“I report that the 227th Battalion of the 127th Brigade of Territorial Defense Forces has reached the border on the demarcation line with the land of the occupiers. We’ve come here, Mr. President, we’re here, we’re at the border. ” reports in the recorded video one of the soldiers to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenysky. The newspaper noted that the soldier apparently states by mistake that the video was shot on April 15, not May.
On Sunday, Zelensky appointed a new commander of the territorial defense forces, and Yuri Halashkin was replaced by Major General Ihor Tancjura, who had previously been the chief of staff of the ground forces. At the beginning of the month, the president awarded him personal courage in defending Ukraine.
The reason for the change of commander was not given. Territorial defense forces were created in Ukraine at the beginning of this year, the newspaper Kommersant recalled.
Shortly after the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, the Ukrainian army forced the Russian commanders to relinquish their advance to Kyiv and later pushed the Russians away from Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkov. A Ukrainian counter-offensive is currently underway near the Russian-owned city of Izjum.
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Ukrainians repulsed seventeen attacks
Russian troops are now concentrating their main efforts in the Donetsk region, where they are trying to destroy Ukraine’s fortified defensive positions by artillery and air strikes, the Ukrainian General Staff informs in Monday morning’s report. At Avdiyka, north of Donetsk, the invading troops withdrew to previously occupied positions due to losses. They gather their troops at Izjum and prepare to attempt another offensive.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian air defense units shot down eleven air targets, including two Ka-52 and Mi-18 helicopters, seven drones and two missiles, according to the General Staff. In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, defenders repulsed a total of seventeen attacks and destroyed three enemy tanks.
Azovstal’s Mariupol steelworks also continue to be shelled in order to inflict maximum losses on the plant’s imprisoned defenders, Kyiv said.
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