Russia Ukraine war: Moscow ‘would be forced’ to go nuclear if Kyiv’s counter-offensive succeeds

Vladimir Putin’s assistant and previous Russian president Dmitry Medvedev threatened that Moscow “would be forced” to release a nuclear weapon if Ukraine’s counteroffensive was a success.

“Imagine if the offensive, which is backed by Nato, was a success and they tore off a part of our land, then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon, according to the rules of a decree from the president of Russia,” he said.

Mr Medvedev said that “there would simply be no other option”.

“So our enemies should pray for our warriors’ (success). They are making sure that a global nuclear fire is not ignited,” he said.

The Russian authorities are not able to insulate their population from the war in Ukraine as they continue to raise the possibilities for preparing males into the military, paired with attacks on Moscow and domestic repression, the British Ministry of Defence said today.

It indicated the Russian authorities prioritising modifying legislation to enable more males to be quickly prepared into the armed force.

In mid-July 2023, the State Duma increased the optimum age of liability for conscription from 27 to 30, while maintaining the present lower limitation at 18, the ministry said.

“While conscripts are not currently deployed in Ukraine, extra draftees free-up professional and mobilised soldiers from other duties inside Russia,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

“The increased chance of being compelled to fight, drone attacks on Moscow, exceptional level of domestic repression, and the recent Wagner mutiny combine to highlight the Russian state’s failure to insulate the population from the war,” it said.

“On 24 July, president Putin signed a bill which will gradually increase the upper age limit for those liable for call up as reservists: senior officers can now be mobilised up to 70. Reservists made up the Autumn 2022 ‘partial mobilisation’ and could provide a more immediate boost to the number available to fight in Ukraine,” the ministry kept in mind.

Ukraine will sign up with the United States today on going over security assurances for Kyiv pending the conclusion of the procedure of signing up with Nato, an assistant from president Volodymyr Zelensky’s cabinet said.

Officials from a variety of nations were preparing to satisfy in Saudi Arabia to talk about Mr Zelensky’s peace prepare for Ukraine, based upon the departure of all Russian soldiers, said Andriy Yermak, the president’s chief of staff said.

He did not state when the next conference would occur however said the strategy would be gone over in 3 stages, leading up to a conference of presidents and federal government.

The Wall Street Journal initially reported on the conference in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, stating it would be kept in Jeddah on 5-6 August.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called Sunday “a good day, a powerful day” on the battleground, especially near Bakhmut where Ukrainian forces said they were retaking ground lost when Russian forces took the city in May.

“And, of course, the frontline. Thank you all for this day at the front – a good day, a powerful day. Bakhmut direction, other very hot and painful areas in Donbas: Avdiivka, Maryinka, and, of course, the southern directions,” Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine did not straight declare duty for the drone attacks however the war-time president said the war was “gradually returning to Russia’s territory – to its symbolic centres”.

Ukraine has actually reported gaining back more ground from getting into Russian forces along the eastern and southern fronts this month as its counteroffensive continues.

Speaking throughout his latest nighttime address on Thursday 27 July, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky declared the regain of another town, stating: “I thank everyone who is fighting for Ukraine! Thank you for the liberation of Staromaiorske. Congratulations again, guys!”

That followed even his Russian equivalent Vladimir Putin was required to confess the Ukrainians were making advances which the combating had actually intensified in recent days.

So how considerable are the gains?

Russian and Ukrainian soldiers are involved in heavy combating in the war-hit country’s northeast with military salvo reported in both – Russia-held and Ukraine-held locations – as Kyiv’s forces hold their positions and have actually likewise reported some gains.

Ukrainian deputy defence minister said Russian forces were trying to “drive us out” of raised positions in the northeast inhabited by Moscow soon after it released a major intrusion of Ukraine. The positions were regained by Ukraine in 2015.

“They have attacked endlessly this week. But our troops resist the attacks and sometimes push them back with heavy losses,” the deputy minister said.

She included that the Russians had actually suffered “no fewer losses than during the heated battles in Bakhmut”, which was up to Russian forces after more than 10 months of combating.

The essential task of Russian forces getting into Ukraine, she said, was to “divert out forces from the Bakhmut area, where we have a successful offensive.”

On the southern front, Ms Maliar said Russian forces were likewise “tenaciously trying to seize back” locations.

While Ukraine has actually regained 200 sq km (77 sq miles) in the south, the minister said advances were restricted by established Russian positions and mines.

Russia’s armed force has actually likewise verified battleground action in the northeast and said its forces have actually stopped Ukraine’s soldiers in the northeast. It declared to have actually obstructed and downed 3 Ukrainian drones which it said were intending to strike Moscow and harmed a high-rise building reported to house federal government workplaces.

A month on from the Wagner Group’s remarkable tried mutiny versus Russia’s military establishment – the mercenary group’s creator, Yevgeny Prigozhin, seems back in his homeland.

Under the regards to the truce brokered in between Mr Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin by Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko on 24 June, the previous was said to have actually accepted transplant in Belarus while his soldiers were purchased to report to camps because nation prior to either rejoining the Russian military or stepping away entirely without worry of prosecution.

It consequently emerged that Mr Prigozhin – a previous felon who emerged from jail to build up a financially rewarding catering business and was nicknamed “Putin’s chef” prior to he formed Wagner – had actually gone to an in person conference with Mr Putin at the Kremlin 5 days after the aborted coup, deepening the secret surrounding the affair.

Read more from Joe Sommerlad here:

Pro-democracy Russians in Serbia opposed on Sunday after 2 popular anti-war activists and critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin said they dealt with issues with entry and residence allows in the Balkan nation.

Several lots activists held banners checking out “We came to live in peace” and ”I enjoy Serbia and I desire safe and happy life here,” as they collected at a main square in Belgrade, the Serbian capital.

The rally came days after Serbian cops declined to extend a residency license for Vladimir Volokhonski and weeks after another popular activist, Peter Nikitin, invested more than one day at the Belgrade airport due to the fact that of an entry restriction, according to the 2 activists.

Amid the devastations of war, Sergey, an experienced Wagner mercenary, discovered himself facing the unrelenting violence that has actually ended up being a way of living and death on the cutting edge. The savage dispute, the sense of betrayal from the Kremlin, and rumours of plots, all integrated to produce an environment of unpredictability and fear.

At completion he chose to abandon the Wagner group and the savage, meat-grinding fight of Donbas where remains accumulated, and towns and cities were taken down.

With the future of the mercenary group in the balance after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s stopped working march on Moscow and worry of future retribution, Sergey cannot forget the horrible things he experienced in the months of bloody dispute.

Read more from Kim Sengupta here:

I understand it sounds over the leading to in fact call a frozen embryo by a name.

I don’t desire another kid, however it doesn’t stop me from fretting about my frozen embryo or fantasising about Tallulah.

With a restriction on flying to Russia from the UK and the EU, and definitely no word from the personal fertility center concerning storage costs for a while, now, I began to question: what the hell is going on?

Read more from Charlotte Cripps here: