The new unit’s recruits – men up to 50 and with at least a high school diploma – will receive lucrative bonuses, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an update on Wednesday. However, the Russians will likely not be able to bring the new corps to the usual strength of 15,000-20,000. The new unit, dubbed the 3rd Corps (3AC) by the British, will be based in Mulino, a settlement in the Nizhny Novgorod region east of Moscow.
According to Ukraine, there are also setbacks for Russia in Crimea: according to Ukrainian information, at least ten aircraft were destroyed in the explosion. “Following the explosion we saw, it is clear that the Air Force contingent was hit,” Ukrainian Air Force General Staff Spokesperson Yuri Ihnat said on TV Wednesday. According to Ihnat, Sukhoi Su-30M and Su-24 combat aircraft and Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft are stationed there.
At least two detonations
Videos show the detonations took place in at least two different places. According to official information from Moscow, a violation of fire safety rules is responsible for the incident. Many observers, on the other hand, assume a Ukrainian attack. The leadership in Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the blasts. However, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter: “This is just the beginning.”
Explosions in Crimea: Cause not yet clear
After the explosions on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, the cause is still unclear. There is speculation, among other things, about a violation of fire protection rules or an act of sabotage. Observers pointed out that Ukrainian troops were more than 200 kilometers away. According to previous reports, the Ukrainian army still does not have missiles with this range. Ukraine does not accept responsibility for the blasts, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak.
According to military experts at the US Institute for the Study of War, the Russian leadership does not want to admit a Ukrainian attack for image reasons. Then Moscow would have to admit that its air defenses failed, the institute said in its review. According to a report in the New York Times, the Ukrainian army attacked the main Russian air base with an undisclosed weapon it had developed. Reports cannot be independently verified.
debate
What is needed for peace in Ukraine?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again promised his countrymen on Tuesday that the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea, which had been annexed by Russia, would be liberated. “Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give up on it.” With annexation in 2014, Russia turned Crimea into one of the most dangerous places. “The Black Sea region cannot be safe while Crimea is occupied,” Zelenskyy said. “This Russian war against Ukraine, against all free Europe, began with Crimea and must end with Crimea, with its liberation.”
Bombing kills again in Ukraine
Meanwhile, hostilities continue unabated. According to official sources, at least 13 people died in nighttime rocket fire in the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk. The announcement was made by the head of the regional military administration, Valentyn Resnichenko, on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
The two hit sites in Nikopol district are opposite the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which has been fired several times recently, on the other bank of the Dnipro River, which has turned into a reservoir. The small town of Marhanez was the hardest hit. In the city, 20 multi-story buildings were damaged by the rocket, including the Palace of Culture, two schools and a dormitory.
On the south bank of the river, about 20 kilometers away, is the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, controlled by Russian forces. In the past, Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russian troops of using the nuclear plant as a shield for their own artillery and rocket attacks. After the nuclear facility itself was attacked and damaged over the weekend, the two sides blame each other for the incidents.
AKW must be examined
At the request of Russia, the United Nations Security Council must now deal with the situation at the nuclear power plant. The Moscow government asked the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, to inform the UN Security Council on Thursday about “attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on the Zaporizhia nuclear plant and its possible catastrophic consequences”. . said diplomatic circles.
IAEA technicians must check the condition of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Critical infrastructure is said to remain intact despite the bombing. Ukraine had already demanded an inspection of facilities occupied by Russian soldiers on Monday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fire at the plant “suicidal” and asked for international access to the site.