Anne Applebaum wrote an essay on The Atlantic discussing how Russian atrocities in Ukraine could be classified and explored from the West’s point of view. While the frontline fight for territory is ongoing in Ukraine’s east, Russia continues attacking other areas of the country. Applebaum cites the definition of terrorism from the U.S criminal code – an intimidation campaign using violence – claiming that what Russia does in Ukraine is nothing but terrorism. Applebaum traveled to Serhiivka, a small town in the southwest of Ukraine, heavily shelled with imprecise missiles on July 1st by the Russian planes. The town had no strategic assets, and the nearest military installation was 5 km away. Serhiivka, Kremenenchuk, Kharkiv, and many more places in Ukraine have suffered assaults that have nothing to do with pursuing traditional war aims. Applebaum writes that this bombing campaign seeks several goals: to persuade people to leave and become a potential political problem for neighboring ally countries, weaken Ukraine economically, and prevent people from ever returning. The Russian bombs are also targeting the whole system of international law governing war crimes, human rights, and terrorism – demonstrating their contempt to international institutions. The author goes further, writing that Russian forces are also attacking the values behind these institutions - compassion, the importance of human lives, a sense of shared humanity, and others. Therefore, it is crucial to officially recognize Russia as a terrorist state, despite all the legal severe, economic, and geopolitical consequences.
The Wall Street Journal columnist Jillian Kay Melchior writes about the current balance of weapons on the Ukrainian frontline. Melchior talked to Mason Clark, a senior analyst at the Institute for Study of War, who says that artillery became the decisive factor in this phase due to changes in Russian tactics. Russia has learned its’ lessons from the first phase of the war and now switched to a different tactic – hiding its men behind the dreadful artillery. According to experts, Russia has at least ten times as many artillery and missile systems as Ukraine, and those systems are capable of attacking any targets in Ukraine. On the other hand, Ukraine is restricted in the range of attacks due to conditions set by its Western allies. The support is arriving, but it’s arriving slowly and not in the amounts requested by Ukraine. Another problem is ammunition: Melchior’s source in the U.S Senate told her that the first four HIMARS delivered to Ukraine had less than 20 missiles per launcher, which constrains the number of targets Ukraine could hit. The West has been too slow, and each day of continuing artillery disparity has a very high price, concludes the op-ed.
The Washington Post writes about Nikolai Patrushev - the man with Putin’s ear who might want his job. Patrushev is one of the closest to Putin’s advisers and holds the position of Security Council secretary, equivalent to the U.S national security adviser. While Patrushev has been behind the scenes “power-broker” for over two decades, he has become much more visible following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, writes the outlet. As the rumors about Putin’s health problems are ongoing and he avoids travel or public appearances, Patrushev is “crisscrossing the former Soviet Union” and gaining even more influence. His lengthy interviews and recent trips demonstrate he is the one eligible to interpret and explain Putin’s thoughts. According to an anonymous source close to both Putin and Patrushev, the latter is “a hard-drinking, hard-talking “silovik,” who understands the world as if the Soviet Union still existed.” According to the source, it even might be the case that Patrushev has sought both to make sure Putin stayed in power and to control him.