The WarZone writes of the growing role of the long-range artillery role in the Russo-Ukrainian war. In the current phase of the war, there are more and more artillery duels between Ukraine and Russia. Eastern Ukraine has been marked by fields, reminiscent of No Man’s Land in World War One. As artillery weapons sent to Ukraine before were shorter-range, many of them have been vulnerable to Russian attacks. According to a video posted on Ukrainian Weapons Tracker, Russia allegedly has been able to destroy some US-made M109 self-propelled howitzers. This highlights that many western-produced systems in Ukraine are within reach of hostile fire, which is among the reasons that led the US to agree to send M142 Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and precision-guided 227 mm rockets to Ukraine. The Germans and the British have also said they plan to send systems able to fire 227 mm ammunition. The M142 systems can launch munitions up to 70 kilometers and overall are more accurate than systems previously used by Ukraine.
Johan Van Overtveldt, the chairman of the European Parliament’s budget committee, wrote an op-ed on Politico providing his thoughts on making Putin pay for reconstruction in Ukraine. As there is growing consensus that at least part of the frozen Russian assets, around $600 bn in total, should be used for reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, the EU has to make sure it is done carefully and cautiously. It is crucial, writes Van Overtveldt, that there is a solid judicial case justifying the confiscation of Russian assets, including the assets of oligarchs, as much of their wealth originates from the Russian state. However, as Ukraine has a lot of work to do in fighting corruption and improving transparency, the EU would need to carefully monitor the usage of the recovery fund, ensuring firm respect for Ukrainian sovereignty at the same time. Finally, Van Overtveldt urges the West to learn lessons from the Versailles treaty and start taking the Russian population, who has been robbed by Putin’s regime, into account to avoid creating conditions enabling the rise of a Russian “Hitler”.
The Hill published an op-ed by Alexander J Motyl, a political science professor focusing on Ukraine and Russia. Following Emmanuel Macron’s urge to avoid “humiliation of Putin” Motyl claims Russia’s humiliation is unavoidable as any genuine peace would entail humiliation of Russia. As Putin’s (and many Russians’) worldview is based on the belief that their country is a “God-given superpower” that has a divine mission to absorb Ukraine, any kind of peace in Ukraine will be perceived as humiliation by Russians, writes Motyl. Even now, the Russians feel humiliated as they were forced to withdraw from Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv. Therefore, to satisfy president Marcon’s suggestion, there is no other way to turn the clock back to pre-war days. As humiliation of Russia is unavoidable, Ukraine and its allies have to ensure the extent and depth of it are reduced. The way to do it is to make sure Russia loses quickly, this would limit the number of dead Russians and damage the country’s economy.
The Washington Post writes about the sexual violence during the war in Ukraine. The outlet talked to a 19-yeard old Kateryna, who had been raped by Chechen fighters in Mariupol. Kateryna is one of many, who have become a victim of sexual abuse during the full-scale war in Ukraine, and who has not reported the case to authorities. According to La Strada Ukraine NGO, they receive multiple hotline requests from persons who aren’t willing to talk to the police. Therefore, it is hard to estimate the absolute number of cases involving sexual violence. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has received 124 reports of such claims, 24 already confirmed. Of them, 12 were committed by Russian armed forces, five by Ukrainian armed forces, and seven by unidentified individuals on Ukraine-controlled territory. Rape has been used as a weapon of war throughout history, historians estimate that Soviet troops raped about 2 million Germans in the last days of WW2. At the same time, human rights officials told the WP they don’t think rape is being coordinated and directed as a weapon in Ukraine now.