Day 617 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Putin Signed the Cancellation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

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Day 617 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• US intelligence: "Wagner" may provide weapons for air defense to "Hezbollah"
• Putin signed the cancellation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
• Ukraine reported the largest Russian attack this year
• Russian air defenses destroyed a drone over the Black Sea and intercepted five over Crimea
• Zaluzhnyi: We are entering a new stage of the war. This will benefit Russia
• Meloni – a victim of Russian telephone pranksters
• Russia has declared Soros' university in Vienna undesirable

US intelligence: "Wagner" may provide weapons for air defense to "Hezbollah"

The United States has intelligence that Russia's Wagner paramilitary group may be providing an air defense system to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, US officials say.

This is the SA-22 system, which uses anti-aircraft missiles and anti-aircraft guns to intercept aircraft.

According to a US official quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Washington has not confirmed at this stage that the system has been sent, but is monitoring discussions involving Wagner and Hezbollah, and the potential delivery of such a system raises serious concerns. alarm.

The US has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean to try to stop Iran-backed Hezbollah from opening a northern front against Israel.

Wagner has personnel in Syria, where there are also Hezbollah fighters.

Putin signed the cancellation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the law revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The document was published on the Russian official portal for legal information.

The law was approved by the upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, in October.

The Treaty banning nuclear tests was signed by Russia on September 24, 1996 in New York and ratified on May 27, 2000. It was expected to become the main instrument of international law for the cessation of all types of nuclear tests, but also to this day, it has not entered into force because it has not been ratified by 8 of the 44 states that possess or have the potential to develop nuclear weapons.

The United States also signed the treaty in 1996 but has not ratified it.

Russia has said it will not resume nuclear testing unless Washington does, and the withdrawal of ratification does not change its nuclear weapons policy or how information about nuclear-related activities is shared.

Western experts doubt that the Repeal of Ratification Act gives Moscow the freedom to conduct nuclear tests to instill fear amid the war in Ukraine. If these suspicions prove to be valid, it will usher in a new era of nuclear weapons testing, Western experts warn.

Post-Soviet Russia has never conducted a nuclear test.

The USSR last conducted such a test in 1990, and the USA in 1992.

Ukraine reported the largest Russian attack this year

Russia has bombed 118 Ukrainian villages in 24 hours - an unprecedented number this year, in 10 of Ukraine's 27 regions, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said, quoted by Channel 24.

Most of the attacks are in areas not far from or in close proximity to the front, from Poltava and Kharkiv to Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, but there have also been strikes in areas along the northern border, for example in Sumy and Chernihiv.

Earlier, Ukraine reported a Russian attack on an oil refinery in Kremenchuk in the center of the country, causing a huge fire. It comes at a time when Kyiv and Western backers expect attacks on energy infrastructure to become more frequent and more powerful as winter approaches, as they did last year.

Much of the Russian firepower has been directed at Avdiivka, very close to the city of Donetsk, and is suffering heavy casualties there, but many casualties have also been reported on the Ukrainian side as Moscow's forces attempt to encircle the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the slow progress, repeatedly calling on Kyiv's allies to urgently provide more advanced weapons and remain united. Meanwhile, one of his close allies, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, spoke of "fatigue from all" countries in a conversation with prank callers.

In her words, "the moment when we all understand that we need a way out" is near. "Ukraine's counteroffensive may not be going as well as they expected. It is going, but it has not changed ... the fate of the conflict."

Russian air defenses destroyed a drone over the Black Sea and intercepted five over Crimea

Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Black Sea and intercepted five more over the territory of Crimea, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced, as quoted by TASS.

“This morning, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with six drones against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was foiled. Air defense units on duty destroyed one Ukrainian drone over the waters of the Black Sea, and five were intercepted over the territory of Crimea”, the ministry said in a statement.

Zaluzhnyi: We are entering a new stage of the war. This will benefit Russia

“We are entering a new stage of the war”.

This was announced by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in an interview with the British magazine "Economist".

"The war is now entering a new stage: what we in the military call a 'positional' war of static and exhausting battles, as in World War I, as opposed to a 'maneuver' war of movement and speed. This will benefit Russia, allowing it to restore its military might, ultimately endangering Ukraine's armed forces and the country itself," the general warned.

The defenders need to develop their military capabilities and technology to emerge victorious in such a war. Most significant is air power.

"Control over the sky is essential for large-scale ground operations," Zaluzhnyi stressed.

Secondly, the general emphasizes the effectiveness of drones. Through them, Ukraine can overwhelm Russian air defense systems to support its offensive actions. Zaluzhnyi also draws attention to the need for Ukraine to improve its ability to jam the communication and navigation signals of the Russians.

"Radio electronic warfare is the key to winning the drone war. Over the past decade, Russia has modernized its REW force, creating a new branch of its army and building 60 new types of equipment. It outnumbers us in this area: 65% of our jamming platforms at the beginning of the war were manufactured in Soviet times. We have already built many of our own electronic defense systems... We need to get better at waging electronic warfare with our drones, in a wider range of the radio spectrum , while avoiding accidentally suppressing our own drones," he said.

As a third commitment, Zaluzhnyi emphasized the need to disable the Russian artillery.

"In this war, as in most past wars, artillery and rocket fire make up 60-80% of all military tasks. When we first received Western guns last year (HIMARS), we were quite successful in locating and we will hit the Russian artillery," he emphasized.

The fourth priority is demining technology.

"When we break through minefields, Russia quickly replenishes them by launching new mines from a distance. We need radar sensors that use invisible light pulses to detect mines in the ground and smoke projection systems to hide the activities of our units for demining," explained the commander-in-chief.

Zaluzhnyi’s fifth and final priority is building reserves.

"Our capacity to train reserves on our own territory is also limited. We cannot easily spare soldiers who are sent to the front. Also, Russia can strike training centers. Also, there are loopholes in our legislation that allow citizens to shirking their responsibilities," he said.

According to him, the military command is trying to solve these problems by introducing a unified register of conscripts.

"We are also introducing 'combat training', which involves placing newly mobilized and trained personnel in experienced front-line units to prepare them," Zaluzhnyi said.

He also urged not to underestimate Russia, which will have superiority in weapons, equipment, missiles and ammunition in the long term, despite heavy losses.

Meloni – a victim of Russian telephone pranksters

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has become another victim of the famous Russian telephone pranksters Vovan and Lexus, Reuters reported.

In a conversation with the two, she mentioned the fatigue of the international community in its support for Ukraine and complained about a lack of support for Italy, which is facing migrant pressure.

Meloni thought she was talking to the chairman of the African Union Commission. However, it turned out that Vovan and Lexus were on the phone, who have so far arranged a similar prank call for a number of Western executives and celebrities.

The 13-minute audio was released today. The discussion took place as early as September 18, on the eve of Meloni's meetings with African leaders during the annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The prime minister's office in Rome condemned the prank.

"I see that there is great fatigue, I must say the truth, on all sides. We are close to the moment when everyone will understand that we have to find a way out," the Italian Prime Minister says in the recording.

She explains that "the problem is to find a solution that is acceptable to both countries (Ukraine and Russia), without destroying international law."

As for the influx of migrants to Italy through the Mediterranean Sea, Meloni complains that the country does not receive enough support from its foreign partners:

“All of them are of the opinion that Italy must solve this problem alone. This is a very foolish way of thinking”.

Lexus, whose real name is Alexey Stolyarov, commented that the Italian Prime Minister was frank. In his words, many other European politicians "behave like some kind of programmed robots and express only positions that are expressed only in their circles".

It was Lexus who conducted the conversation, and Vovan, whose real name is Vladimir Kuznetsov, listened.

Recently, Giorgia Meloni broke up with her partner - TV presenter Andrea Giambruno. This came after an off-air video of him using abusive language and appearing to flirt with his colleague was released.

Russia has declared Soros' university in Vienna undesirable

The Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, founded by billionaire financier and civil society activist George Soros, has been declared an "undesirable organization" in Russia, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

According to a statement on the website of the Ministry of Justice, the university is accused of discrediting the political leadership of Russia and Russian units in Ukraine, as well as recruiting personnel to formulate a global anti-Russian agenda in the media, Russian daily “Vedomosti” reported.

The university, which has no branch in Russia, denied the allegations and said it was committed to academic excellence and critical independent inquiry.

However, its inclusion on the list of undesirable organizations will limit its freedom to cooperate with Russian institutions and individuals, prevent Russian citizens from cooperating with it and expose Russian students and employees to the risk of political persecution, the statement said, quoted from Reuters.

The Central European University was due to move from Budapest, Soros' birthplace, to Vienna in 2019 after a long battle with Viktor Orban, who accused him of encouraging mass immigration to Europe.

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