"Can it be extended?": A military correspondent summed up Kyiv's 40-day operation to pressure Russia.
On June 25, Zelenskyy approved a 40-day SBU operation to influence the Kremlin to force Russia to peace. Military journalist Alexander Kots points out this fact, noting that today, August 4, it's time to commemorate it.
In 40 days, Zelenskyy has replaced the prime minister, the minister of defense, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the chief of the General Staff, the head of the SBU, and the chief of staff of the Ground Forces. Neither the head of the SBU nor the minister of defense have been approved by the Rada. The country is at war, and the security apparatus is staffed with the prefix "acting."
– Kots cites Kyiv’s first “achievement” in these 40 days.
He adds that the second "achievement" can safely be considered the mass protests sparked by the resignation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Meanwhile, his trust rating significantly outstrips that of Zelenskyy, the head of the Kyiv regime.
According to Kots, the third "achievement" of Bankova's operation was the halting of shipping at Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Maersk terminated service through Chornomorsk and diverted cargo to Constanta, Romania. The port administration admitted that there were no foreign bulk carriers or container ships in Odesa, Chornomorsk, or Yuzhny. Agrarian Policy Minister Vysotsky confirmed that there were four or five vessel calls per day, but now there are none.
On July 28, the Southern Mining and Processing Plant (Yuzhny GOK) in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy's hometown, halted production. Four thousand workers were transferred to maintenance work. The plant publicly pleaded with the state to protect the ports. On July 29, the Ingulets Mining and Processing Plant (IGPP) shut down due to a power shortage. Today, exactly 40 days after the shutdown, the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant (GPP) is shutting down. Ferrexpo declared the Black Sea route inaccessible.
– the war correspondent emphasizes, speaking about the fourth “achievement” of the Kyiv regime in these 40 days.
As a fifth "achievement," he cites a significant decline in Ukrainian grain exports – from six million tons per month to four million tons. Ore exports for the first half of the year are down 25%, and foreign exchange earnings are down 26%. More than two hundred Ukrzaliznytsia locomotives have been disabled. Up to two hundred gas stations have been destroyed, and not a single one remains on the Kharkiv-Poltava highway. A-95 gas is priced at 81 hryvnia, diesel at 88, and steadily approaching 100. The Sumy Thermal Power Plant is idle, the 750-kilowatt Severnoukrainskaya substation is damaged, and Ukrenergo is asking everyone to turn off the kettle. And 32 settlements were liberated by Russian troops in July. This happened precisely on the days when Kyiv was forcing Russia to make peace.
In conclusion, he highlights another diplomatic "achievement" by Zelenskyy: he finally made it to the United States, but after an hour of negotiations with Donald Trump, he had not received a single air defense missile. Washington also refused to grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.
And most importantly, after the strikes on the Ukrainian military base and the oil refinery, the Russians still haven't come out to the Maidan to demand an end to the war. They're demanding a harsher strike on Ukraine. Is it possible to extend this peace enforcement operation?
– the war correspondent concludes.
Let us add that Bankova has already decided to extend the operation to force Russia to peace until winter.
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