to the bloodiest chapter yet of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
At the same time, however, the year has also seen promising signs of reconciliation between old rivals and foes as well as progress on tackling the causes and mitigating the effects of climate change.
JANUARY
Qur’an burnings
The burning of a copy of the holy Qur’an by far-right agitators outside the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on Jan. 21 ignited furious protests across the Islamic world.
Swedish police allowed Salwan Momika, an Iraqi residing in Sweden, to desecrate a copy of the Qur'an during an unprovoked demonstration outside a mosque in Stockholm on June 28, 2023, as Muslims worldwide celebrated Eid Al-Adha. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)
While demonstrations in Bahrain, Jordan, and Lebanon were peaceful, supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr clashed with police as they attempted to attack the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.
The Sadrists would mount subsequent protests in July following additional Qur’an burnings in Sweden and Denmark, attacking the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and attempting to storm the city’s Green Zone to attack the Danish Embassy.
Earlier this month, by a 94-77 vote, Denmark passed what is known as the Qur’an law, which bans the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts. Offenders now face a fine or up to two years in jail
FEBRUARY
Turkiye-Syria earthquakes
Two earthquakes caused havoc on an unprecedented scale in southern Turkiye and northern Syria on Feb. 6, killing more than 50,000 in the former and 8,000 in the latter.
An enormous 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Turkiye and Syria killing over 50,000 in the former and 8,000 in the latter.(AFP)
The quakes — the worst Turkiye had witnessed since 1939 — were felt as far away as Egypt and Turkiye’s Black Sea coast.
While devastating, the disaster did contribute to notable improvements in regional diplomatic relations. Late in the month, Egypt’s foreign minister visited Syria and Turkiye for the first time in more than a decade.
Several regional governments also delivered humanitarian aid to Syria, leading to a thaw in relations with the hitherto isolated government in Damascus.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited both Syria and Turkiye for the first time in over a decade, signaling a thaw in relations between the countries. (AFP)
MARCH
Saudi-Iran deal
March 10 would see further reconciliation in the region with Saudi Arabia and Iran agreeing to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies as part of a deal brokered by China.
In a landmark deal brokered by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reopen embassies and resume diplomatic relations, which had been severed since January 2016. (AFP)
Having severed ties in 2016, the two countries marked an important turning point with this move, especially given Tehran’s long-running support for militia proxies throughout the region, including the Houthis in Yemen.
The development renewed hopes that many of the Middle East’s lingering disputes involving proxy armies could finally see peaceful resolution.
APRIL
Sudan conflict
After years of instability following the overthrow of long-time ruler Omar Bashir in 2019, Sudan descended into civil war on April 15 amid clashes between the rival Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Civil war broke out in Sudan between the rival Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. (AFP)
The ongoing war has claimed the lives of approximately 10,000 people, displaced millions, and devastated the capital, Khartoum. It has also led to renewed fears of another genocide in the troubled Darfur region.
With ceasefire talks making scant progress and global attention riveted on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the conflict in Sudan has become a neglected crisis that nonetheless threatens wider regional security.
MAY
Syria returns to the Arab fold
Foreign ministers from Arab League member states gathered on May 8 at the organization’s headquarters in Cairo and voted to reinstate Syria — a country that had long been a pariah on the world stage.
Foreign ministers from Arab League member states vote to reinstate Syria’s membership in the body at a meeting in the organization’s headquarters in Cairo on May 8, 2023. (AFP)
Syria’s Arab League membership was revoked following a deadly regime crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2011, which later escalated into an all-out civil war.
Although the conflict is not yet fully resolved, the thaw marks an important step toward the reconstruction of shattered infrastructure and ending the hardship of millions of displaced Syrians.
JUNE
Turkiye-PKK conflict intensifies
On June 13, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, more commonly known by its acronym PKK, ended a unilateral ceasefire it put in place with the Turkish state following the February earthquakes.
On June 13, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) group ended a unilateral ceasefire with Turkiye it implemented following the February earthquake. (AFP)
In response, Turkiye dramatically increased strikes against the group’s hideouts in Iraqi Kurdistan, along with targeted assassinations against its leadership.
The leftist guerilla group has led a decades-old insurgency against the Turkish state with a view to creating a semi-autonomous Kurdish state in southeast Turkiye.
JULY
Protests in Israel
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed the first bill of the controversial judicial overhaul pushed forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 24.
Israel’s parliament the Knesset passed the first bill of the controversial judicial overhaul pushed forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, triggering mass protests. (AFP)
The bill’s ratification came despite widespread domestic protests in Israel since the start of the year and calls from US President Joe Biden to postpone it.
In an unprecedented move, thousands of reservists in the Israeli military warned they would stop reporting for duty if the bill was passed.
However, the government’s apparent determination to power ahead with its controversial overhaul was tempered by the Oct. 7 attack.
AUGUST
New Syria protests
While 2023 saw the Syrian government’s gradual reintegration into the Arab fold, the situation in the country remained dire for many of its citizens.
Syrians in the southern Druze-majority city of Suweida began protesting the debilitating economic situation in the country and record high inflation. (AFP)
On Aug. 17, Syrians in the southern Druze-majority city of Suweida began protesting against the country’s debilitating economic conditions and record-high inflation.
The protests quickly spread, leading to renewed calls for the removal of President Bashar Assad — the most open criticism of his regime since the 2011 uprising.
August also saw unprecedented clashes in Syria’s east after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces arrested an Arab leader of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council.
The clashes came after months of protests by Arab tribes against SDF policies and the lack of essential services in the oil-rich province, exposing the vulnerability of the US-allied, semi-autonomous region.
Clashes broke out in Syria’s eastern Arab-majority Deir ez-Zor province on Augu. 27, 2023, after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces arrested a leader of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council. (AFP)
SEPTEMBER
Morocco and Libya
September was a particularly tragic month for North Africa. On Sept. 8, an earthquake devastated Morocco’s Marrakesh-Safi region, killing almost 3,000 people and destroying several of Marrakesh’s historic landmarks.
A view of the rubble in the earthquake-hit village of Imi N’Tala, in central Morocco on October 5, 2023. (AFP/File)
It was the second-deadliest earthquake of the year following the February quakes in Turkiye and Syria.
Then, on Sept. 9, Storm Daniel passed through eastern Libya, bringing devastating floods, which caused two dams to collapse on Sept. 11, sending 1 billion cubic feet (30 million cubic meters) of water into already inundated areas.
Derna in east Libya, home to around 90,000 people, suffered the worst of the resulting damage, with 25 percent of the city disappearing into the Mediterranean Sea.
A tsunami-sized flash flood devastated the Libyan coastal city of Derna on Sept. 10, 2023, sweeping thousands of people to their deaths. (AFP/File)
OCTOBER-DECEMBER
Israel-Hamas war
October saw the start of the most destructive war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
A tsunami-sized flash flood devastated the Libyan coastal city of Derna on Sept. 10, 2023, sweeping thousands of people to their deaths. (AFP/File)
On Oct. 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 240 Israeli and foreign nationals.
Israel responded with a devastating military operation, which has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians to date — the majority of them women and children. The Israeli offensive has triggered mass displacement of civilians and one of the biggest humanitarian disasters in recent memory.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER
COP28
The 28th UN Climate Change Conference — COP28 — was hosted by Dubai from Nov. 28 to Dec. 12, welcoming an estimated 65,000 delegates and guests from around the world to the UAE’s commercial capital to discuss and seek solutions for the pressing challenges posed by climate change.
Participating world leaders and delegates pose for a family photo during the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023. (AFP/File photo)
