Frustrated by criticism of counteroffensive, Ukrainian minister tells critics to ‘shut up’ and stop ‘spitting into the face’ of his soldiers
Jamie McIntyre
KULEBA: ‘I WOULD RECOMMEND ALL CRITICS TO SHUT UP’: As Ukrainian forces are making slow but steady progress against heavily fortified Russian defenses, Ukrainian officials are increasingly frustrated about what they see as unrealistic expectations of quick victories.
In a social media post yesterday, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry issued what it called “a gentle reminder” that no one understands the war better than they do. “It seems like everyone now is an expert on Ukrainian warfare,” said the text over video clips of the fighting. “While we appreciate all the attention, we’d like to humbly remind you that if we listened to what non-Ukrainians said in February 2022, we would no longer exist.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was even more blunt when speaking to reporters in Spain yesterday. “Criticizing the slow pace of counteroffensive equals to spitting into the face of [a] Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day moving forward and liberating one kilometer of Ukrainian soil after another,” Kuleba said. “I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimeter by themselves.”
During a meeting with diplomats in France on Wednesday, Kuleba described the grueling nature of the successful campaign to liberate Robotyne after months of fighting, according to the New York Times.
Kuleba said a local commander handpicked a group of 31 highly motivated soldiers to attack a tree line outside the village. “It’s in these plantations, invisible on maps, that the greatest tragedies and heroism of the war take place,” Kuleba said. “So our unit drove the Russians out of there and held the position for two days until reinforcements arrived.”
Then they hiked six miles through minefields to fight again. “They only had time to catch their breath briefly and immediately stormed the fortified Russian positions, drove the enemy out, and held out until the main forces arrived,” Kuleba said.
STOLTENBERG: ‘WE NEED TO TRUST THEM’: In an interview on CNN Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said while the West can offer weapons, training, and advice, it’s the Ukrainians who are fighting and dying.
“At the end of the day, it has to be the Ukrainians, their commanders on the battlefield that are making those difficult and tough decisions,” he said. “We need to trust them. We advise, we help, we support. But at the end of the day, it is the Ukrainians that have to make those decisions.”
“What we have seen is that Ukrainians have exceeded expectations again and again. We have to remember where the whole thing started last year, with the full-fledged invasion by Russia into Ukraine. Then, experts believed that Ukraine will only last a few days or a few weeks,” Stoltenberg said.
“The Ukrainians are gradually gaining ground. Meaning that they’re pushing back the Russians. They are able to get through some of these heavily defended territories, at least minefields. And therefore, it is just even more important to support them. Because we all know that this is fierce fighting, it’s a tough fight, and it’s not [an] easy way for the Ukrainians, but they are making achievements. They’re gaining ground.”
ZELENSKY: ‘SEVASTOPOL IS WAITING’: Meanwhile, just two days after Ukrainian forces launched a swarm of long-range drones that destroyed Russian cargo aircraft at the Pskov airfield northwest of Moscow, more than 370 miles from Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel that Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries had developed a new long-range weapon.
“The result of our weapons, new Ukrainian weapons, is 700 kilometers (435 miles),” Zelensky said during his daily video address in a cryptic reference to what appears to be the new long-range drone. “The task is farther,” he added.
Wednesday’s drone attack on the Pskov airfield near Russia’s border with Estonia and Latvia destroyed or severely damaged four Il-76 military cargo planes, which could be seen burning on the tarmac in videos posted on social media.
“Overnight on the 29/30 August 2023, Russia experienced up to five separate strikes by one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs) – the largest attack on Russia since the start of the conflict,” the British Defense Ministry said in a post on X. “Many of these UAVs have reached their targets, which likely means that Russian air defense is having difficulty detecting and destroying them. Russia is likely rethinking its air defense posture in the area between Ukraine and Moscow to better deal with these attacks.”
“A top Zelensky aide put a fine point on the significance of the capability,” reported Washington Examiner Foreign Affairs Reporter Joel Gehrke. “Sevastopol is waiting,” Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said in a sardonic quotation of a Russian song.
“That might not be an empty boast,” Gehrke wrote. “Sevastopol, the crucial port city in occupied Crimea and the traditional headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, is only about 186 miles by air from Odesa, another key Ukrainian port city.”
‘SEVASTOPOL IS WAITING’: UKRAINE TOUTS NEW LONG-RANGE MISSILE
Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Conrad Hoyt. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
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REPORT YOUR UFO SIGHTINGS HERE: Following complaints from Congress and whistleblowers, the Pentagon has established a new website where reports of UFO sightings can be formally submitted to the government for review.
The site is operated by the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office or AARO and will initially accept reports on UFOs, now called UAPs for “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” from “current or former U.S. government employees, service members, or contractors with direct knowledge of U.S. government programs or activities related to UAP dating back to 1945.”
“The website will serve as a one-stop shop for all publicly-available information related to AARO and UAP, and AARO will regularly update the website with its most recent activities and findings as new information is cleared for public release,” said spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder at yesterday’s Pentagon briefing. “The department is committed to transparency with the American people on AARO’s work on UAPs.”
“This website will provide information, including videos and photos, on resolved UAP cases as they’re declassified and approved for public release,” Ryder said. “The website’s other content includes reporting trends and frequently-asked-questions section, as well as links to official reports, transcripts, press releases and other resources that the public may find useful.”
ROGERS BLAMES BIDEN FOR FALL OF KABUL: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) says the fall of Kabul to the Taliban two years ago was the direct result of President Joe Biden ignoring intelligence that predicted the hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops would lead to a collapse of the Afghan government.
“President Biden was warned by Congress and his senior military advisors that a withdrawal from Afghanistan, without a plan, would lead to disaster,” Rogers said in a statement marking the second anniversary of the chaotic and deadly withdrawal. “Two years ago, President Biden ignored the warnings and pushed forward with an unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan without a plan. President Biden’s irresponsible actions as commander in chief led to the fall of Afghanistan into Taliban hands and the Abbey Gate suicide bombing that resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers.”
“The American people deserve answers and accountability,” Rogers said. “Congress will continue to investigate the Biden administration and we will hold his administration accountable for what occurred.”
PENTAGON: COMMANDERS MADE THE ‘BEST DECISIONS’ BASED ON WHAT THEY KNEW: In response to questions about the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. troops and some 170 Afghans, Ryder pointed to the investigation conducted by the U.S. Central Command released in February of 2022.
“Military commanders on the ground in Afghanistan made the best decisions and provided their best military advice based on what was known at the time and leaders took appropriate action in response to reported threat streams,” Ryder said. “Over 100 people were interviewed through CENTCOM’s investigation. At the tactical level, the assessment was that the Abbey Gate attack was not preventable without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees and that the leaders on the ground followed proper measures and procedures.”
In a statement recognizing the grim anniversary, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “Our hearts and our prayers are with the brave Americans who volunteered to keep our country safe, with the Gold Star families whose loved ones fell in Afghanistan, with the military families who endured so much over those two decades, and with the veterans who still carry the memories and the scars of war.”
“In the war’s final days, the United States, along with our allies and partners, safely evacuated more than 124,000 civilians from Afghanistan, in the midst of the pandemic and in the teeth of danger,” Austin said. “The war in Afghanistan is over, but our gratitude to the Americans who fought it is unending.”
AUSTIN ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR MILITARY UNITS INVOLVED IN AFGHANISTAN EVACUATION
The Rundown
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Washington Post: China Infuriates India With New Map, Thwarting Potential Thaw In Relations
CNBC: ‘The War Is Coming Home To Russia’: Ukraine Turns The Tables On Moscow As Drone Warfare Intensifies
New York Times: Dmitri Utkin, a longtime Wagner leader who was killed alongside Yevgeny Prigozhin, was buried.
New York Times: New Russian high school textbooks try to justify the war in Ukraine.
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Lockheed to Set Up European F-16 Schoolhouse That May Eventually Train Ukrainians
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NBC News: Pentagon Launches ‘One-Stop Shop’ for Declassified Info on UFOs
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Calendar
MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 11
9:15 a.m. 165 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Maryland — Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space & Cyber Conference, with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.; and Gen. Duke Richardson, commander of Air Force Materiel Command https://2023asc.expotracker.net/index.aspx
TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 12
8:25 a.m. 165 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Maryland — Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space & Cyber Conference, with Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations; William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command; Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command; and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force Roger Towberman https://2023asc.expotracker.net/index.aspx
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 13
8:15 a.m. 165 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Maryland — Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space & Cyber Conference, with Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass; and Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff https://2023asc.expotracker.net/index.aspx
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 15
11 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual fireside chat of CNAS report: “‘Production is Deterrence’: Investing in Precision-Guided Munitions to Meet Peer Challengers,” with William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; and moderator Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-fireside-chat-the-honorable-dr-william-laplante
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 20
7:20 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series” discussion: with Gen. Gary Brito, commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command https://ausa.my.site.com/OnlineCommunity/s/community-event
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 27
9 p.m. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California — The Republican National Committee hosts the second presidential primary debate, hosted by Fox Business Network
QUOTE OF THE DAY “Criticizing the slow pace of counteroffensive equals to spitting into the face of Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day moving forward and liberating one kilometer of Ukrainian soil after another. I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimeter by themselves.” Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, speaking in Spain Thursday.