Zelenskyj: Democracy needs a win
After attending the Virtual World Summit for Democracy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that democracy absolutely needs a victory as soon as possible.
“And all of us together – Ukrainians, all Europeans, our American allies, our friends on all continents – in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Australia – will do everything we can to bring this victory closer,” Zelenskyy said in his statement Wednesday night. video speech. . “Ukraine’s victory, freedom’s victory, victory for the rules-based international order.”
The US organized the virtual summit together with Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia. US President Joe Biden had already invited such a virtual meeting in December 2021. Zelenskyy underlined Biden’s leading role in the consolidation of the democratic world. “And this unity, as we see, is enough to fight for freedom,” he said. “But to win the battle against tyranny, we need more unity.”
Kremlin expects long conflict with West over Ukraine
According to the Kremlin, Russia is preparing for a long war with the West over Ukraine. “This is a confrontation with hostile states, with unfriendly countries, this is a hybrid war they launched against our country. This is for a long time,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. “Here we need toughness, self-conviction, determination and unity around the president.”
Kiev air force spokesman: modern jets needed
According to its spokesman Yuri Ihnat, Ukraine’s air force “urgently” needs modern fighter jets. “Neither the Polish nor the Czech Migs help us, neither Mirages nor Tornados,” Ihnat said on Ukrainian television on Wednesday. While the Migs received from neighbors are a welcome and necessary reinforcement, Ukraine needs fourth-generation multirole fighters such as the US F-16. Since pilot and ground crew training on these machines is “not an easy process”, a decision would be needed “as soon as possible”.
The latest news about the war in the ticker:
Minister: Spain supplies tanks to Ukraine, but no fighter jets
Spain wants to deliver ten older Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, but excludes sending fighter jets. Delivery of the first six tanks will take place in two weeks, Defense Secretary Margarita Robles said Wednesday.
Kiev announces “Mathias Rust drone swarm” to the Russian army
After the repeated Russian attacks with so-called kamikaze drones on Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian army wants to repay with the same currency. The Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov announced counterattacks with his own drones, which he said had combined into a “Ukrainian swarm Mathias Rust” – in memory of the German Kremlin pilot. There are already “several thousand drones with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers,” Danilow claimed on Twitter.
German private pilot Mathias Rust landed on May 28, 1987 with a single-engine Cessna on the Moskva Bridge in front of the Kremlin. He had previously taken off from Finland and flew under all Soviet flak. Rust wanted to demonstrate with his action for world peace. His flight was followed by a wave of purges at the top of the Soviet army.
The Ukrainian army partially acknowledges Russian success in Bakhmut
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military command admitted a partial Russian success in the battle for the city of Bakhmut in the east of the country. “In the Bakhmut sector, the enemy continued its attacks on the city, partly with success,” the General Staff in Kiev said in its daily situation report. However, details of Russian land gains were not given.
Deputy Minister: Russian losses up to ten times higher than Ukrainian
For the first time, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar gave more concrete insights into the losses of the armed forces. Accordingly, the number of dead on the Russian side is significantly higher than on the Ukrainian side. “There are days in the East where the ratio of casualties (fatalities) is 1 to 10,” she said on Telegram on Wednesday. “It’s not like that every day, of course, and the average ratio is lower, but still.”
The Ukrainian army has not yet provided information on its own losses since the start of the war more than a year ago. On the other hand, a statistic is published daily showing the alleged losses of the Russian army. According to this report, the Russian armed forces have suffered more than 172,000 deaths so far. The Russian army, for its part, gives no information about its own losses. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace estimated the Russian death toll and wounded at about 220,000 on Wednesday, Sky News reported.
That will be important on Thursday
New fighting is expected around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Zelenskyj speaks via video link in front of the Austrian parliament on Thursday. (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.
