Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 342.
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.
Donetsk region. Russian artillery shelled residential areas of Bakhmut today, killing two people, including a 12-year-old boy, and injuring four, reports Governor Vyacheslav Kyrylenko.
In its latest assessment based on data from Western, Ukrainian and Russian sources, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirms that Russia is preparing an offensive likely to take place within several months. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg likewise claimed that Russia shows no signs of preparing for peace negotiations; in fact, ‘all indicators point to the opposite.’ Besides, he noted, Russia likely will mobilize another 200,000 soldiers and continues to acquire military equipment from Iran and North Korea in pursuit of Putin’s plan to occupy Ukraine. Ivan Tymochko, the Head of the Council of Reservists of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, says that Russian forces are concentrating in the Donbas area for the anticipated offensive.
In cooperation with the Ministries of Defense and Health, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has developed a digitization plan for use by the Ukrainian military medical commission. Electronic document management is expected to hasten treatment for wounded troops. “This is only a small part of what needs to be digitized in the military sphere,” Fedorov stated.
In 2022, Ukraine received 33 points out of 100 possible in the Corruption Perceptions Index prepared by Transparency International Ukraine (TIU) – one point higher than the previous year. On this scale, a score of zero means highly corrupt while a score of 100 means very clean. Ukraine’s index has increased by eight points in the last ten years and the 2022 result was the highest since modification of the CPI’s methodology. “Ukraine has shown that the fight against corruption in our country continues even in the conditions of war.” Andrii Borovyk, a TIU executive, said. Borovyk warned, however, that the success of the anti-corruption reforms of the last decade could quickly come to nothing without further measures.
According to the U.S. Transportation Command, the $2.85 billion military package to Ukraine announced by the Biden administration earlier this year will include the first shipment of more than 60 Bradley fighting vehicles. Bradley fighting vehicles are designed to provide armored transport for infantry in combat zones and covering fire against enemy troops. “The Bradley… hopefully [will] enhance [Ukraine’s] capabilities to provide forward advancement in the battlefield and regain lost grounds, by having equipment that matches or exceeds what the Russians have.” Rebecca D’Angelo, 841st Transportation Battalion commander, said.
Ukraine also is to receive more than 100 tanks in the first wave of aid from international partners, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba at a briefing today. Ukraine’s army expects this first delivery to include 120 to 140 modern Western tanks, among them Leopard 2s, Challenger 2s and M1 Abrams.
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