On Wednesday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) announced that they had destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with American weapons as part of their counterattack in the Kursk region, while Kyiv and Moscow exchanged territorial gains in each other’s countries this week.
A video released by the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) on Wednesday shows AFU units firing US HIMARS systems at bridges and pontoon crossings. The SOF offices also claimed to have hit and destroyed other equipment, an ammunition depot, a fuel and lubricants storage facility, an electronic warfare system and a 152mm D-20 artillery piece, all in the Kursk region.
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During their 15-day incursion into Russia’s southwestern region bordering Ukraine, AFU units have already destroyed three more important supply bridges across the Sejm. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the aim of the operation as creating a buffer zone along his country’s northeastern border to prevent further Russian attacks on the areas around the Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Kharkiv.
In his speech on Wednesday evening, Zelensky said that Kyiv’s allies should fulfill their obligations and supply more weapons to defend Ukraine.
“This is fundamental for defense,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported further successes on Ukraine’s eastern front, particularly in the fighting around Pokrovsk. Moscow said it had captured the settlement of Zhelanne, located about 19 kilometers east of this transport hub.
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According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing reports from military bloggers along the Pokrovsk Front, Russian forces have also recently advanced into southeastern Hrodivka (east of the city).
The think tank writes: “The Russian advance through Hrodivka is likely to slow as Russian forces begin to fight their way through the more populated areas of the settlement. In addition, Russian forces may struggle to maintain their current pace of advance if they attempt to advance further west to Myrnohrad (northeast of Pokrovsk) and Pokrovsk, as these towns are larger and more densely populated than the small and mainly rural settlements that Russian forces have so far captured east of Pokrovsk and west of Avdiivka.
“The pace of Russian advances in the region will also depend on how well manned and equipped the Ukrainian forces defending these cities will be.”
In the Kremlin, Russia and China showcase their growing economic relations
As Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Moscow on Tuesday, the two countries stressed their “large-scale joint plans” and praised the emerging “results” of their recently expanded economic partnership.
“Our trade relations are developing successfully… The attention that the governments of both sides pay to trade and economic relations is bearing fruit,” Putin said at a meeting with Li. “Our states have developed large-scale joint plans and projects in the economic and humanitarian spheres, which we expect to continue for many years to come,” he added.
Li himself stated (as AFP quoted through Kremlin translators) that “Chinese-Russian relations are at an unprecedented high level” and that this has created a “strong impetus for further deepening bilateral relations”.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also met with the Chinese premier and underlined Beijing’s role in supporting the Russian economy in the face of Western attempts to thwart it through sanctions.
“Our partnership and strategic cooperation is especially important in a situation where new contours of the world order are being formed,” said Mishustin. “And under these conditions, the Russian-Chinese connection is a powerful stabilizing factor that promotes economic growth in both countries and improves the quality of life of our citizens.”
Although Beijing benefits from cheap Russian energy imports and enjoys its status as one of Russia’s few major customers despite Western sanctions, it continues to portray itself as “neither a party nor a participant” in the war in Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s claims that certain Chinese parts have been found in weapons used in Putin’s invasion. Beijing denies that any of its goods were used as such components.
AFP pointed out that NATO members had described China as a “key enabler” of the war.
Due to the lack of western parts, Moscow’s electricity supplier fears deficits in a few years
For the first time in recent history, Russia’s central electricity company has expressed concern that the country could face long-term power shortages because foreign companies are failing to repair critical equipment or supply spare parts.
The Moscow Times reported this week that the draft “General Plan for the Development of Russia’s Energy Supply until 2042,” prepared by the country’s central energy company, estimates that Russia could face a deficit of 1.6 GW by 2030 and 4.2 GW by 2042.
The report stated that after the tightening of Western sanctions in June 2023, there were no spare parts or personnel to repair the turbines of the thermal power plants. In particular, the American company General Electric and the German company Siemens had refused to service the foreign-made turbines, which account for about 10 percent of the country’s total turbine production.
Rostov fuel tanks still burning
Apart from that, the Russian military’s energy supply continues to shrink, albeit to a much lesser extent. For example, the diesel tanks in the Rostov region that were hit by Ukrainian attack drones over the weekend are still burning four days later.
According to an analysis by Radio Liberty and open-source intelligence analysts, by Wednesday the fire from the drone strikes had rendered much of the huge facility’s storage capacity inoperable: the inferno completely destroyed 14 fuel tanks, while four others were partially destroyed. Official sources said 22 tanks were on fire.
The exact extent of the damage could not be calculated from the satellite images, the independent analysts said, as huge clouds of thick, black smoke were still above the plant.
