Photo : Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna
Photo : Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna
War in Ukraine: Day 677
By Padmashree Anandhan
War on the Ground
On 01 January, the Defence Ministry of Ukraine reported on creating a two-step “procurement system” as per NATO standards called “ProZorro” for purchase of food and clothing for Ukraine’s armed forces. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s Defence Minister said that the system was formed to avoid conflict of interest which had earlier resulted in corruption. Through this system, in the first step the deputy defence minister will issue a policy detailing the needs and secondly, the state operators will carry out the procurement while the deputy maintains the control.
On 01 January, Ukrinform reported on update released by Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces (UAF). In the update, UAF reported on 56 combat engagements to have taken place in the front line and claimed on countering 13 strikes by Russia by the air force. The attacks were observed to have concentrated in the Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Zaporizhzhia in the last 24 hours.
The Moscow View
Claims by Russia
On 01 January, RT reported on Vladimir Putin’s statement following the attack in Belgorod by Ukraine. He called the attack as targeted on the civilians and warned on not retaliating but to focus on Ukraine’s military sites. He added: “We are striking with high-precision weapons at the decision-making centers, at locations where military personnel and mercenaries gather.” Belgorod located in the southwestern Russia has been subject to repeated missile and drone strikes by Ukraine as per the report and the recent attack on 30 December 2023, resulted in injury of 100 and death of 24 civilians.
On 01 January, RT reported on Putin’s visit to Vishnevsky military hospital in Moscow. During his visit, he made remarks on Russian economy. He stated that the GDP had increased by 3.5 per cent in 2023, indicating the steadiness of the economy confirming the recovery from losses. He added: “We have never seen anything like that before: while we used to make money from oil and gas [exports], 2023… What we’re witnessing are structural shifts in our economy, and they are very important.”
The West View
Responses from the US and Europe
On 01 January, the Norwegian government issued a statement declaring the permission to engage in “direct sale of weapons and defence-related products” to Ukraine. The Norway’s defence industry will be the authority and the policy change will be implemented from 01 January 2024. In a statement, Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp), Norway’s Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) said: “This change means that we are safeguarding fundamental defense and security policy interests for Norway together with our allies.” The measure will enter force in four segments, starting from donations from own stocks, through international cooperation, fund mechanisms, direct procurement from the industry, and through training the Ukrainians. According to the statement, the change in policy means, the Norwegian companies can now apply to the foreign ministry for an export license to sell defense-related products directly to Ukraine.
References
“Defense Ministry creates two-stage procurement system in line with NATO standards,” Ukrinform, 01 January 2023
“War update: 38 Russian attacks repelled in four sectors,” Ukrinform, 01 January 2023
“Russia to ramp up attacks on Ukraine – Putin,” RT, 01 January 2023
“Russian economy is in a ‘structural shift’ – Putin,” RT, 01 January 2023
“Direct sales of weapons and defense-related products to Ukraine permitted from 1 January 2024,” regjeringen.no, 01 January 2023