The War goes on unabated ….
The Ukraine has requested the Israeli ‘Iron Dome’ antimissile/aircraft system formally as was to be expected*….
Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe.
1. The fight for Kherson
- Concern is growing about the Kakhovka dam this weekend as a potential target. Earlier in the week, Zelensky accused Russian forces of mining the hydroelectric plant, one of Ukraine’s largest power facilities, in preparation for a “false flag” attack. He did not provide evidence of the Russian plot but told European Council leaders that the infrastructure attack could lead to flooding in 80 settlements and destroy much of southern Ukraine’s water supply. Kremlin-backed officials have instead claimed that Ukraine is planning to blow up the 1956 dam on the Dnieper River to flood Russian-occupied Kherson and have evacuated thousands of people from the city in preparation. The Washington Post could not independently verify the claims.
- Russia has begun to withdraw from Kherson’s western region, the Institute for the Study of War saidFriday. Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command said the same day that Russian forces were “actively” moving military equipment and several units to the east bank of the Dnieper River. On Saturday, the Ukrainian military Facebook accountsaid Russian-backed forces had left the small villages of Charivne and Chkalove, stealing cars and goods on their way north, toward the Dnieper River crossing.
- Occupying Russian authorities told residents to flee Kherson on Saturday afternoon, urging them to take “documents, money, valuables and clothes.” News-service photos showed people boarding ferries and buses in Kherson, pets and luggage in tow. Ukrainian troops have been advancing toward the city in an effort to upend the Russian-backed administration that was installed there under an orchestrated annexation violating international law. In an effort to lure Kherson residents into places with stronger Kremlin footholds, Russian cities and the occupied Crimean region were offering incentives such as payments and housing assistance, according to Moscow-backed authorities’ Telegram accounts.
- Kherson was having problems with cable internet connectivity Saturday evening, according to Russia-backed authorities. In a post on Telegram, the occupying regional administration cited technical maintenance. Mobile internet connectivity, it said, was uninterrupted.
- Russian forces have erected a “barge bridge” across the Dnieper River as they struggle to retain control of Kherson, according to a daily intelligence update from Britain’s Defense Ministry. The use of heavy barge bridges was common in Soviet-era operations, the ministry said, adding that this is probably “the first time the Russian military have needed to utilise this type of bridge for decades,” a move likely to have “material and logistics benefits.”
2. Other key developments
- Washington sees no evidence of Moscow ending the war soon, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Friday alongside his French counterpart. Instead, he said, the Kremlin is “doubling and tripling down” on its aggression in Ukraine. “Every indication is that far from being willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy, President [Vladimir] Putin continues to push in the opposite direction,” Blinken said.
- A bipartisan congressional delegation met Zelensky in Kyiv, including Reps. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). The group “talked about financial support, about our political interaction, about what new anti-European and anti-democratic steps to expect from Russia,” Zelensky saidFriday. The visit came after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week signaled that the GOP would oppose more aid to Ukraine. President Biden said this week that he is worried that Republicans may cut aid to Ukraine if they win back the House.
- Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said three Kh-101 missiles “destroyed” a power facility Saturday in Ukraine’s northwest. Nearby, the Rivne region implemented electricity restrictions to stabilize distribution. Ukrainian authorities have been using such restrictions in recent weeks while Russia has targeted electrical infrastructure.
3. Battleground updates
- Nearly 16,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine were recorded by the U.N. human rights office, U.N. Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Friday. DiCarlo said that figure included 6,322 deaths and that “the actual figures are considerably higher.”
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a rare call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, on Friday; it was their first conversation since May. Officials from both sides have offered few details about the call, but Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Austin “emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing conflict.”….
War is NOT pretty….
Holes blown in the walls of apartment blocks, or whole buildings reduced to sprawls of brick spilling out on the sidewalks. The detritus of explosions — tree branches, drooping power lines, chips of asphalt — scattered in the streets. Craters from artillery in courtyards, parks, in the middle of intersections.
Over eight months of combat, the front line of the Ukraine war has passed over dozens of towns and cities — from the suburbs of Kyiv to the industrial communities of the Donbas — creating in urban settings some of the most vicious, lethal and destructive patches in the war….
Note…
Mathew Chance on CNN revealed on the air that the Ukraine told him they shot down ALL of the missiles fired by the Russians today….
*This makes things VERY complicated for the Israeli’s who have yet to supoply the Ukraine with military assistance……..
ALL….
image…Credit…Ivor Prickett for The New York Times