Germany has delivered the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer to Ukraine
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Ukraine
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Germany has delivered the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer to Ukraine

Germany has delivered the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer to Ukraine

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has handed over the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer to Ukraine as part of the reinforcement of Ukrainian artillery. In total, Germany plans to hand over 54 such units.

Points of attention

  • Ukraine has received its first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer from Germany as part of support for Ukrainian artillery. The transfer of 53 more howitzers is planned.
  • The Ukrainian ambassador symbolically accepted the first howitzer, emphasizing the importance of cooperation and maintaining peace in the region.
  • The RCH 155 howitzer is a modern artillery installation with extensive capabilities, including fire support while moving and remote control.
  • Germany notes its readiness to support Ukraine and fight for peace in Europe, reaffirming its support on the path to common security.
  • There is no blockade of aid to Ukraine from Germany, but the process of agreeing on a new aid package is ongoing, in particular regarding the transfer of other howitzers.

Ukraine received the first RCH 155 howitzer from Germany

"Ukraine can count on us, and this is a signal. Germany is ready to take responsibility in Europe," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksiy Makeyev symbolically accepted the first howitzer out of 54 planned for transfer.

The first six systems will remain in Germany, where they will be used to train Ukrainian military personnel.

"We don't need mediators, we need allies. We need to fight for peace. It's nice to know that Germany is on Ukraine's side," the Ukrainian ambassador said, commenting on the possibility of negotiations to end the war.

RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer) is a modern German self-propelled artillery mount developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

The features of this howitzer are the ability to fire while moving, remote control of the gun turret, and a crew of two thanks to a high level of automation.

This system is also planned to be transferred to the German army to ensure faster deployment. KNDS is also engaged in the production of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 tracked artillery system.

Germany denies claims of blocking aid to Ukraine

Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized that there is no blockade, but the process of internal coordination of the new aid package is still ongoing.

According to him, the Ministry of Defense has already prepared proposals, but the final political decision should be made in the near future.

"My department has prepared a new aid package, now it remains to make a political decision on its provision to Kyiv," Pistorius noted.

Category
Ukraine
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They worked for the FSB since 2014 — two Russian agents detained in Kyiv

Office of the Prosecutor General
FSB agent

Law enforcement officers eliminated an agent cell of the Russian Federation's special services, which included employees of Ukrzaliznytsia and the Kyiv Metro.

Points of attention

  • Two Russian FSB agents, who infiltrated Ukrzaliznytsia and the Kyiv Metro, were detained in Kyiv and charged with treason and justifying Russian armed aggression against Ukraine.
  • The agents were preparing to carry out sabotage actions and coordinate missile strikes on Kyiv, as documented by Ukrainian law enforcement officers.
  • The head of the agent cell, a current engineer of the Kyiv Metro, recruited accomplices and orchestrated the collection of intelligence on Ukrainian troops and infrastructure, leading to intercepted conversations confirming personal involvement in missile strikes.
  • The captured arsenal of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and communication equipment highlights the seriousness of the threat posed by the FSB agents.
  • Family members of the suspects were also implicated in the activities of the intelligence group, further emphasizing the extent of the infiltration and potential threat to Ukrainian national security.

FSB agents detained in Kyiv

Under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office, two citizens were notified of suspicion of high treason and justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation (Part 2 of Article 111, Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, two Ukrainian citizens — employees of Ukrzaliznytsia and the metro — were recruited by a representative of the Federal Security Service of the Kaliningrad region in 2014. Until 2022, the suspects secretly provided him with information about the movement of rolling stock of trains with cargoes of interest to the Russian Federation.

After a full-scale invasion, they provided their supervisor with information about the movements of Ukrainian Armed Forces units, information about the consequences of hits on urban infrastructure, and also prepared to carry out sabotage actions on the instructions of the FSB.

Detention of FSB agent

As a result of a series of searches, law enforcement officers seized an arsenal of weapons, ammunition, explosives, communication equipment, and computer equipment used to communicate with the curator from the suspects.

During the documentation of the crime, facts of justification of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and glorification of its participants by the defendants and their close associates were also established. The brother of one of the suspects was detained and reported on suspicion under Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the mother was served with a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The issue of whether the suspect should be placed in custody as a preventive measure is currently being decided.

Weapons seized

The Fate of a Resident: How the FSB Recruits Agents

According to the SBU, it was established that the resident (head) of the enemy cell was a current engineer of the Kyiv Metro utility company.

According to the case materials, the official was recruited in 2015 in Moscow during a personal meeting with an FSB personnel officer. His identity has already been established by cyber specialists of the Security Service.

The recruited agent was put on "standby" and "uncanned" after a full-scale war broke out via a messenger message.

He immediately received instructions to create an intelligence network. The task of this group was to collect information about the locations and routes of movement of Ukrainian troops and their cargo, as well as to direct rocket and drone attacks by the Russians against them.

The resident recruited his acquaintances to work for the enemy: a Kharkiv resident who left the military unit after mobilization and had previously worked for Ukrzaliznytsia for 10 years, and a driver of international trucking. The deserter's task was to monitor the movement of military echelons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the driver's task was to provide coordinates of checkpoints and Defense Forces units under the guise of business trips.

In addition, it was established that the brother and mother of the person involved were involved in the activities of the intelligence group.

The head of the intelligence group received geolocations from his henchmen, summarized them, and transmitted reports to his Russian supervisor. According to the investigation, the resident personally launched missile strikes on Kyiv, which is confirmed by his intercepted conversations.

SBU officers documented the crimes of Russian agents and detained their resident in Kyiv. At the same time, a defector agent was detained in Kharkiv.

During the searches, mobile phones with evidence of work in the Russian Federation were seized from the suspects. Firearms were also found, which were handed over for examination.

The issue of whether the suspect should be placed in custody as a preventive measure is currently being decided.

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