Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade claimed to have entered Robotyne on Tuesday after two months of fighting over the southeastern village. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar saidmembers of the brigade were evacuating civilians from Robotyne while under Russian artillery fire. One of the key goals of the counteroffensive is for Ukrainian forces to recapture Melitopol, a southeastern city that serves as a vital Russian transit hub, and Robotyne is on the way to Melitopol. But, as The Washington Post recently reported, the U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will fail to reach Melitopol and that its forces will instead remain several miles outside of the city.
The region around Russia’s capital was targeted by drones overnight for the fifth consecutive day. Regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said Russian air defense forces intercepted two drones near Moscow on Tuesday. One interception allegedly occurred west of Moscow and the other near Krasnogorsk, Moscow’s satellite city, where the resulting blast “shattered windows” in a 25-story apartment building and “damaged cars” but caused no casualties, Vorobyov said. Moscow closed three airports early Tuesday, but they resumed operations within a few hours, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had an “open, honest and fruitful meeting” with his Serbian counterpart at a summit of Balkan nations and Ukraine. Zelensky saidTuesday that he and Aleksandar Vucic spoke about “respect for the U.N. Charter and the inviolability of borders,” about their countries’ “shared future in the common European home” and about “developing our relations.” Their meeting is significant because Serbia has deep cultural and economic ties with Russia, and Vucic has resisted calls from Western countries to impose sanctions on Moscow. However, a leaked U.S. intelligence document suggested a few months ago that Serbia had provided or committed to provide lethal aid to Ukraine — a claim Belgrade denied.
The U.S. Embassy in Belarus said Americans should avoid traveling to Belarus because of a buildup of Russian military forces there, the “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” and the risk of detention and civil unrest. The embassy noted that Lithuania closed two border crossings last week, potentially limiting ways out of Belarus, and that Lithuania, Poland and Latvia were considering closing more border crossings.
The British Defense Ministry said there is evidence that some drone strikes against Russian military targets “are being launched from inside Russian territory.” The ministry cited a Saturday attack against a Russian air base more than 400 miles from Ukraine’s border. Russian authorities said the attack, which “highly likely destroyed” a Russian bomber aircraft, was carried out by a so-called “helicopter-style” drone. The British Defense Ministry said those drones “are unlikely to have the range to reach [the air base] from outside Russia,” suggesting that the attack may have been launched inside Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said air defense systems detected two drones over the Bryansk region of western Russia overnight. The ministry said the systems jammed the drones, which crashed in the region, and it blamed Ukraine for the attack. The Post could not independently verify the claims.
The Russian Defense Ministry said two other drones crashed in the Black Sea northwest of Crimea on Monday night after being jammed by electronic systems. Moscow accused of Kyiv of being behind the drone attacks. The Post could not verify the claims.
Russian shelling damaged four multistory buildings in the city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said on Telegram. No casualties were reported.
Zelensky said Greece would take part in training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. Zelensky made the comments Monday during a news conference in Athens, although he did not offer details. He appeared alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who said his country would keep up military support for Kyiv for as long as it took and help with postwar reconstruction. Mitsotakis also “unreservedly condemned” Russian war crimes in Ukraine, saying they “must be punished under international law.”
The company that oversees the Domino’s Pizza brand in Russia said it will file for bankruptcy there, signaling an end to its operations nearly 18 months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, The Post reports. The U.S.-based Domino’s Pizza has said it cut off financial support for the Russian business in December 2022.
Ukraine evacuates civilians as Russia tries to retake liberated city: For weeks, Russia has ramped up its attacks on Kupyansk, trying to win back a city it lost last year. The near-constant shelling is killing between five and 10 civilians in the city and surrounding area each week, the regional governor said. Although officials here are reluctant to acknowledge the looming risk of a second Russian occupation, they say they can no longer guarantee the safety of people who choose to stay, Siobhán O’Grady, Heidi Levine and Serhii Korolchuk report.
Those who have agreed to clear out are being evacuated by a coalition of volunteer groups. Some drove an ambulance through Kupyansk last week to reach Oleksandr and Natalya Mikolovich in their fourth-floor apartment on the city’s east side. On their way, they passed a home engulfed in flames after a Russian artillery strike. Many of those who were still in Kupyansk when the evacuation order was announced were already vulnerable. They include many elderly people who survived Russian occupation last year and are reluctant to uproot their lives now….
We seem to have a conflict brewing in public.,,,
The US Military officials believe that the Ukraine forces should mass their forces into a massive push toward’s their coastal objective..,,
The Ukraine military seems more worried about such a move allowing the Russian forces to remake gains in the North East part of their country…..
Of course the Americans want the conflict to be over yesterday…..
The British intelligence view seems to NOT as insistent on a change in strategy….