Explaining complex things in simple words: Attacks on targets on Russian soil, U.S. assistance to Ukraine, Russian fakes about Crimea

ATTACKS ON TARGETS ON RUSSIAN SOIL

On March 12-13, drones attacked facilities in nine regions of Russia. Among the targeted enterprises are refineries in Orel, Nizhniy Novgorod, and Riazan regions.

▪ Russia was the first to launch a war of drones and missiles against Ukraine. Almost every week, civilians suffer from Russian terror. The recent tragedy occurred in Kryvyi Rih.

▪ Ukraine has the legal right not only to defend itself, but also to strike back at the enemy territory. Russian strategists were wrong, believing that it was possible to terrorize Ukrainians and go unpunished.

▪ The vast territory of Russia is much more difficult to cover with air defence systems, and recent attacks have shown that the Russians are not coping with this task. The target engagement radius is growing steadily.

▪ Ukraine does not attack the civilian population of Russia and does not use Western weapons for operations in enemy territory.

▪ Attacks on Russian refineries are crippling Russia's trade in petroleum products, which is the Kremlin’s source of money for the war against Ukraine.

U.S. ASSISTANCE

The White House announced a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine. The new package includes ammunition for artillery (including cluster munitions) for GMLRS and HIMARS missile systems, for air defence, for anti-tank complexes and small arms.

▪ Our allies in the United States are looking for ways to continue to support Ukraine despite the situation in Congress.

▪ This will be the first aid package in 2024. Residual funds previously approved by Congress were used to this end.

▪ Weapons will be provided from U.S. stocks. They will arrive in Ukraine as soon as possible.

▪ We expect that the issue of financial support for Ukraine will be unblocked in the House of Representatives soon.

RUSSIAN FAKES ABOUT CRIMEA

The State Duma of the Russian Federation registered a draft law on the recognition of the “illegal” decision of the Soviet authorities in 1954 to transfer the Crimean region to Ukraine.

▪ Attempts to revise and “cancel” the 1954 decisions are not new. The Russian parliament adopted such a resolution back in 1992.

▪ The transfer of the Crimean region to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954 took place within the legislation in force at that time and corresponded to the widespread practice of territorial transfers between the republics.

▪ The 1954 decision had an objective basis and contributed to the post-war reconstruction of Crimea with Ukrainian resources.

▪ Whatever the decisions of 1954, but after the collapse of the USSR, Russia legally, documentarily, and unambiguously recognized the borders of modern Ukraine both at the bilateral and multilateral levels.

▪ These and other similar “legislative initiatives” are futile attempts by the Russian dictatorship to legitimize its own gross violations of international law.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security