Photo: Lockheed Martin

EA-Times Radio Special: Will US Aid Help Turn Tide in Ukraine v. Russia’s Invasion?

Wednesday’s Coverage: US Senate Approves $60.8 Billion in Aid to Kyiv

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1023 GMT:

A former Russian Deputy Defense Minister has been detained in the bribery case that led to the indictment of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov on Wednesday.

Alexander Fomin is suspected of paying bribes to Ivanov and his associate Sergey Borodin. All of the men will be in custody until at least June 23.

Fomin, now head of a construction company, was a Deputy Defense Minister from 2017 until early this year. He was sanctioned by the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for his role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ivanov, an ally of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, was in charge of military construction projects. He was sanctioned by both the US and European Union in 2022.

Ivanov’s lawyer Murad Musayev said his client is accused of “taking a bribe in the form of free construction and repair work on supposedly his personal properties” in return for providing “assistance to companies that were contractors for the Defense Ministry”.

UPDATE 0712 GMT:

Denmark is allocating almost €40 million for private sector involvement in Ukraine’s reconstruction, and €380 million to support critical infrastructure operating on renewable energy sources.

The funds were designated under a Memorandum of Understanding signed for long-term cooperation and reconstruction.

Ukraine Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko said:

We recognize the importance of enhancing commercial relations between Danish and Ukrainian businesses to bolster the Ukrainian economy and business community.

The memorandum we have signed entails collaboration with the private sector through the Ukraine Facility mechanism with loans and guarantees system within the Export Investment Fund of Denmark, part of the Danish-Ukrainian Fund aimed at mitigating financial risks encountered by companies engaged in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

UPDATE 0653 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced the return of 16 Ukrainian children who were deported by Russia.

Ukrainian official say they confirmed the forced transfer of almost 20,000 juveniles to Russia or Russian-occupied territory. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s “Children’s Rights” Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the deportations.

Zelenskiy noted:

Thousands of other forcibly deported Ukrainian children remain in Russia. It is heartbreaking to realize that, as time passes, they are growing up apart from their families and homeland.

UPDATE 0630 GMT:

Ukraine has stopped the issue of new passports at consular offices abroad to some military-aged male citizens.

The step is part of efforts to increase mobilization for the military amid Russia’s offensives, especially in eastern Ukraine. On Tuesday, consular services were suspended for men aged 18 to 60 until new legislation is implemented.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the suspension applied only to new applications. But hundreds of Ukrainians crowded outside a closed passport office in Warsaw, Poland.

“This is a fight against people who are fleeing the army,” said Maksym, a 38-year-old truck driver. “We are not asked on what grounds we went abroad….Why am I a draft dodger if I went abroad legally?”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych, assured, “All applications submitted to the consular offices of Ukraine before April 23…will be processed in full and passport documents will be issued to such people.”

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine is already using US-made ATACMS missiles, with a range up to 300 km (186 miles), to strike Russian positions in occupied areas.

Two US officials said a Russian military airfield in Crimea was hit last week and Russian forces in another occupied area in recent days.

The missiles arrived in Ukraine earlier this month at the direction of US President Joe Biden, before last Saturday’s House vote overcoming a 6 1/2-month blockade and authorizing $60.8 billion in assistance to Kyiv. The Senate confirmed the bill on Tuesday, and it was soon signed by Biden.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed on Monday that the US aid included ATACMS.

See also Ukraine War, Day 790: Kyiv to Receive Long-Range US Missiles

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the missiles were part of an earlier package for Ukraine: “We did not announce this at the onset in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request.”

A US official said the Biden Administration had warned Russia that if Moscow fired long-range ballistic missiles on Ukraine, Washington would provide the same capability to the Ukrainians.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Wednesday that more ATACMS will be sent now “that we have additional authority and money…I believe they will make a difference.”

Adm. Christopher Grady, the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that the long-range weapons will help Ukraine knock out Russian logistics and troop concentrations behind the frontlines.

“I think the time is right, and the boss [Biden] made the decision the time is right to provide these based on where the fight is right now,” Grady explained.

Up to this month, the Administration had rejected the delivery of the 300-km ATACMS to Ukraine, restricting supply to the 165-km (102-mile) version. Among the reasons cited was concern that Ukraine would use the longer-range missiles in attacks on Russian territory.

The Administration reportedly criticized Kyiv this spring for drone strikes which have damaged oil refineries and other facilities up to 1,200 km (744 miles) inside Russia. There was a pause in Ukrainian attacks after April 2, but they resumed this week with waves of assaults on refineries and electricity sub-stations.

On Wednesday, drones set energy and fuel facilities on fire in the Smolensk region in western Russia.

The American officials did not say if the US had modified its prohibition of ATACMS strikes on Russia territory.

Biden reportedly directed his staff to ensure the longer-range ATACMS was only “for use inside Ukrainian sovereign territory”.

But the head of the UK military, Adm. Tony Radakin, said:

As Ukraine gains more capabilities for the long-range fight…its ability to continue deep operations will become a feature.

They definitely have an effect.