New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first official trip since taking office. Ukraine strikes a valuable Russian radar station, using U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles. Part of Donetsk region will be cut off from water supply for an indefinite time following Russia’s attacks.
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in first official trip since taking office
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on Thursday in his first official trip since taking office. He met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Kyiv.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Rutte, Zelenskyi said that Ukraine needs more air defense and reiterated his calls for partners to help shoot down Russian missiles and drones. He drew a comparison with Western resolve in aiding Israel.
“We spoke today about Ukraine’s air defense needs and a joint action with our neighbors. We see how in the Middle East allies’ unity saves human lives. The joint shooting down of Iranian missiles is no different from the shooting down of Russian missiles and Iranian Shahed drones which unite the Russian and Iranian regimes,” Zelenskyi said.
“We need our regional partners to be more decisive to stop Russian terror. We will continue to convince our partners,” he said.
“Shooting down drones or missiles violating allied territory are, of course, decisions for the national authorities,” Rutte said when asked about the prospects of such a move.
“We are working with them, at present the [allies] are not ready [to protect the Ukrainian skies],” Zelenskyi said.
Mark Rutte, a former Dutch Prime Minister, took over from Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General on Tuesday. Rutte said NATO’s support for Ukraine would be one of his top priorities in office.
Ukraine strikes valuable Russian radar station using U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles
Ukrainian troops have struck a Russian Nebo-M radar station using U.S.-supplied ATACMS long-range ballistic missiles, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Thursday.
“Its destruction significantly reduces the ability of the Russian army to detect, track and intercept aerodynamic and ballistic targets,” the message reads.
The Nebo-M is hard to hit as it operates in stealth mode, scanning the horizon for aerial targets.
Russia has just 10 of such radar stations remaining, the Ukrainian military said, putting the cost of each system at more than USD 100 million.
“A destroyed Nebo-M radar station will result in a favorable ‘air corridor’ for the effective use of its British Storm Shadow and French SCALP cruise missiles. Ukraine’s defense forces continue to strike the enemy’s important targets,” the General Staff said.
Part of Donetsk region cut off from water supply for indefinite time following Russia’s attacks
Water supply will be cut to the northern part of Donetsk region with a population of approximately 260,000 people for an indefinite time after Russian attacks damaged two water infrastructure sites, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin said on Thursday.
The cities of Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka and adjacent towns and villages will be affected by water cuts.
According to Filashkin, Russia “critically damaged” Vody Donbasu (Donbas Waters), a local water utility on September 28.
“Due to the extensive damage done to the facility, it is impossible to restore the equipment to a usable condition,” he added.
Regional authorities and local self-government work to provide alternative sources of water to consumers.
What is behind Russian cultural diplomacy? Ukraine in Flames #668
Russia actively uses Russian culture and cultural diplomacy to spread narratives and ideas favorable to the Kremlin among foreign, particularly African and Latin American audiences. There are three major Russian state-owned or state-affiliated organizations that aim to spread Kremlin geopolitical and cultural narratives and maintain contact with Russians and sympathizers abroad: Rossotrudnichestvo, Russian World Foundation and Gorchakov Foundation. Watch Ukraine in Flames #668 to find out about the methods of work of these institutions abroad, the geography of their branches and representative offices and behavior after the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war.
Guests:
- Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute
- Mykhailo Samus, Military Expert, Director of the New Geopolitics Research Network