The successes in Donetsk are the news that Ukraine has been waiting for, says Zelenskiy.
(Photo: IMAGO/SNA)
Kyiv, Moscow Ahead of the planned major offensive against the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicted a defeat in the battle for Moscow. “Russia will lose this war,” Zelensky said. “The enemy knows that Ukraine will win. You see it. You feel it thanks to our beatings, soldiers and especially in the Donbass region,” the head of state said in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev on Monday.
Nevertheless, according to reports, there was another nationwide air alert in Ukraine on Tuesday night. In the early hours of the morning, violent explosions were heard in various districts of the capital Kiev, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.
According to the military administration and Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the air defense system has been activated. In the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine has been defending itself against the neighboring country since the invasion of February 24, 2022.
In addition, the Kakhovka Dam in the Russian-controlled part of the Ukrainian region of Kherson was blown up by Russian forces, according to the Ukrainian military. “The extent of the destruction, the speed and volume of the water and the probable flood areas are currently being clarified,” writes the South Command on its Facebook page. However, the information cannot be independently verified.
According to the Russian statement, the collapse of the dam poses no immediate danger to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. This is reported by the Russian state news agency TASS, citing an administrative representative deployed by Russia in the occupied Zaporizhia region.
Advances of Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk region
In his evening speech, Zelensky particularly praised advances by Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk region in the direction of the city of Bakhmut, which Russia had already declared conquered. The achievements there are the news Ukraine has been waiting for, he said. “We see how hysterically Russia is watching every step we take, every position we take.”
In his evening speech, Zelensky praised in particular the advances of the Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk region in the direction of the city of Bakhmut,
(Photo: dpa)
Nevertheless, the power apparatus in Moscow continues to refuse to acknowledge reality. Rather, Russia is trying to deceive the world, circumvent sanctions and produce more weapons.
Ukraine, on the other hand, will take further steps to reduce Russia’s military potential, the head of state announced. “Anyone in the world who helps the terror state circumvent sanctions in one way or another; everyone in the world who is used by Russia to supply arms, parts and equipment must feel the full brunt of the free world,” he stressed.
Zelensky also met British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Kiev on Monday and thanked him for his military support to London. In particular, the long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles have proven to be very effective at the front, the president said.
Ukrainian aviation specialists left for Great Britain
In addition, Kiev is preparing for the planned training of Ukrainian pilots in Great Britain. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal thanked London at a meeting with Cleverly “for its willingness to train pilots”.
Ukraine is hoping for a delivery of 48 US F-16 fighter jets to regain control of its airspace in the fight against Russia’s war of aggression.
(Photo: Reuters)
The men for this have already been chosen. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told Ukrayinska Pravda that no pilots have left the country yet. “The first groups of aviation specialists have left and are examining the possibility of further training of Ukrainian pilots.”
Ihnat further explained to “Ukrajinska Pravda” that it is about training at different levels of specialists, including aeronautical engineers who have to maintain aircraft on a daily basis and officers who have combat control.
It’s not just about pilots, Ihnat said. President Selenski had recently repeatedly spoken of a “fighter jet coalition” in which several states are involved. Ukraine is hoping for a delivery of 48 US F-16 fighter jets to regain control of its airspace in the fight against Russia’s war of aggression.
At the meeting with Cleverly, Schmyhal – like Kiev’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba before him – praised the fact that London would organize a reconstruction conference for Ukraine later this month. It is hoped that this will provide resources for reconstruction in particular.
Cleverly, who also posted a photo of his meeting with Zelensky on Twitter, said: “Ukraine can count on our support. For as long as it will take.”
Anti-Kremlin fighters announce capture of Russian town
Meanwhile, Russia is not only fighting in Ukraine, but is also facing massive shelling and partial loss of control in its Belgorod region. According to their own statements, anti-Kremlin rebels in the region took complete control of the village of Novaya Tavolshanka.
Because the Russian power apparatus is not interested in the fate of the region and no longer has the situation under control, they have now taken over the action, the Russian Volunteer Corps RDK announced on Monday. Novaya Tavolschanka is not a small village, but a place with 5,000 inhabitants. “Now it’s empty,” a gunman said on video. After days of shelling in the area, the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, indirectly admitted that he was no longer in control of the situation.
In Novaya Tavolschanka near the city of Schebekino, the 100 people who remained could not be saved because shooting was going on there, Gladkov said in a video. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow speaks of “terrorists” and “saboteurs” who fired artillery from the Ukrainian side and in some cases also penetrated into Russian territory. The ministry announced last week that it had “destroyed” more than 120 fighters and military technology. There was initially no reaction from Moscow to the situation in Novaya Tavolshanka.
In the video published by Telegram, the fighters of the Volunteer Corps, which consists of Russian nationalists, also offered to talk to representatives of the power apparatus in Moscow because Governor Gladkov himself has no influence on the situation.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
According to its own statements, the RDK is fighting for a free Russia. The Ukrainian leadership has denied having anything directly to do with the attacks on the Russian region. In the Belgorod region, several civilians were killed and injured as a result of the fire from the Ukrainian side. Russia also started its war against Ukraine in 2022 from the Belgorod region.
What will be important on Tuesday
In the east of Ukraine, Kiev’s troops are expected to continue their offensive actions there in different directions. The city of Bakhmut, occupied by Russian troops, continues to be the focal point. Ukraine wants to recapture them. In the Russian region of Belgorod, however, the situation is tense due to shelling from the Ukrainian side.
More: You can find the latest developments in our news blog on the Ukraine war