Moscow strikes Kiev again…and fierce confrontations on the contact lines
In conjunction with the intensification of battles along the lines of contact, the pro-Moscow separatist authorities in Donetsk acknowledged the “difficult situation” but confirmed the success of the Russian forces in repelling the Ukrainian counterattack and inflicting heavy losses on Kiev. Meanwhile, Moscow announced that it would closely monitor the meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Council that will take place on Wednesday, and focus on resuming grain exports from Ukraine, and stressed that it would not allow the revival of the “grain deal” without Russia’s participation and adherence to the conditions announced by the Kremlin.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said that his country is following developments in the situation regarding coordination between Ukraine and NATO, and “we are closely monitoring the work of the (Ukraine-NATO) Council, the main issue of which is the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea.”
The Ukrainian President with the Secretary General of “NATO” (EPA)
Vershinin said: “We know that there is a plan to convene the (Ukraine-NATO) Council on July 26, and we are closely following the development of events.”
In response to a question by journalists about the possibility of NATO’s participation in imposing a blockade on Russian ports, the Russian diplomat said: “With regard to the possibility of NATO’s participation in military operations in the Black Sea region, we believe that the alliance will not interfere directly, but rather participate openly in the military confrontation in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to hold a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council on the situation in the Black Sea and the grain corridor. Later, the head of the press service of the alliance, Oana Lungescu, said that the meeting of the council to discuss the delivery of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea will be held on Wednesday at the level of permanent representatives.
Vershinin stressed that reviving the Ukrainian grain export agreement through the Black Sea is “impossible in isolation from Russia.”
Vershinin pointed out that negotiations on resuming the grain deal had “stopped.” He added, “We have clearly expressed our position. After July 17, the Black Sea Initiative came to an end. We objected to extending the agreement.
Shipment of Ukrainian grain from the Odessa region (EPA)
He pointed out that the manner in which the deal was implemented with regard to the export of grain “has nothing to do with combating hunger, not to mention that the part of it that provides for facilitating the export of products and fertilizers from Russia was not implemented in the first place.”
Russia had recently announced its suspension of the agreement to export Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, and prevented the movement of ships under penalty of considering the countries whose flags these ships are flying as being involved in the war against Russia.
Meanwhile, the continuous confrontations along the contact lines coincided with an additional escalation on Tuesday, after the Ukrainian capital and a number of cities were subjected to concentrated Russian attacks, during which Moscow used drones and guided missile systems.
Moscow municipality workers remove rubble after a drone attack on Moscow today (EPA)
The military administration of the Ukrainian capital said that Russia launched its sixth air attack this month on Kiev, early Tuesday morning local time, and air raid sirens sounded for more than three hours over the city and the eastern half of the country.
Sergey Popko, head of the administration on the Telegram application, said that Russia attacked Kiev with Iranian-made drones, and preliminary information indicated that Ukrainian air defense systems shot down the attacking planes, adding that there were no injuries or serious damage.
Russia threatened to take severe retaliatory measures against Ukraine after two drones damaged buildings in Moscow early on Monday, including a building near the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, in what it described as a “brazen act of terrorism.” The Ukrainian Air Force said sirens sounded for more than three hours in most parts of eastern Ukraine.
The White House said it does not support attacks inside Russia, in response to a question about a drone attack from Ukraine. “In general, we do not support attacks inside Russia,” White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters at a news conference.
The Air Force said on “Telegram” that there was a threat of new attacks on the eastern and southeastern regions of Ukraine using ballistic weapons, and issued warnings of air strikes for those areas, and explosions sounded in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, while air raid sirens were heard in 7 other Ukrainian provinces.
According to online map data of the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation, in addition to Kiev, the Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkassy and Chernigov regions were targeted in the raids.
Part of the destruction as a result of the Russian bombing of the Ukrainian city of Odessa (dpa)
In addition, the sound of alarm is being heard in the regions of the Zaporizhia region, which are controlled by Kiev.
In addition, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed head of the Donetsk region, said that about 30 percent of Western weapons and equipment delivered to Ukraine on the eve of the counterattack had already been destroyed, adding that “deliveries from the West continue, although not with the intensity we saw previously.”
And the separatist official added: “We have seen the amount of ammunition and equipment that Western countries are being sent on the eve of the counterattack against Ukraine. Now we can speak in rough numbers: about 30 percent of them have been destroyed.”
A destroyed bridge due to Russian bombing on the outskirts of Kiev (Reuters)
Despite this, Pushilin acknowledged that the situation on the fronts “is still difficult” and said that during the last day, the Ukrainian armed forces made at least five attempts to attack the defense lines around Donetsk, and the Russian army repulsed them.
In the direction of Mariinsky, according to him, the “very dangerous” confrontation continues, and the enemy suffers heavy losses. “But there is no talk of any change in the lines of contact there,” Bushilin added.
Noting the limited success of the Russian army, he improved on the Avdiivka and Krasnolymansky axes in Donetsk.
Ukrainian soldier on the front line in Bakhmut (Reuters)
Pushilin said: “In several directions, as a result of repelling the enemy’s attacks, our units are working to improve their positions, and this can be said about the Avdievsky direction and the Krasnolimansky direction.”
He explained that in the direction of Krasnolyman, “the most important changes” are currently taking place. The separatist official explained: “Our units, which almost always repel enemy attacks, improve their positions and consolidate in new locations. It is not reflected in the imposition of control over entire towns, but given the intensity of the hostilities, every 100-200-300 meters is a very good result.”
In a related development, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian army carried out an attack last night on the patrol ship of the Russian Navy, “Sergey Kotov”, with guided boats.
Military sources confirmed that “in the course of repelling the attack, the two remote-controlled enemy boats were destroyed by the Russian ship’s weapons fire at a distance of 1,000 and 800 meters.”
Sergey Kotov leads the movements of Russian ships in the southwestern part of the Black Sea. The Defense Ministry said the warship “continues to perform its duties after repelling the attack”.
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2023-07-25 16:12:38
