Zelensky blames slow pace of Ukrainian counteroffensive on delay in getting critical weapons and shortage of artillery shells
Jamie McIntyre
ZELENSKY: ‘I TOLD THEM … IF WE START LATER, IT WILL GO SLOWER’: In a candid interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted his country’s counteroffensive is bogged down because of Russia’s effective deployment of anti-tank mines, a situation that might have been avoided if he could have begun operation months ago.
“I wanted our counteroffensive happening much earlier because everyone understood that if the counteroffensive will be unfolding later, then a much bigger part of our territory will be mined. Thus, we give our enemy time and possibilities in order to place more mines and prepare their defense lines,” Zelensky told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an interview conducted earlier this week in the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
Zelensky said he begged the U.S. and European nations for more weapons sooner, warning that the plodding pace of approval and deliveries would cost lives on the battlefield. “I told them … that we would like to start our counteroffensive earlier. And we will need all the weapons and materials for that. Why? Simply because if we start later, it will go slower, and we will have losses of lives because everything is heavily mined, and we will have to go through it all.”
British intelligence confirmed this week that Russia had “refined tactics” that have effectively blunted Ukrainian armor assaults by using far more mines than usual to slow down tanks, and then attacking them with drones and helicopters.
RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKE KILLS FOUR IN LVIV, UKRAINE
‘WE DON’T HAVE THE RELEVANT WEAPONS’: Zelensky was careful to balance his complaints with effusive praise for President Joe Biden and the U.S. Congress. “It’s difficult for Ukraine to survive without the U.S. support and it’s a fact. I’m very direct when saying this. Without the U.S.’s help, it will become a frozen conflict.”
But Zelensky said the Biden administration’s decision to withhold longer-range ATACMS [Army Tactical Missile System], built by Lockheed Martin, has hobbled Ukraine’s ability to take out Russian supply lines, which is critical to its strategy of wearing down front-line fighters who are dug-in in an elaborate system of trenches.
“When we talk about ATACMS, they are very important because we can hit some long-distance targets without losing our people. The fact [is] that Russia has advantage on the ground and has more long-range weaponry,” he told CNN. “Will this accelerate our moving forward? Yes, 100% , because in some directions, it will give us opportunities to start the counteroffensive. In some directions, we cannot even think of starting it, as we don’t have the relevant weapons. And throwing our people to be killed by Russian long-range weapons will be simply inhumane. So we’re not going to do it.”
‘WE LACK QUANTITY’: The Ukrainian strategy seems to be to probe the Russian lines for weak spots, and then, after drawing Russian forces into expending artillery, Ukrainian forces hunker down and use counter-battery radar to locate the Russian firing positions. Then when the Russians seem to be running low on ammunition, Ukrainian forces launch a counterstrike with their own artillery.
There’s just one problem. Ukraine is critically short of artillery rounds. “We cannot hit all the targets because of the absence of the quantity in our own artillery. We gather some units in the priority directions, but we cannot divide it between many. We lack quantity,” said Zelensky.
Last week, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley confirmed that Biden could soon approve sending Ukraine cluster munitions to make up for Ukraine’s shortage of ammunition.
The dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, or DPICM, dispense dozens of bomblets that can cover five times as much area as conventional artillery rounds.
The weapon is controversial because unexploded submunitions can pose a risk to civilians long after fighting is over. More than 100 countries have banned cluster munitions for that reason.
US THINKING ABOUT PROVIDING UKRAINE WITH CLUSTER MUNITIONS, MILLEY SAYS
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UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG SEEKS ACCESS: With Ukraine and Russia trading accusations that each is plotting to stage a false flag attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency is seeking more access to check out the claims.
In his interview with CNN, Zelensky said he has intelligence that Russia has planted mines and explosives at the plant. “I have learned from intelligence, I have documents. I don’t — I can’t tell you what kind of documents, but it’s something connecting with Russia. I said that they are technically ready to do something.”
The IAEA has a permanent presence at the nuclear facility, and in a statement, Director General Rafael Grossi said inspections of the perimeter of the large cooling pond, as well as regular walk-downs, have not found “any visible indications of mines or explosives.”
But Zelensky said they need more people, especially to check out the roof where Ukraine believes explosives may have been planted. “There are four — four people,” Zelensky said, referring to the IAEA inspectors. “And this plant is like city. It’s really like city. It’s huge, it’s very big. Four people will not find mines.”
“You have to invite more people and stuff from other countries. Some countries which have also nuclear plants, and … they will help you to manage, to find, to search,” he said. “It’s a big, big work, big — and you need big, big team for it.”
“With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground,” Grossi said. “Their independent and objective reporting would help clarify the current situation at the site, which is crucial at a time like this with unconfirmed allegations and counter allegations.”
RUSSIA WANTS TO KEEP UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR PLANT INTACT, IF IT REMAINS KREMLIN’S
RUSSIAN ARMS DEPO VANISHES IN HUGE FIREBALL: A video released by Ukraine’s military and widely shared on social media showed what appears to be an ammunition storage facility in Russian-occupied Ukraine destroyed in a series of explosions that culminates in a huge fireball.
The military said that a “Russian base” had “ceased to exist” in the city, according to the New York Times, while Tass, the Russian state news agency, reported that one man was killed and 68 civilians were wounded.
USS McFAUL TO THE RESCUE: The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul, along with an MQ-9 Reaper drone and a P-8 Poseidon patrol plane, intervened near the Strait of Hormuz yesterday to prevent the “attempted unlawful seizure by Iran” of two commercial oil tankers.
In a video released by the Navy, an Iranian naval vessel approached and fired shots at M/T Richmond Voyager, but backed off after the arrival of the McFaul. Earlier, the U.S. warship intervened when the Marshall Islands-flagged TRF Moss was approached by an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman and ordered to stop.
“The Iranian navy did make attempts to seize commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters,” said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. “The U.S. Navy responded immediately and prevented those seizures.”
Since 2021, Iran has harassed, attacked, or seized nearly 20 internationally-flagged merchant vessels, according to the U.S. Navy.
“In May, the United States increased the rotation of ships and aircraft patrolling the Strait of Hormuz with partners following an uptick in Iranian merchant vessel seizures,” the Fifth Fleet said in a press release. “The increased force presence supports multinational efforts under the International Maritime Security Construct and bilaterally with partner nations to deter threats to commercial shipping and reassure regional mariners.
IRANIAN NAVY VESSEL FIRES ON OIL TANKER IN GULF OF OMAN, PROMPTING US TO INTERVENE
RUSSIAN PLANES HARASS US DRONE OVER SYRIA: The U.S. Air Forces Central released a video showing what it said were Russian military aircraft “engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior” while interacting with three U.S. MQ-9 drones that were conducting a mission against ISIS targets in Syria.
“The Russian SU-35 fighter aircraft employed parachute flares in the flight path of U.S. MQ-9 aircraft. Against established norms and protocols, this forced U.S. aircraft to conduct evasive maneuvers. Additionally, one Russian pilot positioned their aircraft in front of an MQ-9 and engaged afterburner, dynamically increasing speed and air pressure, which reduced the MQ-9 operator’s ability to safely operate the aircraft,” said Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander, 9th Air Force, in a press release.
“These events represent a new level of unprofessional and unsafe action by Russian air forces operating in Syria,” he said. “We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
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The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Russian missile strike kills four in Lviv, Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of planning attack on Zaporizhzhia power plant
Washington Examiner: Russia wants to keep Ukrainian nuclear plant intact, if it remains Kremlin’s
Washington Examiner: Whereabouts of top Russian general remain unknown since Prigozhin mutiny
Washington Examiner: Iranian navy vessel fires on oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, prompting US to intervene
Washington Examiner: Austin approves changes to classified information handling following leaks
Washington Examiner: Justice Department releases more portions of Mar-a-Lago affidavit
Washington Examiner: Why Janet Yellen is going to China
AP: Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Russia weeks after mutiny, president of Belarus says
AP: Pence says Trump and DeSantis do not understand broader importance of US military aid to Ukraine
Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Grinds Out Counterattack
Washington Post: Biden Meets With Swedish Leader In Show Of Support For NATO Membership
Reuters: Canada Pressured by Allies to Up Military Spending
AP: China Accuses U.S. Of Turning Taiwan Into A Powder Keg With Its Latest Sales To Self-Governing Island
Stars and Stripes: ‘America’s All-Volunteer Force Is The Strongest In Human History,’ Austin Says, Despite Struggles To Recruit Enough New Troops
The Hill: Gaetz Suggests Eliminating Marijuana Testing Of Service Members
Military Times: US Military Calls for Better Weapons to Fight Artificial Intelligence
Defense News: Senators Want To Boost Pentagon UFO Office Funding, Transparency
Long War Journal: Has Russia Begun Producing Iranian-Designed Suicide Drones?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Pentagon Aims to Stop China and Russia from Spying on Academia
The War Zone: Future of Artificial Intelligence Dominated Air Combat Showcased in New Air Force Video
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Tests New Drone Airspace Management System
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Classified Information Regulations Need Improvement, DOD Finds
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Thousands of Airmen Spread Across Pacific in Massive Mobility Exercise
Defense News: Britain Seals Typhoon Radar Upgrade With $1.1 Billion Award
The Cipher Brief: What is China’s Volt Typhoon? And How Can It Be Stopped?
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Why Pakistan’s Coup that was not a Coup, is Significant
Politico: Opinion: Ukraine Needs a Roadmap to NATO Membership ASAP
Fox News: Opinion: Rep. Mike Gallagher and Sen. Joni Ernst: To Deter China, The U.S. Should Build Rings Of Fire
War on the Rocks: Opinion: It’s Time to Revise Guidance On Political Activities For Members of the U.S. Military
Calendar
THURSDAY | JULY 6
9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “The 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, a measurement of freedom and prosperity in 164 countries,” with Dan Negrea, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center; Joseph Lemoine, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center; and Anna Gawel, managing editor of Devex https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/launch
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion of new report: “Repel, Don’t Expel: Strengthening NATO’s Defense and Deterrence in the Baltic States,” with co-author Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the CSIS International Security Program; co-author Sean Monaghan, visiting fellow at the CSIS Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program; and Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch
10 a.m — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Schriever Spacepower Series event with Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander, U.S. Space Command https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event
10:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Putin’s Prigozhin problems: How has power shifted in Russia?” with former Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrei Kozyrev; Yevgenia Albats, center associate at the Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies; Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; and John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/putins-prigozhin-problems/
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The European Union’s Enlargement Conundrum,” with Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; R. Daniel Kelemen, nonresident senior associate at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; Ilke Toygur, nonresident senior associate at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; and Donatienne Ruy, fellow at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program https://www.csis.org/events/european-unions-enlargement-conundrum
2 p.m. — Defense Priorities virtual discussion: “NATO or neutrality: Assessing security guarantees for Ukraine,” with Liana Fix, fellow for Europe, Council on Foreign Relations; Benjamin Friedman, policy director, Defense Priorities; Steven Pifer, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; and Emma Ashford, senior fellow, Stimson Center https://natoorneutrality.splashthat.com
3 p.m. — Washington Post live virtual discussion: “Putin’s Hold on Power and Russia’s Future,” with John Sullivan, former U.S. ambassador to Russia https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
FRIDAY | JULY 7
7 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg holds a news conference to preview the NATO summit in Vilnius https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
8:15 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Assessing the Hiroshima Summit,” with Keiichi Ono, Japanese senior deputy minister for foreign affairs https://www.csis.org/events/assessing-hiroshima-summit
1:30 p.m. — Cipher Brief virtual discussion: “The Hunt for Spies: Counterintelligence Efforts inside the U.S.,” with Mirriam-Grace MacIntyre, executive director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center https://www.thecipherbrief.com
MONDAY | JULY 10
12 p.m 601 13th St. NW — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in-person event: “Building the Navy for the Indo-Pacific,” with Emma Salisbury, associate fellow at the Council on Geostrategy. RSVP: [email protected]
TUESDAY | JULY 11
4 a.m. Vilnius, Lithuania — President Joe Biden attends the two-day NATO leaders summit July 11-12 https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
9:30 a.m. 601 13th St. NW — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in-person book event: Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth, with author Ian Garner; and Joshua Huminski, director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs. RSVP: [email protected]
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments virtual discussion of new report: Beyond Precision: Maintaining America’s Strike Advantage in Great Power Conflict, with author Tyler Hacker, CSBA research fellow; and CSBA President and CEO Thomas Mahnken https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register
THURSDAY | JULY 6
9:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “The 2023 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes, a measurement of freedom and prosperity in 164 countries,” with Dan Negrea, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center; Joseph Lemoine, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center; and Anna Gawel, managing editor of Devex https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/launch
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion of new report: “Repel, Don’t Expel: Strengthening NATO’s Defense and Deterrence in the Baltic States,” with co-author Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the CSIS International Security Program; co-author Sean Monaghan, visiting fellow at the CSIS Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program; and Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program https://www.csis.org/events/report-launch
10 a.m — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Schriever Spacepower Series event with Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander, U.S. Space Command https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event
10:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Putin’s Prigozhin problems: How has power shifted in Russia?” with former Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrei Kozyrev; Yevgenia Albats, center associate at the Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies; Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; and John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/putins-prigozhin-problems/
1 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The European Union’s Enlargement Conundrum,” with Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; R. Daniel Kelemen, nonresident senior associate at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; Ilke Toygur, nonresident senior associate at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program; and Donatienne Ruy, fellow at the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program https://www.csis.org/events/european-unions-enlargement-conundrum
2 p.m. — Defense Priorities virtual discussion: “NATO or neutrality: Assessing security guarantees for Ukraine,” with Liana Fix, fellow for Europe, Council on Foreign Relations; Benjamin Friedman, policy director, Defense Priorities; Steven Pifer, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; and Emma Ashford, senior fellow, Stimson Center https://natoorneutrality.splashthat.com
3 p.m. — Washington Post live virtual discussion: “Putin’s Hold on Power and Russia’s Future,” with John Sullivan, former U.S. ambassador to Russia https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
FRIDAY | JULY 7
7 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg holds a news conference to preview the NATO summit in Vilnius https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
8:15 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Assessing the Hiroshima Summit,” with Keiichi Ono, Japanese senior deputy minister for foreign affairs https://www.csis.org/events/assessing-hiroshima-summit
1:30 p.m. — Cipher Brief virtual discussion: “The Hunt for Spies: Counterintelligence Efforts inside the U.S.,” with Mirriam-Grace MacIntyre, executive director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center https://www.thecipherbrief.com
MONDAY | JULY 10
12 p.m 601 13th St. NW — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in-person event: “Building the Navy for the Indo-Pacific,” with Emma Salisbury, associate fellow at the Council on Geostrategy. RSVP: [email protected]
TUESDAY | JULY 11
4 a.m. Vilnius, Lithuania — President Joe Biden attends the two-day NATO leaders summit July 11-12 https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
9:30 a.m. 601 13th St. NW — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in-person book event: Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth, with author Ian Garner; and Joshua Huminski, director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs. RSVP: [email protected]
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments virtual discussion of new report: Beyond Precision: Maintaining America’s Strike Advantage in Great Power Conflict, with author Tyler Hacker, CSBA research fellow; and CSBA President and CEO Thomas Mahnken https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register
QUOTE OF THE DAY “I will tell you not as a president, but as a citizen, I used to adore Crimea, even before I become the president of Ukraine. Every year, we visited Crimea with my family. We cannot imagine Ukraine without Crimea, and while Crimea is under the Russian occupation, it means only one thing — war is not over yet.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with CNN that aired Wednesday.