Selenskyj warns of the danger of mines – the night update without pictures Qatar’s World Cup ambassador: homophobic statements “taken out of context”.

>> All current developments in the live ticker

Ukrainian successes in Kherson

The soldiers of the Ukraine seem to be following the retreating Russian units at Kherson inexorably. In the area around the city in southern Ukraine, 41 cities have already been liberated, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily video message on Thursday evening. The number of Ukrainian flags that have “returned to their rightful place” as part of the ongoing defense operation is in the dozens.

Since Wednesday alone, Ukrainian units have advanced up to seven kilometers into the area previously occupied by the Russians, the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Saluschnyj, reported. According to the general staff in Kiev, the Russian army was only slowly withdrawing to reinforce its defense lines on the left bank of the Dnipro.

As reported by the Ukrainian governor of the Mykolaiv region, Vitaly Kim, the city of Chernobaivka is already under Ukrainian control. He did not give more details at first. “We are silent, because this is all a matter for the military.”

Selenskyj warns of the danger of mines

Selenskyj warned of dangers in the areas specified by the occupiers. “The first and fundamental task is demining,” he said. The occupiers left behind thousands of duds and ammunition. “I’ve often heard estimates that Russian mine clearance in Ukraine will take decades.” About 170,000 square kilometers of the country is still polluted by mines.

The head of state of Ukraine pointed out that the current performance of the Ukrainian armed forces has been achieved “through months of brutal fighting”. “It is not the enemy that is leaving – it is the Ukrainians who are driving out the occupiers,” Zelenskyy said. “And we must go to great lengths – on the battlefield and in diplomacy – so that our flags – Ukrainian flags – can be seen all over our country, along our entire internationally recognized border. And no more hostile tricolors.”

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar spoke about the slow advance of Ukrainian troops in the east and south of the country. Even though many people hoped for “explosive news” from the front, things were moving slowly for the time being, this is just the dynamics of the war. “At the moment there is a different dynamic and a different phase of the fighting,” she said on television on Thursday evening. “But the intensity of the fighting has not diminished.”

Media: Russians devastate and destroy Kherson in withdrawal

According to media reports, Russian troops destroyed the city in southern Ukraine as they left Kherson. In addition to the television center, district heating systems and transmission towers were blown up, Ukrajinska Pravda reported on Thursday. In addition, the electricity in the city was completely out, as was the internet. Several bridges over the Dnipro had been blown up in recent days.

A timetable for the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Kherson and the entire area around the city on the right bank of the Dnipro, ordered the day before, was not known. According to a report by the Russian agency Tass, units of police and emergency services are only allowed to leave the city with the last troops.

US to give more military aid to Ukraine

To support Ukraine in the Russian war of aggression, the United States is providing the country with additional military aid worth $400 million (386 million Swiss francs), the US Defense Department announced in Washington on Thursday. US military aid to Kiev has totaled $19.3 billion since US President Joe Biden took office. The new package also included four Avenger air defense systems and Stinger missiles, as well as missiles for Hawk air defense systems, said Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh. “That’s exactly what we need, what we asked for,” Zelenskyj said in the evening.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the United States also wants to buy ammunition from ally South Korea to support Ukraine. There is a confidential arms deal between Seoul and Washington under which the US would buy 100,000 rounds of 150mm artillery ammunition from its ally, the paper reported, citing US officials.

US government on negotiations: Don’t put pressure on Ukraine

With a view to possible negotiations with Russia, the US government says it will not put pressure on Ukraine. “We don’t insist on certain things, we advise as partners,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at the White House on Thursday. The day before, Kiev had rejected a new offer to negotiate from Moscow on the basis of “the current situation”. As a condition of talks with Moscow, the Ukrainian leadership is demanding a complete withdrawal of Russian troops.

That will be important on Friday

The focus remains on how far Ukrainian troops can advance into territory previously occupied by Russia. A conversation between German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (reasons) and her Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis in Berlin will also discuss the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. One point is the reinforcement of NATO’s eastern flank. Landsbergis also wants to work with Baerbock for the delivery of western battle tanks to Ukraine. (sda/dpa)