On Tuesday, the Russian Parliament approved the creation of a covert warfare economy. This was the same day NATO confirmed its next expansion with the ‘de facto accession’ of Sweden and Finland. Two laws were approved by the Duma that require industries to produce military equipment, and allow workers to work overtime or suspend vacations to help this end. These new regulations coincide with the atmosphere of victory that Vladimir Putin revealed yesterday. He congratulated his Army as well as the pro-Russian separatists on the conquests of Lugansk province after the capture of Lisichansk, the capital city.
One step closer to NATO are the Swedes, Finns and their foreign ministers. Yesterday, the foreign ministers from the two countries signed the accession protocol to NATO. This makes them ‘de facto members’ of the organization in the absence formal ratification of the 30 allied countries. At the beginning of the ceremony in Brussels, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that “It’s an important day for Sweden and Finland, as well as a great day for NATO.” He said that 32 countries would make “we even stronger” and that citizens will be better protected in the face of the worst security crisis in decades.
Pekka Haavisto (Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs) thanked the Alliance and expressed her gratitude for their willingness to ratify. Ann Linde, her Swedish counterpart, emphasized the importance of joining the Alliance for the Nordic countries. These two countries have historically been in a different position to the military alliance.
Both the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Finland’s land border of over 1,300 km have brought them closer to NATO. It was initially expected that the country would enter the Atlantic organization quickly and through an express process. However, the candidacy of both the United States and Turkey collided with Turkey’s initial veto. In exchange for greater cooperation from Sweden and Finland, Ankara agreed to withdraw its refusal. Recep Tayyip Turkey’s government accuses Stockholm for providing protection to these groups and refusing to extradite “thirty terrors.”
Turkey’s authorities insist that cooperation with the Scandinavian countries is essential and threaten to block the final accession process. This will take several months as each member of the Atlantic Alliance must validate it. The official entry of Sweden or Finland to the Atlantic Alliance is expected to take place at the end of the year, or early in 2023.
This was a NATO-wide celebration, but Russia had its own event yesterday. Vladimir Putin, the president, was particularly pleased by the conquests of Lisichansk, and the borderline of the Lugansk provincial, which opened the way for his army’s takeover of the entire Donbas. This is Russia’s preferred goal right now, as it would allow Moscow establish its territories in the southeast of Ukraine from Crimea.
The Kremlin sent out new signals of its intentions when it ordered an intensified air and artillery bombardment to Donetsk, a neighboring province where Ukrainian forces are still resisting and which managed to repel attacks on their defenses in the cities Spirne & Novoluhanske. . However, the situation is complicated in another important enclave, Sloviansk. According to the mayor of the city, the Russians control the majority while the rest are affected by missiles and shells in an “massive” manner. He urged residents to evacuate the city as soon possible. Two civilians were killed in yesterday’s bombings.
US intelligence sources claim that Putin would have instructed his troops to go on an “operational break” in order to reorganize for the purpose of launching a major offensive against Donetsk. The Russian president stated that units that participated in combat actions and won victory in Lugansk must rest to improve their combat capability. These words suggest that Moscow may be expecting a quicker victory in Donbas than was predicted. Experts, however, believe it will depend on Ukraine’s combat capabilities with the advanced weapons it has acquired in the past few weeks.
The arrival of decisive week is also highlighted by the decision of the Russian lower house to approve the activation of the ‘underground war economy’ in its first reading yesterday. After nearly nineteen weeks in which Russia lost much of its resources, the reform will undoubtedly expand Russia’s ability to produce weapons and other materials. “The defense industry is now facing a significant burden. Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov stated that in order to supply weapons and ammunition, it was necessary to optimize the work and cooperation of the military-industrial complex as well as the companies that make up the cooperation chains.
