12 Jul, 2023 12:02
Russia’s top spy reveals Ukraine was topic of secret call with CIA
"Ukraine, rather than the mutiny of Russian private military company Wagner, was the main subject of recent secret talks between CIA Director William Burns and his Russian counterpart, the latter revealed on Wednesday.
Sergey Naryshkin is the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR
The phone call between the two intelligence chiefs took place in late June and was first reported by Western media, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. They said Burns wanted to assure Moscow that the US government had nothing to do with the then-ongoing Wagner mutiny.
The issue was indeed discussed, but Naryshkin believes that “it was, to a large degree, a pretext, because the main part of the conversation focused on the issue of Ukraine,” according to his interview with TASS. The call lasted for over an hour, he recalled.
“We considered, debated what we should do with Ukraine,” the Russian official said.
Contrary to some speculation in the press, the two didn’t discuss the CIA director’s visit to Kiev, which he’d made earlier in that month, the SVR chief added.
Naryshkin and Burns met in person in November 2022 in Ankara. The Russian spy chief also told TASS that he was open to further, similar contacts.
Burns, who is 67, is a career diplomat who held the office of the US Ambassador to Moscow in the 2000s and, later, several top-level positions in the State Department.
US President Joe Biden reportedly relies on the man to convey important messages to Moscow privately.
The Prigozhin mutiny was aborted a day after it started. The businessman and founder of Wagner, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced as a traitor, was allowed to go to Belarus with some of his forces, under a deal with Moscow mediated by Minsk. Wagner troops were offered the options of signing up for regular military service, retiring, or leaving Russia along with Prigozhin."
Russian air defenses intercept four Storm Shadow missiles in Ukraine operation
MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Russian air defense forces intercepted four Storm Shadow cruise missiles and destroyed 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Wednesday.
"During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities intercepted four Storm Shadow cruise missiles. In addition, they destroyed 15 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Grozovoye, Priyutnoye, Dorozhnyanka, Vladimirovka and Konstantinovka in the Zaporozhye Region, Blagoveshchenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Chervonaya Dibrova, Verkhnekamenka and Chervonopopovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Tavolzhanka in the Kharkov Region and Zburyevka in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.
Ukraine’s military attempts attacks in three directions over past day
The Ukrainian military attempted attacks in three directions over the past day, Konashenkov said.
"During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian armed forces continued offensive attempts in the Donetsk, south Donetsk and Krasny Liman directions," the spokesman said.
Russian forces destroy 40 Ukrainian troops, two tanks in Kupyansk area over past day
Russian forces destroyed roughly 40 Ukrainian troops, two tanks and an infantry fighting vehicle in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
In the Kupyansk direction, units of Russia’s western battlegroup, operational/tactical and army aircraft and artillery successfully repulsed three enemy attacks in areas near the settlement of Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic. In areas near the settlements of Molchanovo, Novomlynsk and Ivanovka in the Kharkov Region and Artyomovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Russian forces struck the Ukrainian army’s personnel and military equipment, the spokesman specified.
"As many as 40 Ukrainian personnel, two tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle and two motor vehicles were destroyed in the past 24 hours," the general reported.
Russian forces destroy over 60 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area in past day
Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Krasny Liman area, destroying over 60 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Over 60 Ukrainian personnel, two infantry fighting vehicles and an Akatsiya motorized artillery system were destroyed in the past 24 hours," the spokesman said.
During the last 24-hour period, Russian forces repelled two Ukrainian attacks and neutralized an enemy subversive/reconnaissance group in that direction, the general reported.
Russian forces repel 30 Ukrainian attacks in Donetsk area over past day
Russian forces repelled 30 Ukrainian attacks in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Donetsk direction, 30 enemy attacks were successfully repelled by the courageous and skilled actions of units from the southern battlegroup, air strikes and artillery fire in the past 24 hours near the settlements of Zolotaryovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Spornoye, Kleshcheyevka, Andreyevka, Sol, Severnoye, Vesyoloye, Vodyanoye, Pervomaiskoye, Krasnogorovka and Petrovskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," he said.
In addition, Russian forces struck the amassed enemy manpower and equipment in two areas west of Andreyevka and Kleshcheyevka, the general reported.
Ukraine’s military loses 335 troops in failed attacks in Donbass over past day
The Ukrainian military lost 335 troops and a British howitzer in its unsuccessful attacks in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics over the past day, Konashenkov said.
"As many as 335 Ukrainian personnel, a tank, two armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles, a Gvozdika motorized artillery system and a UK-made FH70 towed howitzer were destroyed in the battles [in the Donetsk direction]," the spokesman said.
Russian forces thwart Ukrainian army’s reconnaissance by fire near Ugledar in DPR
Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian attack and thwarted the enemy’s reconnaissance by fire near Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the south Donetsk direction, well-coordinated actions of the defending units from the battlegroup East, air strikes and artillery fire repelled an attack by the Ukrainian army’s 35th marine infantry brigade near Staromayorskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and thwarted the enemy’s reconnaissance by fire near the town of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
In addition, Russian forces inflicted damage by combined firepower on the Ukrainian army’s personnel and equipment near the settlements of Storozhevoye and Makarovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Priyutnoye in the Zaporozhye Region and neutralized an enemy subversive/reconnaissance group near Sladkoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general reported.
Russian forces destroy 240 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas in past day
Russian forces destroyed over 240 Ukrainian troops in the south Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"The enemy’s losses in those directions in the past 24 hours amounted to over 240 Ukrainian personnel, nine infantry fighting vehicles, two armored personnel carriers, six armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles, a Gvozdika motorized artillery system and Msta-B and D-30 howitzers," the spokesman said.
Russian forces repel two Ukrainian attacks in Zaporozhye area over past day
Russian forces repelled two Ukrainian attacks in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Zaporozhye direction, two enemy attacks were repulsed by the self-sacrificing actions of Russian troops near the settlement of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye Region. In addition, army aircraft and artillery struck the enemy’s manpower in areas near the settlements of Marfopol, Rabotino and Lugovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, the spokesman said.
Russian forces destroy Ukrainian ammo depot in Zaporozhye area
Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Near the settlement of Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporozhye Region, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 33rd mechanized brigade was destroyed," the spokesman said.
Russian combat aircraft down Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter in DPR over past day
Russian combat aircraft shot down a Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-24 helicopter in the area of the settlement of Cherevkovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 455 Ukrainian warplanes, 242 combat helicopters, 4,981 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 surface-to-air missile systems, 10,668 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,137 multiple rocket launchers, 5,421 field artillery guns and mortars and 11,626 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.
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