Ukraine: US and UK supplies are not enough says Inna Sovsun
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The news comes following multiple pledges by Western nations to ramp up supplies to Kyiv as the conflict escalates its focus in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. Russian advances have been slow, however, recent news suggests a suburb on the outskirts of Severodonetsk has now been captured by Putin’s army, suggesting the city is falling street by street.
But, according to the latest British Ministry of Defence (MoD) intelligence report, Ukrainian forces have hit back at Russia in the Black Sea.
The strategic and highly contested Snake Island is once again the focus of attention according to the MoD.
The report read: “Ukrainian forces have claimed their first successful use of Western-donated Harpoon anti-ship missiles to engage Russian maritime forces.
“The target of the attack was almost certainly the Russian naval tug Spasatel Vasily Bekh, which was delivering weapons and personnel to Snake Island in the north-western Black Sea.”
The report went on to discuss the challenges Russian forces face in light of the new supply of weapons.
It continued: “The destruction of the Russian vessel on a resupply mission demonstrates the difficulty Russia faces when attempting to support their forces occupying Snake Island.”
According to Ukrainian reports, 14 Russian vessels have now been destroyed since the start of the war, including the pride of the Black Sea, the Moskva.
In terms of other figures, 34,100 Russian soldiers have died, with an estimated 100,000 injured.
Nearly 1,500 tanks have also been reduced to burnt scrap, with British-supplied N-LAW missiles largely responsible for the destruction of Putin’s land assault forces.
Back on the waters, the intelligence report praised Ukraine’s capability in defending assets on the Black Sea.
It concluded: “Ukrainian coastal defence capability has largely neutralised Russia’s ability to establish sea control and protect maritime force in the north-western Black Sea.
“This has undermined the viability of Russia’s original operational design for the invasion, which involved holding the Odesa region at risk from the sea.”
Global powers have accused Russia of using the logistical shipping routes as a political chokehold during the conflict.
Russia’s blockade of grain leaving the region has been labelled a potential war crime by the European Union.
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Backing the argument, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Africa is suffering as a continent as a result of global shortages of grain, a staple part of many developing nations’ diets.
The President said: “Africa is actually a hostage… of those who unleashed war against our state.
“This war may seem very distant to you and your countries.
“But the food prices that are catastrophically rising have already brought the war to the homes of millions of African families.”
African countries have been divided in their response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In March, 17 African countries abstained in a UN vote to condemn the invasion.
In an attempt to resolve the crisis in the Black Sea, and restore some notion of safety to the region, Türkiye has offered to broker talks to ensure the safe flow of vessels shipping grain out of the Black Sea.
So far, talks have failed to materialise.
For more stories like this, follow Express.co.uk Defence and Security Correspondent James Lee on Twitter @JamesLee_DE
The United States has pledged a further $1billion (£800million) in weapons to Ukraine, including more Harpoon missiles.
Furthermore, large sums of money have been promised towards humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Money is being generated to assist in food, medicine and housing.
Over 5.5 million Ukrainian citizens, mostly women and children, have fled the nation into parts of Europe, with Poland seeing the vast majority of refugees seeking shelter from the war.
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