US newspaper says Kiev 'shocked' by Moscow's changes, Sweden worries about bad scenario from Russia

South Africa believes in the peace process, the United Nations has not been able to access the area affected by the Kakhovka dam collapse, these are some of the new developments in the situation in Ukraine.

(06.19) Một xe tăng của Nga di chuyển tại khu vực Pospana, Ukraine. (Nguồn: Reuters)

A Russian tank moves in the Pospana area, Ukraine. (Source: Reuters)

Recently, the New York Times (USA) noted that reports from the field in the Russia-Ukraine conflict showed that Moscow's forces had indeed changed their tactics during the clashes. Accordingly, the Russian army has significantly improved the discipline, coordination and air support of its units.

Specifically, a Ukrainian soldier interviewed by this newspaper admitted that he had never witnessed so much fire from such positions. This shows a remarkable change in the combat tactics of the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF).

The New York Times paid special attention to the clashes over control of the city of Bakhmut. The American newspaper said that in the fighting there, the Russian army demonstrated a high level of skill and equipment.

According to the analysis, the activities here are part of “patient, disciplined operations”, showing that VS RF is willing to learn from its mistakes and make efforts to correct them.

The US newspaper also emphasized that, despite the difficulties and obstacles on the battlefield, Russia showed its willingness to change and adjust its tactical methods to respond to the actions of its opponents. This demonstrated the flexibility and strategic thinking of the VS RF Command in the context of the current conflict.

* Meanwhile, commenting on the current situation, the Wall Street Journal (USA) discussed the impact of the Russian army's superiority in air force and artillery on the current situation on the ground in Ukraine. The authors of the article believe that this is the key factor that allows the Russian army to gain the upper hand over the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) equipped with modern Western weapon systems.

Accordingly, despite “significant efforts” to counter Russia’s superiority in the Eastern and Southern regions, Ukraine has only achieved “vague results”.

In that context, the VSU Command decided to temporarily halt the attack to assess the situation and carefully analyze the strategy, in order to achieve the expected results.

* In related news, on June 18, Swedish television station SVT cited sources revealing a report by the country's Parliamentary Defense Committee. Accordingly, Stockholm said that a Russian military attack on the Nordic country cannot be ruled out.

According to a report by the Swedish Parliament scheduled to be published on June 19 (local time), although Russian ground forces are currently “tied down” in Ukraine, other forms of military attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out.

The Swedish Parliament's report also outlines a new defense doctrine for the country, based on membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) instead of the previous doctrine based on cooperation with Nordic countries and the European Union (EU). The chairman of the Swedish Parliament's Defense Committee has not yet commented on this information.

* In related news, on June 18, the Office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that visits by African peace missions to Russia and Ukraine have paved the way for promoting the resolution of the current conflict.

“Today (June 18), President Ramaphosa concluded a two-day working visit to Ukraine and Russia, where African leaders proposed a peaceful path to the 16-month conflict between the two countries,” the presidency said in a statement.

The proposal made by African leaders during their working trip to Ukraine and Russia has laid the foundation for future commitments that will contribute to the path to peace and the resolution of devastating conflicts.”

According to the statement, the African delegation outlined several key elements to start moving towards peace including de-escalation of conflict; release of prisoners of war and children, adherence to the UN Charter’s principles of Sovereignty; ensuring that there is humanitarian assistance to those in need and post-conflict reconstruction among others.

“The peace mission to Ukraine and Russia has concluded its first round of contacts with both sides,” the statement said.

The South African Presidency also added that President Ramaphosa was encouraged by the warm reception from the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia.

* On the same day, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown criticized Russia for “so far refusing our requests to access areas under temporary control of the country’s military” after the Kakhovka dam collapsed on June 6, causing flooding and disrupting supplies to the people.

“The United Nations will continue to seek access. We call on the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law… Aid cannot be denied to those in need,” the official said.

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