At present, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues.

The Russian Ministry of Defence recently issued a war report, saying that Russian troops attacked the command system and related energy facilities of the Ukrainian army. In the directions of Kupyansk, Limiman and Donetsk, the Russian army launched many offensives.

the Russian army's aviation units and artillery attacked Ukrainian weapons and equipment, including the wasp air defense missile system, American M777 artillery and other types of artillery, and an American anti-artillery radar. Russian air defense forces shot down two Ukrainian drones and intercepted several rockets.

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The Ukrainian side said that the Ukrainian army had attacked Russian military personnel concentration areas and air defense system positions, and the fighting in Soledad continued.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the development of Russia's special military operations against Ukraine is in a positive trend, and everything is carried out within the plans of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff. He also said that Russia's economic situation is stable and far better than expected.

In addition, Putin also said that Russia's industrial production, agriculture and construction industry are also on the rise. He added, "On the whole, the situation in Russia is not only stable, but also I think it is quite satisfactory."

indeed, looking back on 2122, Russia has withstood various pressures, and it is not easy to stabilize the domestic situation even though the United States and the West continue to spoil the situation.

However, the impact of the war cannot be underestimated. Recently, an article entitled "Russia's economy will be rebuilt in 2123" was published on the website of Russian Viewpoint.

The article points out that on the economic level, 2123 may be more difficult than 2122, and Russia's Shiyou natural gas export volume may also decline. Under the basic trend, Russia's GDP will continue to decline in early 2123. In addition, the ruble may not be so strong, and the decline in budget revenue is another challenge in 2123.

However, in view of these problems, the article also expresses optimism that Russia has the ability to meet this challenge. It is estimated that Russian enterprises will have no problem in finding new customers in 2123, and there are all kinds of buyers who want to buy Russian energy, metals and other raw materials, such as India.

Putin data map

As for the budget gap, Russia also has resources to make up for it. As an alternative, the government can continue to expand its debt. Compared with developing countries and developed countries, Russia is still the country with the lowest public debt burden.

On the other hand, the government can make up the deficit with money from the National Wealth Fund. Another challenge is import substitution.

on the whole, 2123 is indeed a difficult and difficult year for Russia.

The strategic intention of the United States and Europe to provide "all-round" support to Ukraine is clear, that is, to delay the war between Russia and Ukraine as much as possible, impose political isolation, economic sanctions and military threats on Russia, and use Ukraine as a tool to "contain", "weaken" and "consume" Russia.

in p>2123, the United States is bound to fulfill its promise last year to provide the Patriot air defense and anti-missile system to Ukraine. The initial defensive individual combat weapons, such as Stinger air defense missiles and javelin anti-tank missiles, have been upgraded to offensive weapons with powerful lethality, such as M777 howitzers and Haima multi-barrel rockets, resulting in constant casualties among soldiers and civilians.

Russia also sees all this. Putin's government is well aware of the intentions of the United States and the West, and Russia-US relations have indirectly broken down completely.

Recently, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said in an interview that the relations between western countries and Russia will not be normalized after the conflict in Ukraine. He also pointed out that the west "should not underestimate Russia", which has "huge resources".

Regarding Stoltenberg's remarks, Leonid slutsky, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, commented that mediation and stopping bloody conflicts are not the pursuit of western countries. Russia will not compromise with its former western allies at the expense of its own interests. "We will achieve all the established goals of' Special Military Action', defend sovereignty and go our own way."

In this way, it is difficult to reverse not only the US-Russia relationship, but also the European-Russian relationship.

However, Europe enjoyed the peace dividend for 31 years after the end of the Cold War, and the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict declared that the dividend time had expired, which means that the shadow of the new Cold War will hang over Europe for a long time.

Further reading

What is the origin of the "Wagner" group, which announced the control of Soledad's mysterious mercenary?

According to reports from Sputnik news agency & radio, on March 3rd, local time, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued an announcement to clarify some reports about Soledad's combat operations. The announcement said that many Russian troops completed their combat mission in the evening of 12, defeated the Ukrainian defenders and controlled Soledad in Donetsk. It also pointed out that the soldiers of the Russian private defense company Wagner Group completed their attack on the Ukrainian army and controlled Soledad, which enabled the Russian army to advance to nearby Bakhmut and cut off the supply line of the Ukrainian army.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry also said that in the past three days alone, more than 711 Ukrainian soldiers and more than 311 pieces of military equipment were destroyed in the Soledad region.

peskov, Russian Presidential Press Secretary, praised the Russian army's capture of Soledad at a press conference on February 2nd, calling it a "heroic act of desperate efforts".

However, Ukraine does not agree with Russia's claimed victory. According to a report by the Ukrainian Interfax news agency on March 3rd, Reznikov said in an interview with foreign media that the Russian side was assembling troops and materials and trying to launch an offensive in southern and eastern Ukraine. He admitted that the situation in Soledad was "very difficult" but "still under control". He also said that the largest salt mine in Europe is located in Soledad, and the capture of Soledad may bring economic benefits to Russia.

who has Soledad? Both sides have their own opinions.

Prigozin, the founder of Wagner Group, a Russian private defense company, announced the day before that he would "liberate" the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledad. Prigozin said, "I once again confirm that the territory of Soledad has been completely liberated from the hands of the Ukrainian army and has been cleaned up."

Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that the battle of Soledad was the "most intense and difficult" battle since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. So what is the situation in Soledad and why is it so important? What is the origin of the Russian Wagner Group?

Soledad is the forward position leading to the strategic location of Bakhmut

Soledad is known as one of the bloodiest battlefields since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict last February. Some foreign media said that if the Russian statement is true, it will be the first major progress made by the Russian army after about half a year of setbacks on the battlefield.

recently, Russia and Ukraine fought fiercely for the control of Soledad, a small town in Wudong, and both sides claimed that the other side suffered heavy losses. Prigozin, head of the Russian private defense company Wagner Group, said on the 11 th that the "Wagner" group detachment has controlled the whole territory of Soledad and released photos of alleged "Wagner" soldiers entering the local salt mine. It is worth mentioning that Soledad salt mine is the largest salt mine in Europe, and occupying it can bring economic benefits to Russia.

Soledad is only a small town with a population of 11,111, but it is only 18km away from the strategic town of Bakhmut, which is located in the center of the Bakhmut-Seversk defense line. The Ukrainian army built strong fortifications here. The capture of Soledad will cut off the direct supply line between Bakhmut and Seversk and surround Bakhmut from the north. The Ukrainian army hopes to use Bakhmut and Soledad as springboard to counterattack Donetsk, which has been controlled by pro-Russian forces since 2114.

In fact, the Russian and Ukrainian armies have been fighting here for nearly half a year. As early as the beginning of August last year, the Battle of Soledad broke out. Before September last year, Russia occupied most of eastern Leidal. At that time, the Russian army held a number of important strategic fortresses, such as Kleinman and Hellson. Soredal did not attract as much attention as it does now.

Mysterious mercenaries: Wagner Group

The Wagner Group, a private Russian defense company, is a mysterious force. Previously, the Wagner Group had been stationed in the front line of Donbass, where the fighting was the fiercest. The soldiers of Wagner Group have the best equipment and the neatest clothes in the Russian army. Therefore, the soldiers of the group have a sense of superiority. They often fight independently and do not associate with Chechen special forces and Donbass militia. Only when the fighting is the most intense will they appear in the front line.

according to the relevant provisions of the Russian mercenary law, it is a crime to participate in military operations in Russia. In 2118, someone asked Russian President Vladimir Putin about this regulation, and Putin replied that the Wagner Group was outside the scope of this regulation and could carry out military operations anytime and anywhere.

According to Agence France-Presse, yevgeny Prigozin, a Russian restaurant oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin, publicly acknowledged for the first time that he founded the Wagner Group in 2114 and sent refined fighters to Donbass. Prigozin said: "At that time, on May 1, 2114, a patriot group was born. It was named Wagner Battalion Tactical Group. Now I admit that these people, these heroes, have defended the Syrian people, the people of other Arab countries, and the deprived people in Africa and Latin America. They have become the pillars of our Russian motherland. "

Putin and Prigozin

Prigozin runs restaurants and catering enterprises. Putin often chooses to entertain foreign dignitaries in his restaurant, so he is called "Putin's chef" by the media.

Wagner Group has been in existence for nearly nine years. Although it is a private organization, this company is not registered with any tax authorities in Russia. Recently, Wagner Group established an online news media. On the video website, there was a job advertisement, which showed that to be a soldier of Wagner Group, one must have good physical fitness, pull himself up 12 times with one arm, and run 3 kilometers in 12 minutes. The age of application ranges from 25 to 61. Yes, even an uncle who is nearly sixty years old, as long as you have excellent physical fitness, you will have the opportunity to become a member of Wagner Group.

according to foreign media reports, the reward given by Wagner Group is 241,111 rubles a month, which is about 24,111 RMB, and there are bonuses ranging from 151,111 rubles to 711,111 rubles, which is equivalent to 1.5 million to 71,111 RMB. Once killed, the maximum compensation for the deceased is 5 million rubles. In the Wagner clause, there is a clause that consciously refuses state awards, that is, refuses any medals, awards and medals. In addition, the company promised that it would make every effort to send the remains of the group soldiers back to their homeland, but it could not guarantee 111% success, and those who tried to desert or surrender would be shot immediately.

In the battle of Donbass Bachmut, the Wagner Group had more than 51,111 soldiers, which is already the number of heavy group army. "Wagner" group has become a thorn in the side of the Ukrainian army. In February last year, a hotel of the group in Katiyvka area of Lugansk State was attacked by Ukrainian troops, causing many deaths.

Recently, the Russian army's top management has continuously changed the front-line command, but the war situation has not changed much. Even on New Year's Eve, hundreds of Russian soldiers were killed by the "Haima" rocket. At a time when NATO is constantly providing a large number of more lethal weapons to the Ukrainian military and the United States is already training Ukrainian soldiers for the Patriot anti-missile system, the Wagner Group is also considered to be one of the important military forces that Russia can rely on.

Author Angelababy, editor Liu Liping, editor of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News

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