Russia’s operations in eastern Ukraine are narrowing in scope, the Pentagon assessed on Wednesday.
With the war approaching its 12th week and Moscow taking heavy casualties and struggling to make major gains, a senior US defence official said there was a shift in Russian strategy.
“Over the last days and even more than a week or so, you're starting to see Russian offensive operations become smaller in their size and scale,” the official said.
“You're seeing their objectives become more localised … it's just sort of a shrinking of their objectives, and their goals."
The official said towns, villages and sometimes only junctions were the targets. Russia is increasingly using company-sized units, they said.
A military company usually comprises between a few dozen and about 200 troops.
“This also goes to reinforce the notion that there just hasn't been much progress in the Donbas, [but] a lot of back and forth” between Russian and Ukrainian forces, the official said.
The Pentagon also assessed that a naval assault by the Russians was not on the horizon.
“There has been again no indication of an imminent naval assault here,” the official said.
The US has already rushed about $3.8 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the February 24 invasion, with much more envisioned in a $40bn aid package working its way through Congress.
Western military aid including US anti-tank Javelin missiles have been crucial for the Ukrainian military.
The senior US official said 79 of the 90 howitzer cannon have been delivered and used in Ukraine, as well as more than 200 Switchblade and nearly 10 Phoenix Ghost drones.
The Pentagon’s latest assessment came as US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin met Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist.
Mr Austin said that Swede would greatly improve Nato if it joined.
“Your capabilities are modern, relevant and significant, and your addition to the alliance will make us all better at defending ourselves," he said.
"And of course, that’s especially important at this crucial time. The United States strongly supports Sweden’s application for Nato membership."
US President Joe Biden is meeting Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the White House on Thursday, to try to shore up support for their Nato membership.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
