After the Russian missile attack on the city of Zaporizhia that killed at least two, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced retaliatory measures. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin reacted indignantly to an alleged advance of Ukrainian nationalists across the border into Russian territory and convened the National Security Council for this Friday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to speak to US President Joe Biden in Washington about the situation in Ukraine.
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Zelenskyj: We are responding
“We will respond militarily and legally to today’s brutal Russian missile attack on Zaporizhia,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Thursday. “The occupier will inevitably feel our strength, the strength of justice in the true sense of the word.” A multi-storey residential building in the southern Ukrainian city was hit by a missile during the Russian airstrike on Thursday night. Two residents were killed and eight people were injured. According to official information, ten residents are still missing.
Kiev: Further Russian attacks on Bakhmut repelled
According to the military command in Kiev, the defenders of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut repelled several Russian attacks on Thursday. Russian artillery shelled a number of smaller towns around Bakhmut, the General Staff in Kiev said in its situation report. Russian troops have been besieging the city from three sides and have been trying to encircle it for weeks. Repeated Russian artillery attacks caused unrest on the southern front sections near Kherson and Zaporizhia.
The Ukrainian defense minister sees a chance of victory this year
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov sees the possibility that Russia’s offensive war could end this year in his country’s victory. “I am an optimist, I see the situation on the battlefield, I see the development of support and I really see that there is a chance to end this war with our victory this year,” Resnikov told Bild newspaper. . His goal was “the liberation of all our Temporarily Occupied Territories up to our internationally recognized 1991 borders.”
Moscow outraged by alleged attack by Ukrainian nationalists
After the suspected advance of a Ukrainian nationalist group in the Russian Bryansk region, the Russian authorities launched an investigation on Thursday. A car with detectives drove into a mine, four occupants were seriously injured. According to Russian sources, a motorist had previously been killed and a child injured by fire from Ukrainian sabotage units.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow announced that it would inform UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “The Permanent Mission of Russia to the UN will pass on the information soon, even though official statements from the Kremlin, the (domestic intelligence agency) FSB and local authorities have already gone around the world,” Russian ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. of Foreign Affairs. according to the agency TASS. Putin spoke of a “terrorist attack and crime”. Kiev denied responsibility for the incidents and spoke of targeted Russian disinformation. The attackers were pushed back into Ukrainian territory, Tass reported, citing domestic intelligence agency FSB.
Former Kremlin boss warns NATO about aircraft deliveries to Kiev
Former Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO against supplying fighter jets to Ukraine. The transfer of NATO fighter jets and their maintenance in Poland would amount to direct participation in the war by the Western military alliance against Russia, Medvedev wrote on Telegram on Thursday. “And anyone who decides on the supply (repair) of such equipment or means of destruction, as well as foreign mercenaries and military trainers, should be considered a legitimate military target.”
Moscow accuses the West of sabotaging the grain deal
Russia’s foreign ministry accused the West of sabotaging last year’s grain deal with Ukraine. Moscow will be prevented from fulfilling its obligations under the agreement, the ministry said in a statement released Thursday. “We must realize that the deal package proposed by UN Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres and signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 is not working.”
One of the reasons for the uproar was Kiev’s continued blockade of the ammonia pipeline between Togliatti in Russia and the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. The agreed export of Russian fertilizers is also blocked in ports in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. The deal established procedures for the safe export of grain from Ukraine, while allowing Russia to export fertilizers in return. The temporary agreement was due to be extended for another four months this month.
Brazil promotes international mediation initiative
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva again promoted his idea for an international mediation initiative during a video link with Zelenskyj. “I reiterated Brazil’s desire to talk to other countries and participate in peace and dialogue initiatives,” Lula wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “War cannot be in anyone’s interest.” Ukraine, however, rejects a peace dictated by Russia and demands a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
What will Friday bring?
After reports of fighting on Russian soil, Putin convened the National Security Council for next Friday. German Chancellor Scholz wants to talk to Biden in Washington about Ukraine, among other things. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
