Kiev announces gains on the southeastern front, strengthening its advance towards the Sea of Azov
On Thursday, the Ukrainian army announced that it had made more gains in its counterattack against the Russian forces on the southeastern front, a day after announcing the liberation of a village that was a strong point for Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers train amid the continuing Russian invasion of the country (Reuters)
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, on Wednesday, that his country is “significantly” intensifying the production of drones.
In his nightly video address, Zelensky stressed the importance of drones in defending his country against the Russian invasion, saying, “Drones are eyes and protection on the front line… Drones are a guarantee that people will not have to pay with their lives, when they can be used.” He also stressed the importance of the delivery of drones by international partners.
He said, “In every combat brigade, the warriors ask first about drones, electronic warfare, and military air defense,” referring to several front-line inspections that he carried out in the past days.
The military said Ukrainian forces had made progress south of Orozhin, a village in the Donetsk region that Kiev said on Wednesday it had recaptured, as it tried to build momentum for its push south into occupied territory towards the Sea of Azov.
“In the direction south of Uruzhinin (Ukrainian forces) have achieved success,” military spokesman Andrei Kovalyov said in remarks broadcast on national television. He did not elaborate.
Orozhin is the first village that Kiev has declared recaptured since July 27, a time lag that indicates the challenge Ukrainian forces face as they seek to advance through heavily mined Russian defense lines without strong air support. The village is located about 100 kilometers west of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk.
Kovalyov said, as quoted by Reuters, that there is fierce fighting in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country and around a village in the east not far from Bakhmut, a city that Russian forces occupied in May after a fierce struggle that lasted for months. And he continued, “The enemy carried out unsuccessful offensive operations in the Senkivka region of the Kharkiv region and Budanivka in Donetsk. Fierce battles are going on there.” He added, “In the direction of Bakhmut, the (Ukrainian) defensive forces continue to carry out offensive operations south of Bakhmut.”
A Ukrainian soldier looks at a Russian tank on his screen while operating a drone to conduct a reconnaissance operation in the outskirts of Kremina (AP)
A Ukrainian general said Wednesday that Russia was launching an offensive towards Kobyansk, a town in the Kharkiv region, but Kovalyov said Ukraine was responding to that attack, as well as to Russian attacks north of Bakhmut and near the town of Liman.
Zelensky with a soldier in Donetsk (AFP)
In a negative development for Kiev, Ukraine appears to have given up hope of receiving US F-16 fighter jets this year, after spending months pressuring Western allies to deliver the advanced aircraft to defend against the Russian invasion. “It is clear that we will not be able to defend Ukraine with F-16s in the coming fall or winter,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television. He added that Ukraine will not be able to receive F-16 fighters from allies in the coming fall or winter, so it is necessary to strengthen air defense now. Ihnat stressed that the F-16 fighters should not be expected to arrive in Ukraine in the coming fall or winter.
The Danish Prime Minister stands in front of the “F-16”, which the Biden administration decided to supply to Ukraine after hesitation (AFP)
Ihnat said, “Many hopes were pinned on these aircraft becoming part of the air defense system, and that they would protect us from Russian missile and drone attacks.” Ukrainian media quoted Ihnat as saying that one of the signs of progress was that Ukrainian pilots and technicians could start training on the planes “in the near future”.
The Netherlands and Denmark, both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), lead an 11-country coalition training Ukrainian pilots for Western combat aircraft.
On the other hand, an intelligence assessment issued by the British Ministry of Defense regarding the developments of the war in Ukraine, today, Thursday, stated that despite the pressures of the ongoing war, the Ukrainian efforts to provide fuel stocks are likely to succeed in ensuring that it has sufficient reserves of it during the period winter season.
The British Ministry of Defense indicated in its daily intelligence update, published on the “X” platform (formerly “Twitter”), that Ukraine was effective in strengthening its mining sector to maintain production, and to ensure a continuous supply of coal for thermal power plants and heating in the winter season, with The presence of large reserves of gas provides an additional reserve.
President Biden’s decision to allow Ukrainian pilots to be trained on the F-16 is an important shift (AFP)
The assessment added that while Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector infrastructure may continue this winter, last winter Ukraine demonstrated that it has the skilled and experienced workforce to operate and maintain the power grid, even under conditions of war. Russian forces repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last winter, leaving thousands of homes without electricity or heat for days on end amid freezing temperatures.
A scene from central Moscow after the Ukrainian bombing with drones (Reuters)
The press office of the Russian Federal Security Service announced to reporters that the agency’s agents in the Luhansk People’s Republic had arrested a Ukrainian citizen who had transferred data about the locations of military personnel and military equipment to the intelligence services of a foreign country.
The Russian Federal Security Service said, in a statement, that since October 2022, a Ukrainian citizen has been collecting data on the locations of military personnel and military equipment of the people’s militia and the Russian armed forces in the Luhansk People’s Republic, “which was also transferred to the intelligence services of a foreign country for use against them.” Security of the Russian Federation,” according to what was reported by the “Russian Tass News Agency.”
“The investigators of the Federal Security Service charged him with committing a crime under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (on espionage),” the statement added. The statement stated that the man is now in custody, and that investigations are ongoing.
