Victorious news of 673rd day of war: Japan revises arms export policy so Ukraine could have Patriot missiles, Russia blocks Crimean bridge due to explosions in Sevastopol

Russia blocks Crimean bridge because of explosions in Sevastopol

On the night of December 28, explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, and air defense systems were operating. Russian-installed authorities blocked the Crimean Bridge. This was reported by the so-called governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev on Telegram.

According to Razvozhayev, the air defense system was activated over the sea in Sevastopol. Russia claims to have destroyed one drone. There is allegedly no damage to the infrastructure. Later, the Russian Defense Ministry clarified that two Ukrainian UAVs were allegedly shot down.

At 00:34 am, Russia reported that the Crimean bridge was blocked. At 00:53 am, traffic on the bridge was resumed.

Strike on Novocherkassk ship will increase pressure on Russia

Estonian Intelligence Chief Ants Kiviselg commented on Ukraine's attack on the Russian ship Novocherkassk and said that this attack would increase pressure on Russia.

According to him, such an attack requires very detailed preparation and understanding of where Russian air defense is located.

"Obviously, such an attack requires very good planning, understanding of where the Russian air defense assets are located. It requires good preparation and a coincidence of circumstances," Kiviselg said.

He also added that the Russians are now forced to move their units, for example, to the port of Novorossiysk, which is located in the Russian Federation, not in the occupied territories.

"Of course, this attack will increase the pressure on the Russian Federation to move its units as far away from the Crimean peninsula as possible. They also cannot use the ports in Crimea, which are suitable and efficient in terms of their receiving capacity, which work quickly," explained Kiviselg.

Russia will have no military equipment left in 18 months

Russia's equipment will last for a maximum of a year and a half, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces will continue to eliminate Russian equipment until none remains. This was stated by Oleksiy Hetman, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Major of the National Guard of Ukraine, on Espreso TV. The comment was a response to an article by a Japanese outlet stating that Putin told Xi Jinping that Russia's war against Ukraine could last five years.

"If we mathematically calculate the number of weapons that Russians can produce, it will end in a year or a year and a half, right at zero. In particular, we are talking about shells, tanks, airplanes, armored vehicles," he said.

If we summarize the number of weapons left by the Russians and the number destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a daily basis, then this year and next year everything will be reduced to zero. For example, there will be no tanks left at all, Hetman said.

Japan retreats from pacifist policy to help Ukraine

Japan is easing its arms export restrictions to help Ukraine acquire American Patriot air defense systems. The Japanese government has authorized the supply of weapons systems produced under license to licensee countries. The US will be the first to receive Japanese missiles for the Patriot system. In this way, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida granted the request of US President Joe Biden. This was reported by Deutsche Welle.

With this decision, Japan is one step further away from its policy of pacifism, which the country has been implementing since World War II. 

"Arms exports position Japan as an active player in international security policy and as a reliable partner of the United States and testify to the country's close cooperation with NATO," the article says.

Patriot missiles are manufactured by the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under license from the American companies Lockheed Martin and RTX. Ukraine has a shortage of these missiles. Washington cannot transfer missiles directly to Ukraine. However, the US can replenish its stockpile with Japanese missiles and transfer its own to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.