Ukraine Ticker – Russia threatens NATO: “You should not forget that”

Russia shifts direction of attack in Ukraine to the south

10:57 p.m.: According to the Ukrainian military, the heavy fighting in the east of the country is continuing. There were 115 battles, the General Staff in Kiev reported in its evening situation report. “The situation was hottest today in the direction of Kurakhovo, but the enemy was also active in the direction of Lyman and Pokrovsk,” it said. In the Kurakhovo area, the American defenders had so far repelled 30 attacks, with five more casualties.

Kurakhove is a small town south of Pokrovsk. For a long time, Pokrovsk was considered the main attack direction for Russian troops. Recently, however, the Russians were only able to make a few gains in the area. Instead, they broadened their attack axis towards the south.

Near Kurakhove they are now trying to capture the mining town of Hirnyk in order to either encircle Russian forces or force them to abandon their positions. The military blog Dwa Majora wrote of major advances in the Russian region for the Moscow military.

German army intercepts two Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea

19:33: Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea have triggered a mission for Bundeswehr interceptors. German Eurofighters took off from Laage air base in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and from Lielvarde in Latvia to identify a Russian aircraft without a flight plan or transponder, the Air Force announced on Platform X. They encountered a TU-142 aircraft – a maritime patrol aircraft and submarine hunter – that was escorted by fighter aircraft. The German fighter jets had accompanied it over the Baltic Sea, it was reported.

Such incidents are not unusual. According to NATO, last year, Alliance aircraft took off more than 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching NATO airspace. Most of these incidents occurred over the Baltic Sea.

In accordance with current aviation law, Russia also uses international airspace for military flights. According to previous information from the German Armed Forces, Russian military aircraft almost always fly without an identification signal (“transponder”), which makes them invisible to civil air traffic control. During these flights, these aircraft come close to NATO airspace without violating it. It is assumed that this is also a test of the reaction to such flights.

The German army currently has Eurofighters stationed in Lielvarde, Latvia, to monitor the airspace over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The three Baltic NATO countries do not have their own fighter jets. The NATO allies have therefore been taking turns to secure Baltic airspace since 2004.

Russia threatens NATO: “You should not forget that”

18:32: Citing its nuclear weapons, Russia is warning the United States and NATO against the possible use of long-range Western precision weapons against targets deep in Russian territory. “This is not a game. The fact is that NATO will be directly involved in hostilities against a nuclear power. “I think you should not forget this and think about the considerations,” said Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya in the United Nations Security Council.

“The NATO military will program missile systems. We are not talking about allowing Kiev to launch long-range attacks on Russia, but about making a decision for direct attacks from the West,” said the diplomat. NATO would be a direct party to the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously made similar comments, but did not refer to the arsenal of nuclear weapons.

“I have never said, and we would never say, that we do not take Mr. Putin’s threats seriously,” said John Kirby, communications director of the National Security Council in the White House. Putin’s threats of nuclear weapons are taken seriously. Putin has indicated that he is capable of escalation and aggression. “We also take these statements seriously, but this is nothing we have not heard before.” We also take note of them.”

Ukraine has long been demanding that the US and Britain allow the deployment of long-range missiles in Russia’s hinterland. Their stated aim is to disrupt Russian logistics and attack air force airfields far behind the Russian-Ukrainian border.

“We are home”: Next exchange of prisoners of war between Kiev and Moscow

17:43: Kiev and Moscow exchanged prisoners of war once again on Friday. Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the Telegram online service that 49 prisoners of war had returned home from Russia, including former fighters from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, which had been under siege for weeks. Journalists from the AFP news agency, who were able to follow the prisoner exchange on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, saw Russian military personnel being taken in a bus towards Belarus, an ally of Russia.

Neither Zelensky nor the Russian authorities have yet provided any further details about the exchange or the number of Russian soldiers released.

“49 Ukrainians have returned home,” said the Ukrainian head of state, publishing photos of soldiers wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian national flags. According to Zelensky, these are members of the army, the national guard, the national police, the border guard and civilians.

With tears in their eyes, the released Ukrainians, most of them women, got off the bus, their faces showing relief and exhaustion. “We are home, we are home,” some of them repeated.

Selenskyj before meeting with Biden: “I will present him the plan for victory”

3.40 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a meeting with US President Joe Biden for September. “I will present him with the plan for victory,” the head of state said during an appearance in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. It is about a system of interdependent decisions that will give Ukraine sufficient strength to steer the war towards peace. “Such wars of conquest can be justified in several ways: either the occupying army is forced out by force or by diplomacy,” explained Zelensky. This will guarantee the country’s actual independence. However, Kyiv is dependent on the support of the United States to achieve the necessary strong position.

Local media have been speculating for some time about Zelensky’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York at the end of September.

In his speech, Zelensky once again criticized the West’s hesitation to use long-range weapons supplied by the West on Russian territory. “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not need any permissions or consent to use long-range weapons,” Zelensky emphasized. Putin interprets hesitation and delays in arms deliveries as “permission for himself to do anything.”

British Prime Minister: We don’t want a conflict with Russia

Friday, September 13, 03:02: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that allowing the West to release long-range weapons for attacks deep inside Russian territory would be tantamount to NATO’s involvement in the war. “Britain does not want a conflict with Russia,” Starmer said on the way to Washington. “Ukraine has a right to self-defense,” and Britain fully supports this right and offers training opportunities in this context. “But we are not looking for a conflict with Russia – that is not our intention in the slightest,” stressed the British Prime Minister.

Kyiv has repeatedly asked Britain and the US to authorize the use of long-range missiles so that Ukraine can use them to attack targets in the Russian hinterland. This is also likely to be a topic at Starmer’s meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. “I want to make sure tomorrow that these discussions, the tactical discussions, are placed in the correct strategic context of the situation in Ukraine,” Starmer stressed.

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