Victorious news of 607th day of war: Russian army is preparing for defense in Crimea, results of HAWK anti-aircraft missile system

The Russian forces are arranging the defense of the Crimean peninsula

In addition to the system of defensive fortifications in the north of Crimea, the invading Russian forces are also creating defense lines in the west and east of the peninsula.

This was stated by Pavlo Lakiichuk, Head of Security Programs at the Center for Global Studies Strategy XXI, on Espreso.

"The Russian enemy feels in his spinal cord that he will not be able to hold on to Zaporizhzhia and Kherson for long and will have to flee either to the east or south to Crimea. That is why the invaders are arranging the defense of the Crimean peninsula and sometimes act rationally. In the north of Crimea, the defense system of field fortifications was set up in 2016-19 and was constantly being improved until the full-scale invasion," the military expert commented.

According to him, the Russian army has been actively digging trenches and creating defensive structures on the western coast of the peninsula for quite some time, starting south of Cape Tarkhankut to Yevpatoria, almost to the northern outskirts of Sevastopol.

"The most encouraging thing, to be honest, is that the enemy is also building a powerful engineering line of defense in the east of the Crimean peninsula between the Kerch peninsula and Crimea itself. This shows that the enemy does not trust not only its soldiers fighting in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, but also understands that the defenses in the north of the peninsula can be breached. If the Ukrainian Armed Forces break through to the steppe Crimea, they can be stopped on the approaches to the Crimean Mountains, near Sevastopol, and in the east near the isthmus of the Kerch peninsula. That is, the enemy is afraid of us," emphasized Pavlo Lakiichuk.

100 percent result of American air defense systems

Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk demonstrated the operation of the American HAWK anti-aircraft missile system, which was used by Ukrainian soldiers to shoot down Russian air targets on the night of October 23.

"One hundred percent result is not easy to achieve, and we will be approaching it every day, strengthening our air defense Western weapons have proven and continue to prove their effectiveness on the battlefield!" Oleshchuk wrote.

He also posted a video showing the combat performance of the American HAWK missile system during the Russian attacks that night.

Ukrainian mine countermeasures ships undergo training in the UK

As part of comprehensive training under the guidance of Royal Navy mentors, the Cherkasy and Chernihiv mine countermeasures ships and the headquarters of the Ukrainian Mine Action Tactical Group joined the multinational exercise Joint Warrior-23-II, which is taking place in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom

The vessels and the headquarters of the Mine Action Task Force are training under the supervision of mentors from the Royal Navy. Other participants include the Royal Air Force and the British Army. In addition to Ukraine, ships and vessels from the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Germany, and Denmark are also taking part in the exercise.

The main goal of the training is for the crews and headquarters of the mine action tactical group to achieve a high level of readiness to perform their assigned tasks, as well as compatibility with the mine action units of partner countries. At the same time, they develop skills in planning and conducting mine action in accordance with NATO standards. 

The US is developing a plan to help Ukraine join NATO faster

John Herbst, Director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Centre and former US Ambassador to Ukraine, says that NATO could have taken a more decisive step towards Ukraine's membership. 

According to him, the Americans were disappointed with the outcome of the Vilnius summit and believe that a more decisive step towards Ukraine's membership in the Alliance could be taken. That is why they have gathered a group of experts, specialists, and former high-ranking officials to decide how to accelerate Ukraine's accession to NATO through the Washington summit next year.

"We have gathered a distinguished audience: US ambassadors, former secretaries of state, former heads of military structures in Europe and created a document. There are three main ideas or messages in this document, which are included in the memo to the US president. First, we are facing the most strategic challenge from the Kremlin's aggressive policy. And supporting Ukraine is about protecting American interests. Secondly, we need a decisive step towards Ukraine's membership in NATO, which should be taken at the Washington Summit. To do this, it is important to improve Ukraine's prospects on the battlefield. The document clearly outlines the types of weapons and military assistance that Ukraine needs. Thirdly, the document contains a proposal to NATO," added John Herbst.

The 9th tranche of assistance for EUR 1.5 billion

On Monday, 23 October, Ukraine received the 9th tranche of macro-financial assistance from the European Union worth EUR 1.5 billion

"This is one of the most important factors that helps Ukraine to be economically strong and sustainable," Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The Prime Minister added that the government, together with the European Commission, is currently working on a new long-term programme, the Ukraine Facility, totalling EUR 50 billion. Next year, Ukraine expects to receive EUR 18 billion of this amount.

"I am grateful to our European partners for their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine," Shmyhal concluded.