The damage caused by the collapse of a dam in southern Ukraine and the occurrence of large-scale flooding is spreading.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of failing to rescue the population. Even more worrying, he said, is the forced deportation of residents into Russia.
This is a commentary by "International News 2023" anchor Hideki Yui.
It has been reported that the Russian military has forced Ukrainian residents in occupied territories to obtain passports and taken them to Russia if they do not comply. For this reason, it can be said that the Ukrainian side is increasingly wary that the Russian military will accelerate the procedure of changing Ukrainian people into Russians because of this tragedy.
"It is highly doubtful that the Russian army will help the affected population, who will probably be offered to evacuate into Russia. I am convinced that the Russian military will use this tragedy to deport the population into Russia."
Ukraine embarks on strengthening its defense industry
While the Ukrainian side is busy responding to the dam failure, it is also proceeding with military operations to retake its territory. It is unclear whether the focal reversal offensive has begun, but the British Ministry of Defence has analyzed that "fierce fighting continues in several areas of the front, with the Ukrainian side taking the lead in most areas."
The Ukrainian side is also considering a protracted battle to strengthen its own defense industry. The key is Ukraine's state-owned munitions company Ukruoboronprom. After the Russian military invasion, it has hired nearly 10,000 new people, and 70,000 people are said to be supporting the Ukrainian army by manufacturing weapons and repair ammunition.
"Our production capacity is increasing day by day, but unfortunately we are still unable to keep up with the demands of the military. We are also working on the production of 155mm shells according to NATO standards,"
the company says it is collaborating with the Western defense industry, signing a contract with a Czech company to repair Ukrainian tanks in the Czech Republic, and a joint production and repair of weapons in Ukraine with the German defense company Rheinmetall.
It is unclear to what extent the Ukrainian military has been forced to change its strategy in the reverse offensive due to the dam breaking, but it seems that the cooperation of the defense industry between Ukraine and the West is accelerating in preparation for a long time.