After losing large parts of the Cherson region, including the region’s capital, Russia has also had to put up with a number of setbacks on the diplomatic stage. China threatens to distance itself from its partner, it joins the US in condemning the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling. The G20 summit is expected to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in its final declaration. And for Foreign Minister Lavrov, things are anything but smooth. The 264th day of the war at a glance.

ISW: Russia will attack hard in Donetsk

After the Russians lost the areas east of the Dnipro, Western experts believe that Russian troops will be deployed again, this time to the Donbass. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region are “distressed” and will likely have to withdraw some troops from the Kherson region to repel renewed Russian offensive operations. Despite the renewed efforts, Russia will not achieve any significant operational successes, according to the management report. The Russian troops had proved to be insufficiently trained, poorly equipped and unwilling to fight.

London: Winter will attack Russian troops

According to British estimates, the upcoming winter will also have a significant impact on the fighting. “Changes in daylight hours, temperature and weather present unique challenges for combatants,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Because daylight hours are significantly decreasing, there will be fewer offensives and more static defensive lines. The winter conditions, with more rain and strong winds and snowfall, led to cold injuries and would pose additional challenges to the already low morale of the Russian armed forces, the ministry said. But they also posed problems for the maintenance of the equipment.

Zelenskyj visits Kherson

After numerous residents of the liberated city of Cherson happily greeted the Ukrainian soldiers, they were able to look forward to the visit of their President, Volodymyr Zelenskyj. “We’re moving forward,” he told troops standing in formation in front of the administration building in the city’s main square as the Ukrainian flag was raised. “We are ready for peace, peace for our whole country”. Zelenskyy thanked NATO and other allies for their support in the war against Russia and said the delivery of highly mobile HIMARS missile systems from the United States made a big difference for Kyiv.

Lithuania supplies armored vehicles to Ukraine

Armored vehicles should also help militarily. Ukraine now received it from Lithuania. The NATO country sent 12 more M113 armored vehicles as military aid. The Ministry of Defense in Vilnius announced that ten armored mortars including 120 millimeter caliber ammunition and two fire control tanks were handed over to Kyiv. The Baltic state has already delivered a total of 62 M113 vehicles to Ukraine for various purposes.

Biden and Xi counter Russia’s nuclear threat

Away from the battlefield, it was above all big politics that made a name for itself today. First, US media reported that US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping jointly condemned Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The two heads of state met on the sidelines of the G20 summit for talks. Chinese officials initially did not confirm information from the US media. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has welcomed Biden and Xi’s no to the use of nuclear weapons. It is very good “that the two of them have again developed this clarity that the use of nuclear weapons should be ruled out and that there is a red line that must not be crossed,” said Scholz.

G20 summit to condemn Russian war of aggression

There are also unusual tones from the Russian side at the G20 summit. Western diplomats reported that Russia was apparently ready to accept a special passage in the final declaration. It is intended to condemn the Ukraine war. Specifically, there should be talk of a war and not, as Russia always emphasizes, of a “special military operation”. Russia’s possible approval of the draft text could be a sign that Moscow can no longer even count on the support of powerful partner China on the issue of Ukraine in the G20 group.

Lavrov allegedly in the hospital

A third issue was not going well for Russia on the diplomatic stage either. The AP news agency reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was initially hospitalized after arriving at the G20 summit in Bali. According to Indonesian authorities, he complained of health problems and was treated for a heart condition in Sanglah Hospital in the provincial capital Denpasar. The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the reports.

Lavrov in Western Consumer Goods

The ministry later released a video of Lavrov sitting in shorts on the terrace of his Bali accommodation, studying documents for the summit. This should refute the representation of the Indonesian authorities. Instead, however, other criticism of the short clip ignited. For example, there is an iPhone on the Russian Foreign Minister’s desk, and he also wears an Apple Watch on his wrist. In addition to shorts, he is dressed in a T-shirt reminiscent of the US artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died in 1988. Numerous users on social media noted that Russia repeatedly criticizes the West and its companies, but regularly uses its technology and culture. However, none of this stopped Lavrov from railing against Western journalists and describing their reports as hoaxes.

US sanctions Russian citizens and companies

14 Russian citizens and 28 Russian companies should also have reason to complain in the future. Because US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen put them on the US sanctions list. Yellen explained that they were involved in the procurement of military technology for Russia. “This is part of our larger effort to disrupt Russia’s war effort and deny it (Vladimir Putin) the equipment it needs through sanctions and export controls,” she said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Russia wants to export more grain in 2023

On one point, Russia reported at least something positive today. The government plans to double grain exports in the coming year. Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko announced on her Telegram channel that the agriculture and economics ministries had agreed on an export quota of 25.5 million tons. This year the quota is 11 million tons. According to Abramchenko, the increase is due to the record harvest in Russia. According to this, Russia will set a historic record for the grain harvest this year with more than 150 million tons.

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