Interesting points by President Zelenskyy from the interview with WaPo:
- Strikes on oil refineries
"The reaction of the U.S. was not positive on this but we used our drones. Nobody can say to us you can’t.” 1/8
"If there is no air defense to protect our energy system, and Russians attack it, my question is: Why can’t we answer them? Their society has to learn to live without petrol, without diesel, without electricity. … It’s fair.” 2/8
- Long-range capabilities:
Zelensky wants to use ATACMS-300s not to attack Russian territory but those airfields in Crimea. 3/8
"When Russia knows we can destroy these jets, they will not attack from Crimea. It’s like with the sea fleet. We pushed them from our territorial waters. Now we will push them from the airports in Crimea.” 4/8
- US aid package:
“If there is no U.S. support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimeter artillery rounds,” he said. “It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps.” 5/8
“We are trying to find some way not to retreat. we have stabilized the situation because of smart steps by our military.” If the front remains stable, he said Ukraine can arm and train new brigades in the rear to conduct a new counteroffensive later this year. 6/8
Ukraine is running short of interceptors and other air-defense weapons to protect its cities and infrastructure. Without the support of Congress, we will have a big deficit of missiles. 7/8
- On drones:
Zelensky touted his program for a domestically produced “army of drones, including some that can reach 1,000 kilometers or more into Russia.” But he cautioned that “drones are not enough for winning the war. Drones are not missiles" 8/8
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The next stage of warfare will be defined by artificial intelligence and drone autonomy.
Why are we able to cut Russian logistics on the battlefield? Because we can control drones, especially mid-strike drones, in real time. 1/12
Our operators change flight paths, identify targets, and destroy them as missions unfold. The next step is autonomy. 2/12
Today, Russians cannot effectively jam many of these mid-strike drones because they rely on satellite communications or other highly reliable communication channels. In reality, we use an entire ecosystem of communication technologies. 3/12
Ukraine has pulled off one of the most remarkable military feats of a century. It has managed, against the odds, to fight Russia to a standstill in its invasion and is turning around and regaining moderate amounts of territory. 1/12
Russia has been losing tremendous numbers of soldiers. A couple of months ago, for the first time since the beginning of the war, Russia began losing more soldiers in a month than it was able to field back onto the battlefield. 2/12
This is a bad direction for Russia.
The deep strikes that Ukraine has been able to perpetuate against the Russian Federation have really started to take a toll on the energy industry inside Russia. 3/12
Ukraine continues its systematic campaign to degrade Russian air defense capabilities. In a single day yesterday, Ukrainian forces destroyed seven Russian air defense systems. 1/
In just the first half of June, Ukraine has already eliminated 28 air defense systems, one of the highest monthly totals of the war and is on track to surpass its own record set in May. 2/
The air defense degradation campaign is one of the significant factors contributing to Ukraine’s growing ability to identify optimal strike corridors and penetrate heavily protected cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg. 3/
A powerful open letter from President Zelenskyy to Putin:
When you came to power in Russia more than 26 years ago, many people in Ukraine viewed you positively. That is how it was. But that is now in the past. 1/19
Now, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians view it positively that our long-range drones paid a visit to the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of more than 1,000 kms. As you know very well, that distance is not the limit of our capabilities. 2/19
For 26 years, your time in power has completely changed the agenda of relations between Ukraine and Russia. From discussions about trade and other civilian matters, our nations have moved to talking almost exclusively about strikes and losses. 3/19
General Biletksyi, Commander of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps:
Russia’s winter campaign was largely unsuccessful, and its spring campaign has also failed to achieve its objectives.
A turning point is taking place at both the tactical and operational levels. 1/10
There are certainly many factors [why Ukraine is in the best position since the 2022 counteroffensive].
One of the key indicators is territorial gains, which reflect the capabilities of both armies. 2/10
At the very least, it can be said that those capabilities have now reached a relative balance. In many respects, Russia is increasingly facing a stalemate on the battlefield. 3/10
General Budanov, Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office:
The fact that Putin is worried about his life is definitely true. There are certain reasons why he feels that way. A lot of it may be exaggerated, but ultimately people of his type tend to live with similar fears. 1/10
There are quite serious and intelligent people within the [Kremlin] system who are capable of analyzing what is happening. They can clearly see the trajectory of events and understand that regression and decline are visible in many areas. 2/10
Such developments can be tolerated for a certain period of time, but in the long run they do not lead to anything good, and that itself becomes a threat. The emergence of signs of systemic instability is what they are truly afraid of. 3/10