RUSSIA ADMITS “CASUALTIES”
Ukraine’s ATACMS strike on the Kursk Vostochny air base wounded two servicemen, Moscow’s defence ministry mentioned in a uncommon admission, whereas a strike on an air defence battery broken a radar system and in addition brought about “casualties”.
It mentioned three of the 5 missiles fired within the first strike had been shot down, whereas seven of the eight used within the second had been destroyed.
In response to Ukraine’s first use of the US-supplied weapon, Moscow on Thursday used its new Oreshnik experimental hypersonic missile, which Putin hinted was able to carrying a nuclear payload.
He warned Russia might proceed utilizing the weapon relying on “the actions of the USA and its satellites” and mentioned Moscow had the best to hit army amenities in international locations that enable Ukraine to make use of their weapons in opposition to Russia.
Moscow’s feedback on the brand new strike – and its report drone barrage – got here as ambassadors from Ukraine and NATO’s 32 members had been as a result of meet in Brussels over Russia’s firing final week of the intermediate-range missile.
The assembly was to return hours after Ukraine’s air drive mentioned it had shot down 76 Russian drones in 17 areas, whereas one other 95 had been both misplaced from their radars or downed by digital jamming defensive programs. It didn’t specify what occurred to the rest.
“These assaults are potential solely due to Russia’s skill to bypass sanctions by numerous schemes,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in response.
“We want higher collective efforts to implement sanctions and drive Russia to cease this struggle,” he mentioned.
AFP journalists heard explosions ring out over the capital through the assault, whereas within the comparatively untouched western Ternopil area, authorities mentioned the drones had broken a “essential infrastructure facility”, with out elaborating.
They mentioned the assault had disrupted electrical energy provides within the area and that engineers had been working to stabilise the scenario.
Kyiv had mentioned it hopes to get “concrete and significant outcomes” after calling the assembly of the NATO-Ukraine Council.
However diplomats and officers at NATO have performed down expectations for any main outcomes from the consultations on Tuesday afternoon on the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.
Probably the most that’s anticipated is a reiteration of NATO’s earlier insistence that Moscow’s deployment of the brand new weaponry is not going to “deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine”.
RUSSIAN FORCES ADVANCE
The assembly “offers a chance to debate the present safety scenario in Ukraine and can embody briefings from Ukrainian officers by way of video hyperlink,” a NATO official mentioned.
The Kremlin dismissed the assembly, saying it was unlikely any vital selections could be taken.
On the battlefield, Ukraine’s fatigued troops are struggling to halt advances by Russian forces within the east of the nation.
Russia mentioned on Tuesday its troops had captured one other village within the Kharkiv area, in an space the place the entrance line had been comparatively steady till just lately.
Moscow’s defence ministry mentioned its models had “liberated the settlement of Kopanky”, a village close to the Ukrainian-held metropolis of Kupiansk that was beforehand captured by Russian forces initially of the 2022 offensive earlier than being re-taken by Ukraine later that yr.
Moscow-appointed officers within the occupied area of Kherson in the meantime mentioned that Ukrainian forces had struck a bus within the Russian-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka on Tuesday, killing 4 individuals and wounding no less than seven others.
