UKRAINE UPDATE: Ambassadors for justice

THURSDAY 7 JULY 2022

UKRAINE UPDATE

UKRAINE, THE LATEST. The Daily Telegraph Podcast.

• Johnson is stepping down.  His support for Ukraine has been very important.
• He was one of the most proactive leaders in sending weapons to Ukraine.  He was supporting Ukraine with vocal criticism and weapons while Germany was sending 5,000 helmets.
• There is a wing of the Labor Party that is not supportive of Ukraine.  It is possible this is nostalgic support. This is a long-term concern if Labor was to come to power after a general election.
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• Dom Nichols, Telegraph Reporter
• Support for Ukraine is secure with Conservatives at the moment.
• Russia has not made any territorial gains today.  They have fired missiles and people killed, but there have been no efforts to take ground.
• Both sides are exhausted.
• Russian ammunition dumps that have gone up in flames in occupied areas.  This may be the effect of heavy artillery coming into Ukraine.
•  There is an operational pause from Russia. 
• The result is lobbing weapons at civilians in a random fashion.
• A “culmination” is when you are not being pushed backwards but you are exhausted and not able to push forward.  It is thought this characterizes Russia at the moment.
• If it has taken all this just to gain this bit of territory in Donbas, it is impressive.
• They’ve taken the northers region of Donbas, but not the South.
• It should take a few weeks to get going again.  But, all the time, there is an inflow of arms from the West.
• The Kremlin may push taking territory no matter what the cost.  This may be the best decision rather than waiting and allowing more weapons to arrive.
• What is important to watch is whether this pause lasts.    

Human Rights Lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, answering questions.

• She has been documenting war crimes by the Russians.
• Russia is claiming that 2 million people have experienced forced relocation.  Some of them have left because they have no other alternative.  Stay here and die or go to Russia.
• Russians do not let humanitarian assistance into occupied territories.
• There are not enough people or resources to investigate and prosecute these cases.
• Be ambassadors for the idea that justice matters. 
• Russians enjoyed impunity for decades.  Troops were not punished for atrocities they committed in other countries.  This is a “circle of impunity.”