The gist Two days after Vladimir Putin’s speech formalizing the annexation of four Ukrainian regions to Russia, the Russian army suffered major disappointments, particularly in Lyman. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov called on the Russian army to use “low-power nuclear weapons” in Ukraine. Follow the development of the conflict live with us.
Are we at a turning point in the war in Ukraine? The Ukrainian gun is regaining ground from Russia as the days go by. The situation could become dramatic if the Russian army begins to use low-power nuclear weapons, as recommended by the head of Russia’s Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Pope “begs” Putin
Pope Francis “begged” Russian President Vladimir Putin this Sunday morning to “stop” the “spiral of violence” in Ukraine, while deeply regretting the “violations of international law” annexations. Before praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope “turned to the President of the Russian Federation and asked him, also out of love for his people, to stop this spiral of violence and death.” This is the first time since the conflict began on February 24 that the pope has directly named the Russian president during a speech.
“I deeply regret the serious situation that has arisen in recent days (…) It increases the risk of nuclear escalation to the point where fears of uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences arise on a global scale,” he estimated. The sovereign Pope also made “an equally confident appeal to the President of Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelensky) to be open to serious peace proposals.” The Holy See has been trying to maintain a delicate diplomatic balance with the two countries since February 24, with the pope condemning a “cruel and senseless” war but keeping open the possibility of dialogue with Moscow.
Lyman “completely rid” of the Russian army
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday October 2 that the city of Lyman, a major rail hub in the region annexed by Moscow from Donetsk, was completely under the control of the Ukrainian army the day after the announced withdrawal of Russian troops. “As of 12:30 local time, Lyman is completely liberated (by the Russian army). Thanks to our soldiers,” the President of Ukraine welcomed in a video posted on social media.
Soon a new Ukrainian counter-offensive?
The Ukrainians are preparing a third counter-offensive that would be “deadly” for the Russian army, Guillaume Ancel, a former French army officer, told France Info. “Militarily, the Russians have already lost the war (…) The Russian army has lost most of its equipment and potential, especially in terms of command and intelligence (…) They do not have the means to resist , they can only prolong their debacle a little longer. It’s only a matter of time,” he explains to our colleagues.
Russians mobilized by army but poorly prepared
According to Cédric Mas, military historian, the mobilized Russian men “who were civilians ten days ago will not be able to do much in a high-intensity conflict before months of training.”
Ukraine 10/02 These mobilized men who were civilians 10 days ago can sing as if going to “green class”, they will not be able to do much in a high-intensity conflict several months ago of training . pic.twitter.com/YRBf0czVgm
— Cedric Mas (@CedricMas) October 2, 2022
A new mass grave discovered
A new mass grave discovered by Ukrainian troops in the newly liberated city of Kupiansk near Karkhiv in the east of the country. Yesterday the governor of Kharkiv province accused the Russians of shooting dead 24 people “including children and a pregnant woman” as they tried to flee the car bombardment.
Ukraine expects German tanks
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht paid a surprise visit to Ukraine on Saturday, her first since the Russian invasion began. Christine Lambrecht traveled to the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa, where she met her Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiï Reznikov. Ukrainian leaders have been urging the federal government for several weeks to authorize the delivery of modern main battle tanks that could make a difference against Russian troops.
“Russia is losing the war”
These annexations make “the end of the war much more difficult, almost impossible”, estimated the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Saturday and called on Europe to strengthen its military arsenal, “it is necessary, essential for survival”. “Russia is losing” the war, “it has lost it morally and politically,” but “Ukraine has not won yet,” he said.
The Ukrainian army enters Lyman, one of the areas annexed by Moscow
On Saturday, October 1, the Ukrainian army entered Lyman, a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, in the Donetsk region, whose annexation by Moscow was sharply condemned by Kyiv and the West the day before. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed this important tactical victory as Lyman is a key rail junction, assuring that next week “new Ukrainian flags will fly over Donbass”, where Donetsk region is located. Then he launched, addressing Russian soldiers and officials, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin: “Until you all solve the problem of who started it all, who started this senseless war against Ukraine, you will be one after the other being killed and scapegoated by others. because you don’t admit that this war is a historical mistake for Russia.”