The latest news on the war between Russia and Ukraine | Wilnesh News

The timing of Russia’s non-strategic nuclear weapons exercises, which began on Tuesday, is no accident and will certainly be watched closely by Ukraine and the West.

The drills come as Russia has repeatedly warned Kyiv’s Western allies against direct involvement in the war in Ukraine, including any possible deployment of ground troops.

Non-strategic or tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield and are capable of destroying specific targets, such as military bases or training centers. While they are less destructive than strategic nuclear weapons that can destroy entire cities, their use in recent exercises designed to send a warning to Russia’s adversaries has made Russia’s intentions clear.

When the Russian Defense Ministry announced the exercise in early May, it linked the exercise directly to “Provocative statements and threats directed at the Russian Federation by individual Western officials.”

Russia is particularly dissatisfied with French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that he would not rule out the deployment of French ground troops in Ukraine. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also caused uproar when he said Ukraine was free to decide whether to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to take a more direct role in the war, such as by helping intercept Russian missiles. The Kremlin accused Zelensky of “hysteria” and said Kiev’s demands were due to Ukraine’s “unfavorable conditions” on the battlefield.

— Holly Elliot

Russia last week launched a satellite that U.S. intelligence officials believe is a weapon capable of inspecting and attacking other satellites, U.S. Space Command said on Tuesday, with the Russian spacecraft tracking U.S. spy satellites in orbit.

On May 16, a Russian Soyuz rocket launched from the Plesetsk launch site, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Moscow, deploying at least nine satellites in low-Earth orbit, including COSMOS 2576, which A Russian military “censor” spacecraft that U.S. officials say has long been condemned for exhibiting reckless behavior in space.

“We observed the nominal activity and assessed it may be a counter-space weapon that may be capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit,” a U.S. Space Command spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.

“Russia is deploying this new counterspace weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite.”

COSMOS 2576 is similar to previously deployed counterspace payloads in 2019 and 2022, the statement added, referring to Russia’s past strategy of deploying satellites near sensitive U.S. spy satellites.

U.S. intelligence agencies have been anticipating the launch of COSMOS 2576 and notifying allies of an assessment of the satellite before it is deployed into space, according to a U.S. official familiar with intelligence. The launch also included civilian satellites deployed to different orbits.

— Reuters

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Russian military on Tuesday began the first phase of training “to prepare and use non-strategic nuclear weapons.” postal on the telegraph.

At this stage, the missile formation personnel of the Southern Military Region are practicing the combat training mission of obtaining special ammunition for the “Iskander” tactical missile system, equipment launch vehicles, and secretly advancing into designated positions.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills earlier this month in a move he said was aimed at deterring Western military involvement in Ukraine.

— Karen Gilchrist

TASS reported that the former commander of Russia’s 58th Army, who last year condemned the treatment of soldiers on the battlefield, was arrested on suspicion of large-scale fraud. report Tuesday.

The country’s military court ordered Major General Ivan Popov to be detained for two months, the TASS news agency said. Popov’s lawyer said he had appealed against the detention, Interfax news agency reported, according to Reuters.

“The former commander of the 58th Guards Combined Army Ivan Ivanovich Popov was arrested on suspicion of fraud,” the agency’s interlocutor said, TASS reported.

Last July, Popov said he fired A four-minute audio message emerged in which he outlined key flaws in Russia’s defenses and said they had allowed his troops to inflict mass casualties on the battlefield in Ukraine.

— Karen Gilchrist

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent calls for more Western aid and involvement in the conflict were due to “extremely unfavorable” battlefield conditions in Ukraine.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said: “Many representatives of the Kiev regime and Zelensky himself have made many statements in recent days, sometimes even falling into hysteria. This is due to the fact that the troops of the Kiev regime are on the front line Extremely disadvantaged position.

“This is also due to the fact that the Ukrainian military finds itself in a rather difficult situation, despite all the help promised. Supplies are not as regular as hoped. Above all, there is a growing realization that even if the rhythm of military supplies resumes , but this still does not allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to change the dynamics on the front, this understanding is growing, but it does not increase the confidence or balanced judgment of the representatives of the Kiev regime,” he added.

Peskov’s comments came after Zelensky told Reuters on Monday that he was trying to involve Ukraine’s partners more directly, asking them to help intercept Russian missiles and allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons against Russian border patrols. Military equipment and targets within Russia.

However, he said he understood they were wary of confronting Russia. “This is a matter of will,” Zelensky told the news agency. “But everyone says a word that sounds the same in all languages: Everyone is afraid of escalation.”

Zelensky told Reuters that the situation on the frontline had stabilized last week, although he acknowledged that the situation for Ukrainian troops was more difficult after Russia launched a new offensive in the northeast.

— Holly Elliot

Finland has called on the European Union to help prevent so-called “instrumentalized” or “weaponized” migration at its border with Russia.

Finland has closed its border with Russia in recent months, accusing the country of deliberately sending undocumented asylum seekers across its borders in an attempt to destabilize the country’s new NATO member state. Moscow denies the accusation.

On Tuesday, the Finnish government submitted Proposal for new border security law submitted to Parliament This would allow border agents to prevent immigrants considered “instruments of influence” from entering from Russia.

“The government has the responsibility to ensure the security of the border, Finland and Finns under all circumstances,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a press conference, according to Reuters.

“Unfortunately, EU legislation does not yet provide us with effective tools to address this problem. I hope that our work will pave the way for solutions at European level,” he added.

— Holly Elliot