President Putin assigned Yury Borisov as New Russian space boss

Dhaka July 16 2022 :

Inside Russia : Outside Russia : News Digest by the Embassy of Russian Federation in Bangladesh on July 16 2022.

INSIDE RUSSIA

New Russian space boss unveiled

The top Russian official responsible for the defense industry has been reassigned to head up the space agency Roscosmos. This move was part of a reshuffle ordered by President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Yury Borisov, who previously held the office of deputy chair of the Russian government and supervised defense contracts and research, was given the space job previously held by Dmitry Rogozin.

Although it was not immediately clear what the former Roscosmos head would do next, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would get a new assignment in the future.

Rogozin, formerly an MP, Russia’s envoy to NATO and a deputy prime minister, was tasked to take the helm at Roscosmos in May 2018. While leading the space agency, he preserved his combative style of communication.

In 2014, he suggested that NASA would have to use trampolines for manned space missions, due to freshly imposed American sanctions against Russia. The remark came during a period when the US relied on Russia to deliver and recover crew members of the International Space Station. Lately, he has been involved in a series of public spats with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Roscosmos marked Rogozin’s departure with a two-minute video highlighting the achievements of his four-year tenure. Those included a record-long string of over 80 successful space launches and the testing of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, Russia’s new nuclear weapons delivery system.

Borisov is a career military officer who specializes in air defense systems and electronics. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as deputy defense minister responsible for modernization of the military, in particular the acquisition of modern weapon systems. He was promoted to deputy chair of the government to replace the outgoing Rogozin.

Another order issued by Putin on Friday was to raise the rank of the office of Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, who will now be deputy prime minister while keeping his ministerial portfolio.

Manturov, a key person in the Russian government’s effort to mitigate the damage caused by Western trade restrictions, has been charged with finding or creating alternative sources for crucial materials and parts required by the Russian economy.

Russia to turn away from market economy

Domestic needs and technological sovereignty are the country’s primary concern, according to the Trade Ministry

Russia should focus its economic policy on prioritizing domestic needs, the country’s minister of industry and trade, Denis Manturov, said on Friday at a plenary session in the State Duma.

“We see satisfying domestic needs as the top priority for our economy. But this does not mean that we will shut ourselves in and not increase our export potential. Quite the opposite. Especially, given the negotiations on mutual cooperation with new markets. I mean, first of all, with the countries of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America,” the official stated.

He noted that in order to achieve this goal, Russia should amend its industrial policy.

“It is necessary to make a turn from a market-oriented industrial policy to a policy of ensuring technological sovereignty,” Manturov stated, adding that this notion is fully supported by the Russian government.

The official believes that imported machinery and equipment should be gradually replaced by Russian versions, noting that “industry must ensure virtually autonomous functioning and development of all consumer sectors.”

“We will accelerate the production of our own analogues to replace imported components,” Manturov said, adding that the government would allocate additional funds to support major state projects. There are also plans to create alternative logistics channels for Russian produce, with an eye to new markets, he said.

The minister outlined five strategically important areas, where technological sovereignty is of the utmost importance. These are national security and defense, where the priority will be given to creating Russian-made high-tech weapons; the energy sector, which is in dire need of equipment made domestically, because Ukraine-related sanctions make it difficult for energy companies to obtain foreign-made parts and equipment; and the shipbuilding, aircraft and chemical industries.

As the minister stated back in May, Russia does not have a goal of complete import substitution in industry. He explained that there are industries where Russia is forced to replace imports due to national security concerns, whereas in other industries international cooperation is and will be maintained.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

Russia-US seat swap flights to ISS unaffected by global developments, cosmonaut says

MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. Global developments have had no impact on the mutual understanding between Russian cosmonauts and NASA astronauts participating in Russia-US seat swap flights to the International Space Station (ISS), Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina said on Friday.

The Russian female cosmonaut who is training for her flight aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft spoke about the upcoming Crew-5 mission in a live broadcast on Russia’s Rossiya-24 TV Channel.

“As for the joint interaction, I have fostered a very professional level of good mutual relations and a mutual understanding with all those people whom I have crossed paths with during my training in this program. I have not seen any anomalies in [our] mutual understanding,” she said, responding to a question about how cosmonauts and astronauts felt amid the latest global developments.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported on July 14 that a Russia-US agreement on seat swap flights to the orbital outpost was at the final stage of approval.

The first woman in Russia’s cosmonaut team may embark on her flight aboard the US Crew Dragon spaceship under the seat swap program on September 1.

OUTSIDE RUSSIA

UK national dies in DPR captivity

The Donetsk People’s Republic ombudsman has revealed captured “British mercenary” Paul Urey died of chronic illnesses on Sunday

British national Paul Urey – who had been diagnosed with chronic diseases and was suffering from stress – died while in the custody of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) last Sunday, its ombudsman, Darya Morozova, announced on Friday.

According to the official, Urey had been fighting for Ukraine as a “mercenary” before being captured by the DPR’s forces. British media, citing the man’s relatives, claimed he was an aid worker.

Morozova noted that during the first medical checkup following Urey’s capture in late April “a number of chronic diseases” were identified, including “insulin-dependent diabetes, respiratory system and kidney impairment and several cardiovascular diseases.”

“Considering the diagnosis and stress, he passed away on July 10,” the official explained.

She stressed that all the necessary medical treatment had been provided to the captive by the DPR authorities.

According to the official, DPR representatives had notified the British authorities, international organizations and media of Urey’s capture, but “no reaction from Great Britain had been forthcoming.”

The official pointed out that London “had ignored even the mere possibility of conducting talks on his return as part of a prisoner swap.” The DPR ombudsman added that Urey’s home country had allegedly failed to provide the medicine he needed via the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Morozova claims the UK national was a “career soldier,” with tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya under his belt. She went on to say that Urey had been leading combat operations, as well as “training mercenaries” for the Ukrainian military.

The 45-year-old was captured in late April while trying to pass through a DPR checkpoint, the ombudsman added.

Days after Urey went missing, The Guardian newspaper reported on Urey’s disappearance, citing his mother, who insisted he was a “humanitarian aid volunteer in Ukraine.”

She, however, at least partly confirmed the DPR authorities’ later reports about the man’s health conditions. The woman explained at the time that her “son Paul is also type 1 diabetic and needs his insulin.”

In early May, Sky News cited the UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office as saying that it was “still trying to find out information about Mr Urey and Mr Healy’s detentions.” Dylan Healy, 21, from Cambridgeshire, was allegedly captured along with Urey.

SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE

Russia comments on deadly strike on Ukrainian city

Moscow said it targeted a meeting of Kiev’s military commanders with foreign arms suppliers in central Vinnitsa

The Russian military has confirmed launching a missile attack at a target in the city of Vinnitsa in Ukraine. It denied claims that it was a deliberate strike on civilians, stating that it hit Ukrainian military commanders as they negotiated with foreign arms suppliers.

Russia attacked the House of Military Officers in Vinnitsa with sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles, the Defense Ministry said on Friday during a daily briefing. The statement claimed that the attack happened when a group of Ukrainian senior military officers were holding a meeting with foreign arms suppliers. The discussion was about the “transfer of more warplanes and weapons systems as well as the repair of the Ukrainian military air fleet,” the ministry said. The Russian strike killed all participants at the gathering.

According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian strike killed 23 civilians and injured scores of others, 80 of whom had to be hospitalized for treatment. President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Moscow attacked the city center deliberately and accused it of terrorism.

The head of Vinnitsa Region, Sergey Borzov, reported that Ukrainian air defenses engaged Russian missiles over the city and claimed they intercepted four of them.

Kiev has accused Russia of waging a genocidal war, claiming that Russian forces have a policy of killing Ukrainians. Moscow has rejected such allegations, saying its forces only attack legitimate military targets.

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.

UN fails to take balanced stance on situation around Vinnitsa — Russian diplomat

MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. The UN Secretariat has failed to take an balanced stance on the developments in the Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

When asked to comment on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s statments about developments in Vinnitsa, she said that “contrary to the requirements of the UN Charter, the Secretariat fails to take an equidistant stance, which is what one would expect from the secretariat of the most reputable international organization, particularly designed to help resolve disputes.”

“I would like to remind my respected colleagues at the UN Secretariat that their goal is not to take anyone’s side in controversial situations but to facilitate efforts to maintain peace and stability. This is what they are paid for and what they are mandated to do,” Zakharova pointed out.

She also emphasized that the United Nations should know from the Russian Defense Ministry’s reports that a strike on Vinnitsa, which involved Kalibr high-precision missiles, “targeted a garrison officers’ club where consultations between the command of the Ukrainian air forces and representatives of foreign weapons suppliers were underway.” “We recommend that Guterres ask Ukraine why the Kiev regime keeps establishing military facilities in close proximity to civilian ones,” the Russian diplomat maintained.

Besides, in Zakharova’s words, neither Guterres nor any other official from the UN Secretariat condemned “an attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure” when it came to the shelling of Kursk, Belgorod or Novaya Kakhovka.

INSIGHTS

Mikhail Khodarenok: The West says it wants Ukraine to win, but is it ready to supply Kiev with the armaments it needs for victory?

Participants in the NATO summit in Madrid called upon Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to settle for nothing less than a military resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo voiced the position of the US-led as follows:

“It is very important to continue talking with President Volodymyr Zelensky, emphasizing that the war can only be won on the battlefield, and we must continue to support President Zelensky and the population of Ukraine so that they win on the battlefield,” Alexander De Croo said.

The collective West’s military, political, and strategic goals in the armed conflict in Ukraine have at least two facets. The first is to prevent Russia’s military from achieving success during its military operation in Ukraine. The second is to thereby restrain China’s possible aspirations to solve the Taiwan problem by military means.

However, in order for Ukraine to gain the upper hand, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) must, at a minimum, achieve air supremacy (at least during a presumed offensive or counterattack of strategic scale, at least for a while), as well as numerical and qualitative superiority in artillery and armored troops. Among other things, the AFU needs to stockpile sufficient material resources (jet fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline, ammunition, food supplies) for at least 30 days of combat operations.

Even with the help of the collective West, this would be a very difficult task. It looks especially difficult in terms of implementation. Let’s take as an example Ukraine’s Air Force and some other branches of its armed forces.

In order to gain air supremacy, or at least fight on equal footing with the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Ukrainian Air Force would require at least 124 multifunctional fighters (i.e. three fighter regiments of 42 aircraft each), 36 combat planes (three squadrons of 12 aircraft) and six training fighters (dual control aircraft). It is quite possible that these units will be organized like those of the United States and other NATO countries – squadrons of 24 fighters, with three squadrons combined into a wing.

Among the possible contenders to become Ukraine’s main combat aircraft, the most likely candidate is America’s F-16C /D, which is currently being withdrawn from service in the US Air Force and replaced by the F-35. However, it is not that a concrete decision has yet to be made on this issue – these problems have not even been discussed.

Now, let’s try to imagine how the process of re-equipping the Ukrainian Air Force with fundamentally new aircraft will go. To begin with, it will be necessary to send at least 200 flight personnel to the United States for retraining (so that there are at least two crews for each fighter).

Maintenance personnel will also have to be sent for retraining (aircraft mechanics from different battalions). The number of these specialists will be about an order of magnitude greater than the number of actual pilots.

However, an airplane is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to aviation. Ukraine will have to be supplied not only with combat planes, but also the entire array of airfield equipment, from fuel tankers and the necessary fuel to airfield power units and the loading trolleys that deliver aviation weapons to the planes and mount them on the aircraft.

Absolutely none of Ukraine’s equipment is compatible with American fighters, as it is all Soviet-made. Not even its free-fall bombs, whose size and suspension lugs differ from similar products from the United States.

In addition, the US (as well as other NATO countries) will have to supply the Ukrainian Air Force with the entire range of aviation weapons (from guided and unguided missiles of various classes to free-fall bombs) in sufficient quantity to last for a very long period of hostilities.

With the transfer of Western-made combat planes to Ukraine, the problem of controlling fighters in the air during combat will inevitably arise. The American F-16s are not integrated in the automated command and control systems of Ukraine’s current fighter aircraft in any way, shape, or form. And, in order to solve this problem, the United States might well have to supply the Ukrainian Air Force with planes like the Hawkeye E-2C/D – a tactical early warning aircraft equipped with long-range radar. Without such means, it will be simply impossible to effectively control planes during air battles and strikes against ground targets.

Now what remains is to calculate when these three fighter aviation regiments will reach ‘initial operational readiness’, as they say in the US. According to the most optimistic forecasts, this won’t happen before the winter.

We see approximately the same picture (but certainly less complicated) with the formation of armored divisions. To give the AFU offensive potential, they will need at least four to five tank brigades (each numbering 120-140 main battle tanks) equipped with M1 Abrams (in this case, there are possible options – the Leopard-2 or Leclerc). Again, Ukrainian tank crews will have to go through all the necessary stages in this case – retraining, obtaining new weapons and equipment, and live-fire exercises. So, it will not be possible to resolve these issues very quickly.

With ground artillery and multiple rocket launchers, things will be easier. The AFU will be able to master them quickly enough. But even here, the processes of obtaining and mastering this hardware will not be simultaneous in any way. It will take many months to form 7-8 artillery brigades with 72 guns each (the APU requires no less) and bring them to the level of combat readiness.

But, during this time, the political environment and strategic situation on the front may change significantly, and there is no reason at all to assume that this will be in Ukraine’s favor. There is only one conclusion to be drawn here – the Russian Armed Forces need to achieve significant results without waiting for Ukraine to be rearmed with advanced modern weaponry of Western standards.

In other words, to use the time needed to equip the AFU to their own advantage.

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