Russia-Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin enters new stage of ‘war against NATO and the West’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is escalating his Ukraine war up to a ‘different stage’ against Europe, the UK and the US in response to western battle tank supplies.

Germany is ready to authorise Poland to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Picture: AFP

A senior European Union defence diplomat has warned that Moscow has entered a new stage of its invasion, with Russian President Vladimir Putin now considering it “a war against Nato and the West.”

Stefano Sannino, secretary-general of the European Union’s European External Action Service, said the supply of advance tanks from Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom has moved Russia “from a concept of special operation to a concept now of a war against Nato and the West.”.

“I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia started moving the war into a different stage,” Mr Sannino said at a news conference in Tokyo.

But he added that it wasn’t the European Union escalating the conflict into a broader war, claiming the western supply of military equipment was “just giving the possibility of saving lives and allowing the Ukrainians to defend (themselves) from these barbaric attacks”.

Germany and the US this week pledged to send 14 and 31 advanced battle tanks respectively to Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

A British Challenger tank, a French Leclerc tank, aa Polish German Leopard tank, and a US Abrams. Picture: AFP

Poland followed with the promise of an additional 60 tanks t help Kyiv fend off an expected Russian offensive in the spring.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said thanked Poland for sending the 60 tanks, which he said would include “30 of the famous PT-91 Twardy, along with 14 Leopards”.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki revealed Warsaw’s contribution in an interview with Canada’s CTV News on Thursday.

“Right now, we are ready to send 60 of our modernised tanks, 30 of them PT-91. And on top of those tanks, 14 tanks, Leopard 2 tanks, from in our possession,” he said.

He added that since the start of the war, Poland had “sent 250 tanks … or even more than that” to Ukraine.

The tanks that have already been sent by Poland are mainly T-72 Soviet models, of which the PT-91 are a modernised version.

After weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the US and Germany announced Wednesday the deliveries of their heavy Abrams and Leopard tanks to Ukraine, a step seen as a breakthrough in efforts to support war-torn Ukraine.

Berlin also authorised other countries to send their own Leopards to Kyiv.

HEELS PUTIN BODY DOUBLE CONSPIRACY

Vladimir Putin has been spotted in high heel shoes while meeting Russian students but insiders claim it was a body double.

The 70-year-old was seen wearing the wedged black shoes while visiting the students from Moscow State University.

However, Telegram channel General SVR — which claims to be fed information by a Kremlin insider — alleges the man pictured is actually Mr Putin’s “main body double”.

The channel also pointed out that at the appearance on Wednesday Putin was all smiles, while a video a day earlier showed the dictator looking glum with his right hand concealed from view.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing high heeled shoes while posing with students from Moscow State University. Picture: AFP

The Russian president has been accused of using a body double several times in the past year, including at a summit in Iran.

“During a public meeting with students … many noticed some oddities and physiological features of the ‘president’,” according to the General SVR channel.

“A person similar to Putin, unlike the original, was absolutely not afraid to be near a large number of little-known and completely unfamiliar people, which is not at all typical for the president in the past few years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with students while visiting the Moscow State University on the Students' Day in Moscow. Picture: AFP

“Obvious differences were observed on the face of pseudo-Putin and in the manner his behaviour.

“The left cheekbone of the understudy was swollen and moved unnaturally with the ‘president’s‘ facial expressions.

“An unnaturally hanging upper lip is the result of an unsuccessful ‘fitting’ of the understudy.”

The channel also claimed that the alleged body double had undergone “too many Botox injections”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accompanied by Viktor Sadovnichy, rector of the Moscow State University. Picture: AFP

“The stunt double‘s laughing style is different from Putin’s” while some movements “appear constrained.

“This public appearance of the president’s double was not the most successful, but nothing can be done because Putin is not able to take part in such events.”

RUSSIA UNLEASHES DEADLY MISSILE ATTACK

Russia has unleashed a massive missile assault on Ukraine, killing at least 11 people one day after the US and Germany agreed to send dozens of elite tanks to Ukraine in a deal that could alter the fortunes of combatants on both sides of the war.

“Eleven people died, another eleven were injured,” Ukrainian emergency services said on Telegram, after a massive new wave of Russian attacks targeted the pro-Western country’s energy infrastructure, triggering emergency blackouts in a number of regions.

The aftermath of a Russian missile strike was evident in the town of Hlevakha, outside Kyiv. Picture: Reuters

At least 35 buildings were struck across several regions, the state’s emergency service said.

It added the worst damage to residential buildings was in the Kyiv region.

Officials also reported strikes on two energy facilities in the Odessa region.

The barrage came as Russia said it perceived the tank offer as “direct” Western involvement in the conflict.

In what was a sustained and wide-ranging attack, the head of the Ukrainian army said Moscow launched 55 air and sea-based missiles on Thursday.

A window of a truck stands shattered in an industrial area in Kyiv following a morning missile strike that left 11 people dead and 11 injured. Picture: Getty Images

Valery Zaluzhny added that 47 of them were shot down, including 20 around Kyiv.

“Russia’s goal remains the same – psychological pressure on Ukrainians and the destruction of critical infrastructure,” Mr Zaluzhny said.

Ukrainian military spokesman Yuriy Ignat announced the fresh missile salvo, telling local media that several Russian Tu-95 bombers had launched the attack from northern Murmansk region.

“We expect more than 30 missiles, which have already started to appear in various territories. Air defence systems are working,” Mr Ignat said.

A woman walks among the damage after Russia unleashed a missile attack on Ukraine. Picture: Getty Images

Sergiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said all 15 cruise missiles launched towards the capital were downed, “thanks to the excellent work of air defence”.

Ukraine’s air force also said its units shot down a cluster of Iranian-made attack drones launched by Russian forces from near southern Ukraine.

“Attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) were launched from the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov … The enemy used 24 Shaheds. All 24 were destroyed,” the air force said.

The aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Picture: Getty Images

In the capital, the calm of a cold and snowy morning had been broken at 10.06am local time by the sound of large explosions in the south of the city.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported on Telegram: “As a result of a rocket hitting a non-residential building in the Holosiiv district, there is currently information about one dead and two wounded. The injured were hospitalised by medics.”

The targets of the strikes across the country appeared primarily to be electricity plants and substations.

Ukrainian authorities said Russia launched 55 missiles, but 47 were intercepted by military. Picture: Getty Images

Maksym Marchenko, the regional head of Odessa, a city in southern Ukraine, said: “Due to damage to several energy infrastructure facilities in Odessa and other regions of Ukraine, there are significant problems with electricity supply.

“Energy workers have already started repair work, but it will take some time to repair the damage. Currently, Russian planes are in the air.”

Members of the public walk among broken trees as a result of Russian missile strikes to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Picture: AFP

GERMANY, US PLEDGE MODERN TANKS FOR KYIV

The latest wave of attacks came a day after Germany and the United States pledged

top-of-the-line tanks to Ukraine, sweeping aside longstanding misgivings and signalling a new surge of Western support for an expected counteroffensive against the Russian invasion.

President Joe Biden promised 31 Abrams tanks, one of the most powerful and sophisticated weapons in the US army.

Leopard tanks pledged by Berlin will arrive in “late March, early April”, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.

It comes as the Kremlin said Moscow perceived the tank deliveries “as direct involvement in the conflict” and Ukraine conceded it was facing mounting pressure from Russian troops on the eastern front line.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that a decision by Western countries to supply Ukraine with modern tanks meant that they were party to the conflict, after Berlin and Washington approved the weapons for Kyiv.

“European capitals and Washington constantly give statements that sending various types of weapons, including tanks, in no way means their involvement in hostilities. We strongly disagree with this. In Moscow, this is perceived as direct involvement in the conflict and we see that this is growing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Germany has approved the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, after weeks of pressure from Kyiv and many allies. Picture: AFP

Training of Ukrainian troops on German Marder infantry fighting vehicles will start in the next few days, he added, and “a little later” for the Ukrainian soldiers who will be trained on the Leopard.

Ukrainian energy operator DTEK said it was instituting emergency power cuts around Kyiv and also in the southern Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Russia has launched regular waves of aerial attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since last October.

Those assaults have crippled the electricity grid with temperatures near zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) as winter deepens.

On Thursday, two critical infrastructure facilities in the Odessa region on the Black Sea were damaged, the head of the regional military administration said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces have launched regular waves of aerial attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since last October. Picture: AFP

RUSSIA THREATENS TO TAKE ITS WAR ON UKRAINE ‘TO NEW LEVEL’

The US, Germany and other western allies have agreed to supply Ukraine with dozens of their best tanks to use on the battlefield despite Russia warning it would trigger a “global catastrophe”.

Berlin finally agreed to send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv after weeks of pressure from Ukraine and other allies, in what is widely expected to be a “game-changer”.

The move also opens the way for other European nations that operate Leopards to send tanks from their own fleets to Ukraine, further building up the combined-arms arsenal Kyiv needs to launch counteroffensives against Russia.

Germany is ready to authorise Poland to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion if Warsaw makes such a request, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. Picture: AFP

The decision comes after the Kremlin warned of a “global catastrophe” if such a move of heavy armour was allowed.

“From offering 5000 helmets to sending the Leos into Ukraine,” German Marshall Fund researcher Bruno Lete said, referring to a widely-mocked early German contribution to Ukraine’s war effort.

“In less than a year, Germany deconstructed seven decades of pacifist policy since World War II.

“Perhaps reluctantly – but still a major Zeitenwende (turning point) in its own right.”

US President Joe Biden addressed Americans about a similar decision soon after speaking with the leaders of Germany, the UK, Italy and France on Wednesday.

He announced that the US will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, reversing the administration’s longstanding resistance to requests from Kyiv for the highly sophisticated but maintenance-heavy vehicles.

Mr Biden said the increased support from Washington was about helping Ukraine “defend its sovereignty.”

“It is not an offensive threat to Russia. There is no offensive threat,” Mr Biden said,

The Abrams will take months to arrive, senior administration officials said, and will require extensive training for Ukrainian troops on how to operate and service them.

“Abrams tanks are the best in the world. This is a tremendous new capability that Ukraine will be getting to boost its long term defences,” a senior administration official said, noting that the tanks will be procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding.

Russia’s ambassador to Germany Sergei Netchaev said Wednesday that the decision by Ukraine’s allies to supply the country with tanks was “extremely dangerous” and “takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is “sincerely grateful” to Germany for agreeing to supply his government with its sought-after Leopard 2 battle tanks.

Mr Zelenskyy said in a tweet that he had spoken to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the telephone.

Thank you @POTUS for another powerful decision to provide Abrams to 🇺🇦. Grateful to 🇺🇸 people for leadership support! It's an important step on the path to victory. Today the free world is united as never before for a common goal – liberation of 🇺🇦. We're moving forward

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 25, 2023

German main battle tanks, further broadening of defense support & training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important & timely decisions in a call with @OlafScholz. Sincerely grateful to the Chancellor and all our friends in 🇩🇪.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 25, 2023

During their phone call, Mr Scholz told Mr Zelenskyy that Germany will “further strengthen military support for Ukraine in close co-ordination with European and international partners,” according to a German government press office readout.

“President Zelenskyy thanked the Federal Chancellor for the decision to make ‘Leopard 2’ battle tanks available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and to issue corresponding transfer licences to partner countries wishing to supply such tanks from their stocks to Ukraine,” it said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on allies in possession of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to send “as many of them (to Ukraine) as possible” now that Germany has said it will both approve their re-export and send tanks from Berlin’s own inventory.

“I call on all new partners that have Leopard 2 tanks in service to join the coalition and provide as many of them as possible. They are free now,” he tweeted on Wednesday.

So the tank coalition is formed. Everyone who doubted this could ever happen sees now: for Ukraine and partners impossible is nothing. I call on all new partners that have Leopard 2 tanks in service to join the coalition and provide as many of them as possible. They are free now.

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) January 25, 2023

I strongly welcome the leadership of @Bundeskanzler & #Germany in providing #Leopard2 tanks to #Ukraine in consultation with other #NATO Allies & partners. At a critical moment in Russia’s war, these can help Ukraine to defend itself, win & prevail as an independent nation.

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 25, 2023

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described the decision as a “big step towards stopping Russia”.

But, the Kremlin has branded the move “extremely dangerous”.

Kyiv has since December been asking for around 300 Western tanks that would allow it to launch counteroffensives against Russian forces occupying its territory.

After months of front lines being stuck, many observers fear Russia could launch a huge attack in the eastern Donbas region come spring.

With artillery support, tanks and other armoured vehicles will make Ukrainian forces more mobile, and hopefully able to punch through Russian defences – breaking the trench warfare that has emerged.

“Main battle tanks have been an integral part of combined arms warfare since World War II. No major defensive or offensive operation is possible without an operational MBT arsenal,” Ukrainian military analyst Mykola Bielieskov said.

That means that tanks alone are not a wonder weapon that will win the war for Kyiv.

“There are other integral elements of combined arms warfare: mechanised infantry, tube or rocket artillery, air defence, missiles, signal troops, and only employed in concert can they bring the needed results,” Ms Bielieskov added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference in Kyiv amid Russia's military invasion on Ukraine. Picture: AFP

The UK has also agreed to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks, the British army’s main battle tank, which is more advanced than other military vehicles currently available to Ukraine, the BBC reports.

And French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday indicated Paris was also considering sending French-made heavy Leclerc tanks for Ukraine.

Coming on top of lighter vehicles promised by Berlin, Paris and Washington earlier this month, the united front behind Kyiv marks a setback for Russia, which has long been banking on Western support for its neighbour running out of steam.

Fears in some capitals – especially Berlin – that the frontline battle tanks could be seen as a new step in escalation appear to have been soothed, not least in light of taboos that have already fallen since the Russian invasion.

“Howitzers and multiple rocket launchers delivered in 2022 were just as serious, if not more so than tanks, because artillery is more powerful” in deciding military engagements, Ms Bielieskov said.

On the other vital front for Kyiv, air defence, the Americans have pledged to deliver Patriot missiles, seen as one of the best such systems available in the West.

– with AFP

Originally published as Russia-Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin enters new stage of ‘war against NATO and the West’