A Russian tanker was damaged in an attack in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on Saturday night. According to media reports, the incident was a Ukrainian drone attack. According to Russian and Ukrainian media, there had previously been several explosions near the Crimean Bridge. The information could not be independently verified. (Here you can read more about it.)
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian naval ships and also the Crimean Bridge. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has previously warned that from July 21, 2023, all ships calling at Black Sea ports of the Russian Federation and Ukrainian ports temporarily occupied by Russia will be considered military targets by Ukraine. The country has been defending itself against Russian war of aggression for more than 17 months.
A military expert meanwhile sees chances of success for the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which is progressing slowly but steadily. Only the Ukraine needs more western weapon systems – also from Germany.
Around two months after the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, military expert Christian Mölling from the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) sees chances for the operation to be successful. The offensive is progressing slowly but surely. “If the Ukrainians manage to get through the first Russian line of defense, the offensive will be successful,” Mölling told the Funke media group newspapers (Saturday).
From Mölling’s point of view, it would be enough for the Ukrainian troops to push forward to the transverse supply lines by rail and road in the direction of Melitopol. Then they could shell the whole area up to the Sea of Azov with artillery and rocket artillery, says the expert. “The terrain would then no longer be defensible for the Russians.”
According to the DGAP expert, the Ukrainians do not need a breakthrough. It would be enough to position themselves so well that it would no longer be possible for the Russians to hold the south. “Then they have to leave.” The war could also be decided without a decisive battle. “It doesn’t have to end like in a Hollywood film,” says Mölling.
However, Ukraine needs more of all the Western weapon systems that have been delivered so far: minesweepers, ammunition and anti-aircraft defense. In addition, the country needs longer-range missiles. Mölling demanded that Germany should also deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev. In his opinion, it is “nonsense” that this represents an escalation. The British and French have already delivered similar missiles. “There is no new quality.” The federal government must also draw up a plan of what the Ukrainians will need in six months. “Germany has always come too late.”
The federal government is reluctant to deliver Taurus cruise missiles because the projectiles can also reach Russian territory.
The federal government has meanwhile delivered further military equipment and weapons to Ukraine. According to an overview on the government website updated on Friday, Kiev received two more demining tanks, nine more border protection vehicles and three more reconnaissance drones compared to the previous week. In addition, Germany also supplied anti-mine plows for T-72 tanks, automated reconnaissance systems and mobile antenna mast complexes.
The list of planned military aid has also been updated. New plans now include the delivery of 18,000 anti-tank handguns, 40 additional Marder-type armored personnel carriers, six armored recovery vehicles, seven long-range minesweepers and five additional reconnaissance systems.
After the attack by a Ukrainian sea drone on a Russian warship on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the SBU secret service for its work. In his evening video address, Zelenskyy said the SBU brought the war back to the Russian aggressor. “What you bring into the world, you ultimately stay seated on,” it said on his Telegram channel. Earlier, the media published a video on the Internet, which is said to show the successful attack of an SBU sea drone loaded with 450 kg of explosives on the enemy ship.
Later pictures showed the landing ship “Olenegorski gornjak” (Olenegorsk miner) in an inclined position in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Even Russian war bloggers loyal to the Kremlin wrote about the damage to the ship.
A summit meeting of high-ranking representatives from more than 30 countries on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine begins in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The meeting will take place in the coastal city of Jeddah until Sunday. Russia will not participate.
