October 4, 2022
1. The lower house of Russian Parliament backed the accession treaties
On October 3rd The State Duma has unanimously ratified the treaties on the accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, to the Russian Federation. All four voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia in the referenda held between September 23 and 27.
Addressing legislators before the vote, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that accession will “serve the interests of all people of our multiethnic country.”
He added that Kiev had oppressed Russian-speaking people, which made the existence of certain territories within the Ukrainian state impossible.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin underscored that accession to Russia is the only way to save the people living in the four former Ukrainian territories from shelling by Ukrainian troops. “The only way to end this is reunification [with Russia],” he said.
Earlier the accession accords were approved by the Russian Constitutional Court. Its Chairman Valery Zorkin noted that the Court made such decisions based primarily on the fact that the inhabitants and population of these regions were “in direct danger of their lives”. In his words, "Human life is the most valuable, it is the most sacred thing on Earth. And we could not ignore the fact that people's lives were threatened [with] a catastrophic threat …”.
All citizens of four territories with the population of more than 9 mln people will enjoy all rights like the citizens of Russia.
Ukraine, along with Western countries, considers the vote illegal and refused to recognize the accession.
Russia is not interested in all these views. It referred to Article 1 of the UN Charter on any nation’s self-determination right, as well as provisions of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Declaration on Principles of International Law.
Moscow has yet to determine the future borders of Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, which are set to be incorporated into Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told journalists on October 3.
2. NATO ‘not obliged’ to assist Ukraine — German ambassador
Berlin’s envoy to the military bloc clarified that NATO won’t actively fight for a non-member state. Ruediger Koenig, Germany’s permanent representative to NATO has explained that the alliance is not obliged to offer direct military assistance to Ukraine. added that its members want to avoid a major war. He was speaking to Dein Spiegel, the youth version of Der Spiegel magazine, which published the interview on October 2.
This means that Article 5 of NATO’s treaty on collective security cannot be activated, the official explained. Under it, an attack on one ally is considered to be an attack against the whole of the bloc, with all member states having to stick up for the targeted nation. According to Koenig, the military bloc is anxious to avoid getting actively involved in the conflict at all costs because “this would mean a very big war.” Such a scenario, which would see 30 more nations join the fray, is something “nobody wants,” the diplomat noted.
The official pointed out that the Kremlin, however, is unlikely to agree to Zelensky’s demands that Moscow should cede all former Ukrainian regions in the south and east of the country that recently voted to join Russia, as well as Crimea, which decided to join the country in 2014 – also after the outcome of the referendum with more that 96 percent voted in favor.
Moscow firmly announced that is against any debate on accession issues at any talks with any country or foreign leader
3. Situation on the battlefield
AFU continued to shell civilians in Donbass. 11 residential areas have been shelled. During October 3 in Dokuchaevsk (DPR) a boarding-school, a shop and administrative building was damaged, two people were killed, and 3 more were injured; in Starobelsk (LPR) a kindergarten, three houses and a stadium were damaged. In all cases 155mm NATO MLRS and artillery were used. In Donetsk Ukrainian anti-personnel mines prohibited by the Ottava Convention have been dispersed.
Ukraine has closed the passage to the liberated part of the Zaporozhye Region for the civilian population, said Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the movement “We are with Russia”, a member of the main council of the regional Administration. “The Kiev regime blocked the exit to the liberated part of the Zaporozhye Region through checkpoints. So far, unfortunately, people are not being released from that side for various far-fetched reasons and with threats,” he explained. In these two attacks a new U.S. shrapnel was used for HIMERS missiles to inflict more casualties amongst civilians.
AFU killed several dozens Ukrainians seeking the ways to escape from the neo-nazi Ukraine. AFU deliberately shelled two such civilian convoys by heavy artillery fire – one moving on foot and the other one travelling by private cars. The ICRC employees located at these places fixed such barbaric Ukrainian attacks and the obvious results. Despite these facts foreign newsmen disseminated fake news about the source of such shelling.
Russian MoD has reported on September 3:
Missile attacks launched at manpower and military equipment concentration areas of 14th Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) near Kupyansk, Dvurechnaya and Kurilovka (Kharkov Region) at Kupyansk direction have resulted in the elimination of over 140 servicemen and 19 units of special military equipment.
Over the past 72 hours, the enemy has lost more than 500 servicemen and about 60 units of military equipment at Kupyansk direction.
Massive fire attack has been launched at enemy reserve forces and units from 66th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the AFU near Slavyansk at Krasny Liman direction. The attack has resulted in the elimination of up to 100 servicemen, 6 units of armoured equipment and 2 Grad MLRS combat vehicles.
Over the past 72 hours, the units from 66th and 93rd Mechanised Brigades of the AFU have lost more than 900 servicemen at the abovementioned direction.
Missile attack launched at the manpower and military equipment concentration areas of 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the AFU near Kalinovka at Artyomovsk direction has resulted in the elimination of over 260 militants and 14 units of military equipment.
Allied forces have repelled enemy's attempts to launch an offensive near Pervomayskoye at Donetsk direction. The preventive operation has resulted in the elimination of over 100 Ukrainian troops from 21st Battalion of 56th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the AFU.
Russian troops continued repelling enemy's offensive at Nikolayev-Krivoy Rog direction.
All the attacks of the AFU at Nikolayev and Andreyevka tactical directions have been successfully repelled. Attack launched by Russian Aerospace Forces at the units from 24th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU near Davydov Brod (Kherson Region) has resulted in the elimination of up to 60 militants and 7 units of military equipment.
Superior enemy tank units succeeded in wedging into the depth of the Russian defence towards Zolotaya Balka and Aleksandrovka. Russian forces took a previously prepared line of defence and continue launching massive fire attacks. Ukrainian militants have lost a total of over 130 personnel and 23 units of military equipment at the abovementioned area.
Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery have neutralised 47 artillery units at their firing positions, as well as 146 manpower and military equipment concentration areas. Five missile, artillery armament and munitions depots have been destroyed near Kramatorsk, Artyomovsk, Opytnoye, Yampol (DPR) and Dobryanka (Kherson Region).
Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed one radar of Ukrainian S-300 air defence missile system near Nikiforovka (DPR). Three Ukrainian Grad MLRS rocket batteries have been neutralised near Tsvetkovoye, Svyatopetrovka and Yablokovo (Zaporozhye Region). Air defence facilities have shot down 3 unmanned aerial vehicles near Valeryanovka (DPR), Kupyansk (Kharkov Region) and Borozenskoye (Kherson Region).
Moreover, 15 projectiles launched by U.S.-manufactured HIMARS MLRS have been intercepted and destroyed in air near Novaya Kakhovka, Vesyoloye and Novaya Zburyevka (Kherson Region).
Since February 24th, 2022, in total, 310 airplanes and 155 helicopters, 2,137 unmanned aerial vehicles, 378 air defence missile systems, 5,292 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 860 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,444 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 6,189 special military vehicles have been destroyed during the Special Military Operations.
Written by Vladimir P. Kozin
