Ukraine update: what happened tonight
Kiev under heavy shelling – at least two dead
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian capital Kiev came under heavy fire from Russian cruise missiles during the night. According to reports, there were violent explosions of anti-aircraft missiles against the incoming shells over the city. Rocket debris fell on buildings in at least two districts, Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Telegram on Wednesday morning. At least two people were killed and two others injured.
meet ukrainians russian army aviators – russians destroy ukrainian special forces
According to the authorities, several heavy army transport aircraft were damaged in a drone attack on the airfield in the northwestern Russian city of Pskov. The army is fending off an attack with drones, wrote the governor of the Pskov region, Mikhail Vedernikov, in his Telegram channel early Wednesday morning. He released a short video of the sound of an explosion and the glow of fire over the airfield.
“As a result of the drone attack, four Il-76 aircraft were damaged. A fire ensued; the fire caught two planes,” said a representative of the rescue services of the Russian state agency Tass. The information could not be independently verified.
According to its own statements, Russia repelled several other Ukrainian drone attacks during the night, including in the Moscow region, in Bryansk and Orel and in the Bay of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.
According to Moscow, a naval aircraft of the Russian Black Sea Fleet destroyed four Ukrainian military speedboats in the Black Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday morning that there were up to 50 members of Ukrainian special forces on board. Again, the information could not be independently verified. There was initially no confirmation from the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine makes progress on counteroffensive
Meanwhile, Ukraine is making progress with its counter-offensive in the south of the country and can count on supplies of ammunition from the USA. The US State Department announced further military aid for 250 million dollars (around 230 million euros) to ward off the Russian war of aggression. On Wednesday, the 553rd day of the war, the EU defense ministers want to discuss further support for Ukraine in the Spanish city of Toledo.
Firelight over Pskov airfield
Ukraine has attacked several Russian military airfields with drones in the past few days. In this way, a long-range Tupolev Tu-22M3 (NATO code: Backfire) bomber was destroyed at the Solzy air base in the Novgorod region. Because of the attack from Pskov, which is close to the border with Estonia, air traffic in the region was diverted.
According to preliminary information, there are no injuries, wrote Governor Wedernikow. The airfield is home to Russian Army military transport aircraft. A parachute division is also stationed in the city, which took part in the first wave of attacks on Ukraine in February 2022.
It was unclear where the drones were launched from. From the Ukraine they would have had to cover a distance of at least 800 kilometers through Russian or Belarusian territory. After the attack on Solzy, British intelligence officials suspected that the drones had been launched by sabotage squads in Russia.
Ukrainian General: We’re pushing back the enemy
According to the Ukrainian army, it is making progress in its advance on the southern front. “We are pushing back the enemy,” Brigadier General Oleksander Tarnavskyi, commander of the troops deployed in the Zaporizhia region, wrote on Telegram.
He did not give any details on Tuesday, but Ukrainian troops broke through a first strong Russian line of defense by capturing the town of Robotyne. According to consistent reports, they are now attacking the next Russian line blocking the way to the occupied cities of Tokmak and Melitopol. The goal is to reach the Sea of Azov, about 90 kilometers away, and to cut off the Russian troops.
New aid from the USA
The US package includes ammunition for the Himars multiple rocket launchers, air defense missiles and artillery ammunition. Since the war began in late February 2022, the United States has provided or pledged more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine, according to the Defense Ministry.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US and President Joe Biden. “Artillery. Missiles, ammunition for the Himars, demining equipment – that’s what our fighters need,” wrote Zelenskyy on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Selenskjy is reminiscent of dead soldiers
In his evening speech, Zelenskyy called on the citizens of his country to commemorate the soldiers who were killed. “Many Ukrainians today have someone to remember, someone to honor,” he said on Tuesday, which was observed in Ukraine as Defenders’ Day. In order to prove themselves worthy of these sacrifices, everyone should work for Ukraine, take care of their neighbor. “Ukraine must win. That’s the most important thing for everyone,” Zelenskyy said in the video.
The exact number of people lost in Ukraine during the 18-month war is not known. The number of soldiers killed is kept secret. However, it is estimated that tens of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. There are millions of internally displaced persons in the country, and millions more have fled abroad.
Prigozhin buried in St. Petersburg
There had been speculation in Russia for days about the time and place of the funeral of the mercenary leader Prigozhin. Police turned up at several cemeteries in his hometown of St. Petersburg on Tuesday. Finally, Prigozhin’s press service announced that after a funeral service in the closest circle, the 62-year-old was buried in the Porokhovskoye cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
The Kremlin had previously announced that President Vladimir Putin would not attend the funeral of his former favorite. In June, Prigozhin instigated a short-lived mutiny against the Russian military and state leadership, which Putin called treason. Last week, Prigozhin and nine other people were killed in a private jet crash. The cause is unclear. It is suspected that the machine was deliberately brought to the crash.
What will be important on Wednesday:
The defense ministers of the EU countries discuss further support for Ukraine at an informal meeting. The talks in Toledo are based, among other things, on proposals by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Last month he suggested significantly expanding the military training program for the Ukrainian armed forces. If circumstances allow, training could gradually be transferred to Ukraine. In addition, Borrell recommends longer-term financing commitments for military aid and EU money for the delivery of fighter jets and missiles.
