The situation at a glance: Putin replaces governor in war zone – Lavrov threatens

Russian President Vladimir Putin has surprisingly appointed MP Alexander Chinstein as the new governor of the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. “Crisis management is needed there at the moment,” Putin commented on the televised appointment. The background to the personnel is that the Ukrainian armed forces took control of parts of the Russian border area in a surprise counter-offensive in the summer. Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia would use all means to avert defeat in the war against Ukraine.

Chinstein replaces Governor Alexei Smirnov, who was only appointed by the Kremlin chief in May. He worked as a journalist in the 1990s, but has sat in parliament, the State Duma, for the Kremlin party United Russia since 2003. There, Chinstein attracted attention, among other things, for denouncing homosexuals and those with political dissent. Russian authorities initiated proceedings several times in response to his complaints.

Election result not an argument for Putin

Smirnov’s dismissal is unexpected, as he had secured a clear majority of votes in the regional elections with the support of the Kremlin just two months ago. This demonstrative disregard for the election results shows that the Kremlin knows how it came about, commented Kremlin-critical political scientist Abbas Galljamov: The results “were embellished and are worthless.”

Chinstein is considered to be well connected in the security organs. When appointing him, Putin pointed out that the 50-year-old had been an adviser to the head of the National Guard for two years. For months, Russian units have been trying to drive the Ukrainians who have invaded the Kursk region out of the country. According to reports, North Korean soldiers sent by Putin-allied leader Kim Jong Un are also deployed in the region.

Foreign Minister Lavrov: Are ready to use any means

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, known for his pithy threats against the West, is once again making a name for himself. The United States and its allies must understand “that we are ready to use every means so that they do not achieve what they call a ‘strategic defeat of Russia,'” he said in English in an interview published on the controversial US platform X -Journalist Tucker Carlson. “They fight to maintain hegemony over the world in every country, every region, every continent. We fight for our legitimate security interests.”

Heavy fighting at the front

The fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops continues unabated along the entire front. The General Staff in Kyiv wrote in its evening situation report of 170 clashes. The Russian attackers used 599 drones during the day. However, the information provided by both warring parties can hardly be verified independently.

The most hotly contested sectors of the front were once again in the south of Ukraine, where the Russians are trying to take the cities of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk. The situation is similarly precarious in the section of the front between the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions around the town of Velyka Novosilka. In Kursk, western Russia, however, some calm has returned after the heavy attacks of the last few weeks – the Ukrainian General Staff reported significantly fewer battles than before.

Kremlin is looking for a loophole for gas deliveries abroad

Meanwhile, Kremlin leader Putin is trying to minimize the economic impact of his war of aggression on his own country. He exempted foreign buyers from the obligation to pay for Russian gas into a Gazprombank account. The new decree only mentions an “authorized bank”. The change is intended to help continue selling Russian gas to EU countries after Gazprombank was placed on the sanctions list by the US two weeks ago.

In April 2022, shortly after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine that he had ordered and the first sanctions against Russia, Putin stipulated that customers in Western countries would only receive gas if they deposited the money into a ruble account at Gazprombank. The measure was intended to support the Russian currency at the time and at the same time demonstrate the Kremlin’s power in the conflict with the West.

Since then, the share of Russian pipeline gas within the EU has steadily fallen. But some countries like Slovakia and Hungary still buy it. The US sanctions against Gazprombank have made these deliveries more difficult, which has also accelerated the ruble’s decline in recent weeks. Russia is now hoping to use other banks to circumvent the sanctions.

Zelenskyj recalls failed security agreement

As fighting continues on the front lines, Ukraine fears for the support of its most important ally and largest arms supplier due to the impending change of power in the United States. It is feared that the future US President Donald Trump will enforce a ceasefire in favor of the militarily superior neighbor Russia and that Ukraine will not receive the security guarantees it wants.

On the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj recalled the failure of the 1994 security agreement and called for effective guarantees. “Everyone in the world knows that the mere signature of a state, any assurances or promises are not enough as security,” Zelenskyj said in his evening video message. With the memorandum signed in Budapest, Ukraine, together with Kazakhstan and Belarus, committed to handing over their nuclear weapons to Russia. In return, the country received security guarantees – including from Moscow.

These security guarantees were ineffective, said Zelensky, referring to the war of aggression unleashed by Russia. For real peace, Ukraine needs effective guarantees. “That means a real alliance and a realistic security foundation in the country.” Specifically, this means weapons and solidarity in order to be able to defend oneself in an emergency. Zelensky wants to quickly bring his country under the NATO umbrella so that it would be protected from renewed Russian aggression in the event of a possible ceasefire.

As a prerequisite for peace negotiations, Russia is not only demanding the cession of territory from Ukraine, but also that Ukraine forego joining NATO and have its own powerful army. This would mean that the significantly smaller neighboring country would find itself helpless against further Russian attacks in the future.