Day 585 of the Invasion of Ukraine: 19 Countries, including Bulgaria, in the Ukrainian Alliance of Defense Industries

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Day 585 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• 19 countries, including Bulgaria, in the Ukrainian Alliance of Defense Industries
• London wants to send military instructors to Ukraine to train its armed forces
• Movement around "Wagner": what happens to the private military army after Prigozhin
• Medvedev: The West is pushing Russia towards World War III

19 countries, including Bulgaria, in the Ukrainian Alliance of Defense Industries

Bulgaria is one of the countries that will join the newly formed Alliance of Defense Industries. This became clear from the traditional evening video address of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In addition, an air alert was again declared in the southern regions of Ukraine last night.

Ukraine will become one of the key producers of weapons and defense systems in the world, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

“And this is no longer just an ambition or a prospect, it is a potential that is already being realized. At the moment, we must be honest, Ukraine is a recipient of security assistance. But our country can and will become a donor to global security. More especially, thanks to our defense industry”.

A total of 38 companies from 19 countries will participate in the alliance, the creation of which was announced by Zelensky yesterday in Kyiv during a defense industry forum. Among them, in addition to Bulgaria, Zelensky pointed out Australia, Belgium, USA, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Spain, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Canada. During the forum, Ukrainian manufacturers signed 20 agreements and memorandums with partner companies, the Ukrainian president also announced.

At the same forum, it became clear that the construction of a factory for the Turkish Bayraktar drones has begun in Ukraine. It will take about a year and a half to complete.

Last night, Russian forces again attacked southern Ukraine with drones. "Shahed" strike drones took off from the Black Sea in the direction of Odesa region, the Ukrainian Air Force announced. The head of the Odesa regional military administration, Oleg Kiper, called on the residents of the region to stay in the shelters. The UNIAN agency reports rocket fire against Kharkiv as well.

London wants to send military instructors to Ukraine to train its armed forces

London wants to send military instructors to Ukraine to complement the training of Ukrainian servicemen conducted by Britain and other Western countries. This was stated by the British Minister of Defense Grant Shapps in an interview with the "Sunday Telegraph", reported Reuters.

Until now, the UK and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine to reduce the risk of direct conflict with Russia.

Last year, Britain organized five-week military training courses for around 20,000 Ukrainians and intends to train a similar number of servicemen in the future.

Shaps specified to the "Sunday Telegraph" that there is an opportunity for training on Ukrainian territory and that he discussed the idea with military commanders from the British army.

The minister added that he hopes British defense companies such as BAE Systems will continue with their plans to build weapons factories in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already commented that he wants to develop his country's defense industry by partnering with Western companies to provide more weapons for Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia, Reuters recalls.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Shapps as Defense Secretary on 1 September after his predecessor Ben Wallace resigned.

Movement around "Wagner": what happens to the private military army after Prigozhin

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to rely on ex-Wagner Group fighters to advance Russia's interests and influence in the Global South, the British Ministry of Defense said in a new intelligence update published оn “X”, Ukrinform reported.

The ministry noted that on September 29, 2023, Russian authorities released footage showing Putin meeting with former Wagner high-ranking representative Andrei Troshev and tasking him with overseeing and creating new "volunteer combat units." According to British analysts, many veterans from "Wagner" probably consider Troshev a traitor, BTA points out.

Around the time of the Wagner rebellion in June 2023, Troshev was given a position in the official security forces, the ministry said.

"Troshev was probably involved in encouraging other Wagner employees to sign contracts, contributing to the rebellion," according to British experts.

The meeting with Putin was also attended by the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who recently toured African countries. According to British intelligence, this shows that Russia continues to use volunteer units and private military companies and plans for the future of Wagner.

Moscow "is ready to take advantage of the experience of veterans who demonstrate their loyalty to the state and continue its involvement in the global South, but possibly with greater oversight from the Kremlin," British experts believe.

It is unlikely that the former employees of the "Wagner" mercenary group will cause a significant strategic or even local effect on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War announced, quoted by Ukrinform.

According to the Institute, there is growing evidence that Wagner operatives are operating alongside the Rosgvardia and that Russia's State Duma will consider a proposed bill that would allow the Rosgvardia to form volunteer units.

Experts note that the current commander of "Wagner" Anton Yelizarov (with the call sign "Lotus") is reportedly negotiating with Rosgvardia about having Wagnerites join volunteer formations under the leadership of Rosgvardia under more favorable conditions for "Wagner".

Meanwhile, according to a Russian internal source, elements of the private military army contingent in Belarus do not want to sign contracts with either the Russian Ministry of Defense or Rosgvardia, the Institute reports. Instead, they plan to join Belarusian President Lukashenko's efforts to establish a Belarus-based private military company with Wagner fighters under the command of a commander with the callsign Brest.

"It is unlikely that the partial deployment of ex-Wagner personnel to any frontline areas would produce any significant strategic or even local battlefield effect in Ukraine," the Institute for the Study of War concluded.

Medvedev: The West is pushing Russia towards World War III

“By actively participating in the hostilities in Ukraine, the Western countries are leading the situation to the Third World War”, warned the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, TASS reported.

The Russian politician dwells in particular on the idea of the head of the Bundestag's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles so that Kyiv can strike at Russian territory. "Please, it was in accordance with international law. Well, in that case, the strikes on the German factories where these missiles are manufactured will also be in full accordance with international law," warned Medvedev, Reuters reported.

He also drew attention to the proposal of the British Minister of Defense Grant Shapps to move the British training courses for Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine itself. "That is, to turn their instructors into a legitimate target for our armed forces. With the full knowledge that they will be mercilessly destroyed. And no longer as mercenaries, namely as British specialists from NATO," Medvedev pointed out.

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