2022/6/9-6/10

Ukraine keeps US in the dark on military operations – NYT
Kiev is refusing to share details of its operations with Washington, possibly manipulating info to maintain US arms flow

The US government has better information on Russian troops in Ukraine than on Ukrainian forces, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing US officials. Kiev is keeping its biggest military sponsor in the dark, possibly even misleading Washington to protect the generous flow of American military aid into the country, the newspaper claimed.

According NYT sources, the Ukrainian government gives the US "few classified briefings or details about their operational plans" while the US intelligence community's capacity to collect data in Ukraine is limited, because its focus has long been on Russia.

"When it came to the Ukrainians, the United States has worked on building up their intelligence service, not spying on their government," the report claimed. Intelligence-gathering has been complicated by cloudy weather in Ukraine, limiting the effectiveness of satellites for surveilling Ukrainian troops.

"Ukraine's secrecy has forced US military and intelligence officials to try and learn what they can from other countries operating in Ukraine, training sessions with Ukrainians and [from Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky's public comments," the NYT cited its sources as saying.

Ukraine sets condition for resuming grain exports
“No grain will go anywhere” unless Ukraine’s security is ensured, a senior official has said

Ukraine will resume grain exports only when its own security is ensured, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov said on Tuesday as the Russian military offensive continues in his country.

Speaking on national TV, Danilov recalled a statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “which clearly said that the first issue is security, the second issue is security, the third issue is security.”

“If this issue is not resolved, and the security of our country is not ensured, no grain will go anywhere. Because for us the issue of security is the number one priority,” Danilov stated, without specifying what exactly he meant by the term “security.”

At the same time, he claimed that “this issue is under control” and made clear that the Ukrainian authorities remember their obligations.

“Nobody wants the world to be hungry,” he stressed.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of impeding grain exports. Kiev and its Western supporters claim that, by blocking Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, Russia is aggravating the global food crisis. Moscow has rejected such claims, saying it is ready to ensure safe passage for grain-carrying vessels and that the disruption stems from extensive mining of the shoreline by the Ukrainian military.

Russian passports are now ready for issuance in the Zaporozhye region and a referendum will be held this year to join Russia.

So is this also a symptom of Russia losing the war?

— The Sirius Report (@thesiriusreport) June 8, 2022

ドンバスで夫婦でロシアのパスポート申請に来た元ウクライナ軍大隊長。

Bad harvest forecast for EU
Grain production is expected to drop across Europe this year due to dry weather, data shows
Production of wheat and other grains in the European Union is expected to fall this year, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing a survey by agriculture consulting firm Strategie Grains, published on Thursday. A bad harvest in the EU could further pressure grain markets, it said.

According to the survey, the EU is expected to produce almost 5% less wheat this year compared with 2021. It was also forecast to produce 278.8 million metric tons of all grains in the 2022-2023 growing season, down over 4% from last year, because of the dry weather.
同調査によると、EUは今年、2021年と比較して小麦の生産量が5％近く減少すると予想されている。また、乾燥した天候のため、2022-2023年栽培期の全穀物生産量は2億7880万トンと、昨年より4％以上減少すると予測された。
Production in France, which is the fifth-largest grower of wheat in the world, was also projected to decline by more than 5%. The country accounts for about 18% of European agricultural production, according to the French Ministry of Agriculture. France is also the fourth-biggest wheat exporter globally.
世界第5位の小麦生産国であるフランスの生産量も、5％以上減少すると予測された。フランス農業省によると、同国は欧州の農業生産の約18％を占めている。また、フランスは世界第4位の小麦輸出国でもあります。
In addition to dry weather, the country’s agricultural land has been hit with severe storms, that damaged wheat, fruit and vineyard land.
乾燥した天候に加え、フランスの農地は激しい嵐に見舞われ、小麦、果物、ブドウ畑が被害を受けました。
“Combined with spells of extreme heat–the mercury having risen well above seasonal averages–this weather took a negative toll on the condition of all cereal crops in Europe, during the period of critical yield formation phases,” Strategie Grains said.