Russia: two drones shot down near a military base in the Moscow region

2023-06-21 08:20:16

Rebuilding infrastructure, demining, reviving the economy, financing public services… The task is immense. Leaders and representatives of more than 60 countries are expected on Wednesday June 21 and Thursday in London for a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which seeks to mobilize States, companies and major financial institutions.

On the ground, two drones were shot down on Wednesday near a military base in the Moscow region, without causing any casualties or damage, local governor Andrei Vorobyov said.

A conference of Ukrainian allies

The immediate needs are assessed at 14 billion by the World Bank. But the broader recovery of the country’s economy will cost $411 billion according to a recent study by the World Bank, the UN, the European Union and the Ukrainian government. A sum expected to grow as the conflict continues. Chaired by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, this conference will bring together European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.

Last December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz compared the aid needed to the Marshall Plan put in place by the United States to rebuild Europe after the Second World War. Several countries and institutions have already announced their intention to release funding, like France, which is to unveil aid for “the reconstruction of critical civil infrastructure” in the country. The international community is also considering legal means of mobilizing the tens of billions of frozen Russian funds and assets to finance this reconstruction.

Governments also want to appeal to the private sector. Hundreds of leaders of large companies as well as NGOs will participate in this conference which aims to mobilize the private sector. The conference will thus be the occasion to officially launch the “Ukraine Business compact”, an initiative inviting companies from all over the world to commit to supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine, alongside the major global financial institutions.

London announces new aid

The United Kingdom announced a new aid plan on Tuesday 20 June in the form of humanitarian support and guarantees of World Bank loans for the operation of public services, just before the launch of the conference. The latter brings British non-military aid to 4.7 billion pounds (5.5 billion euros), Downing Street said in a statement.

It consists of three billion dollars in credit guarantees over three years to allow loans from the World Bank, to finance the operation of vital public services such as schools and hospitals. Added to this is 240 million pounds (280 million euros) of bilateral aid, intended in particular for demining and humanitarian projects.

The European Commission also proposed on Tuesday to member states to approve a 50 billion euro aid package to support Ukraine until 2027, as part of an extension to the EU’s multi-annual budget. This package includes 33 billion euros in loans and 17 billion euros in grants. It was presented in the context of a revision of the EU budget 2021-2027 which will have to be approved unanimously by the member states, and receive the approval of the European Parliament.

Russia threatens to bomb ‘decision-making centers’

Russia has threatened to hit kyiv’s “decision-making centers” if Ukraine uses Western-supplied missiles against the occupied Crimean peninsula. This is the Kremlin’s latest attempt to prevent NATO support for kyiv in the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister, claimed without providing evidence that Ukraine was preparing a strike against Crimea using the missiles.

He said on Tuesday that the potential use of US-supplied Himars missiles and UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Crimea would mark the West’s “full involvement in the conflict and result in strikes on the decision-making centers of the Ukrainian territory”. These are considered to include the Ukrainian presidential administration and intelligence headquarters.

The Russian ultimatum comes a day after Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin’s threat to authorize a tactical nuclear strike was “real”, shortly after the Kremlin chief announced the first deployment of such weapons in neighboring Belarus. Ukraine meanwhile denounced Russian blackmail tactics, saying it intended to regain control of all of its Russian-occupied lands, including Crimea.

Two drones shot down near Moscow

Two drones were shot down near a military base in the village of Kalininets in the Naro-Fominsk district, about 50 kilometers southwest of Moscow, at around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, without causing any casualties or damage according to local authorities. The aircraft were shot down by Russian “soldiers”.

Moscow and its region, located more than 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, have so far been very rarely targeted by drone attacks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, even if this type of attack has multiplied elsewhere in Russia. Russian special services are investigating the scene, according to the same source. In early May, two drones were shot down over the Kremlin, the seat of Russian power, in an attack blamed on Ukraine. In recent months, drones have also targeted military bases or energy infrastructure in Russia.

Ukraine accuses Russia of planting mines around Zaporizhia

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief on Tuesday (20 June) accused Russia of “mining” the cooling pond used to cool reactors at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, reports the Reuters news agency. “The most terrifying thing is that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was also mined during this period… namely, the cooling basin was mined,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of the GUR agency, told television, without providing evidence for his assertion. Both sides have accused each other of bombing the plant and its surroundings, and international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around the complex have so far failed.

Ukrainian forces “destroy the enemy”

Ukrainian forces are “very actively destroying the enemy, physically clearing Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his last evening speech. “Protection against terrorism means the destruction of terrorists. And this is a guarantee that the evil state will never again have the opportunity to bring evil to Ukraine,” he continued.

Ukraine has now been on its counter-offensive for more than two weeks, and has made small progress. The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said on Telegram on Tuesday that his troops were advancing on the flanks of the shattered town of Bakhmut, which fell to Russian mercenaries last month after months of fighting, Reuters reported. The Defense Ministry also said Ukrainian forces in the south were advancing “gradually, in small steps, but with a lot of confidence”.