A Russian glide bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 13, injures more than 100 others. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group agrees to support Ukraine throughout 2027. North Korea has lost 4,000 troops either killed or wounded in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Zelenskyi says.
Russian glide bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 13, injures more than 100 others
A Russian glide bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia Wednesday killed at least 13 people and injured 116 others. The bombs exploded in a crowded area near a critical infrastructure facility and close to a road used by public transport.
Eleven of the 66 people in the hospital after the attack remain in serious condition in the intensive care unit, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration Ivan Fedorov said.
Ukraine Defense Contact Group agrees to support Ukraine throughout 2027
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday has agreed on a plan to support Ukraine throughout 2027, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said opening the gathering. He also announced a USD 500 million U.S. military aid package for Ukraine.
The leaders of the Capability Coalitions endorsed eight roadmaps to shore up Ukraine’s military through to 2027, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“We, the Co-Lead Nations of the eight Capability Coalitions, have been working with Ukraine to develop respective roadmaps to streamline security assistance efforts for Ukraine within each capability area, support the development of a credible defense and deterrence capability, as well as facilitate Ukraine’s interoperability with NATO,” the statement reads.
These roadmaps are a substantial step forward in the countries’ support for Ukraine.
“With an eye to these capability targets for 2027, our countries plan to work closely with Ukraine to identify how to meet these benchmarks, balancing both Ukraine’s wartime and future force requirements, through our respective national donations, procurements, investments, and efforts to expand defense industrial base capacity, including by leveraging Ukraine’s domestic defense industry production and sustainment capabilities,” it continues.
Coalitions also plan to continually refine and integrate these detailed plans to support urgent and long-term needs, as Ukraine defends against and deters future Russian aggression.
During the meeting, Austin announced a USD 500 million U.S. military aid package, which includes AIM-7, RIM-7, and AIM-9M missiles for air defense, air-to-ground munitions, equipment to support Ukraine’s use of F-16 fighters, armored bridging systems, secure communications equipment, small arms and ammunition, spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training and transportation.
This is the Biden administration’s seventy-fourth tranche of equipment to be provided from the Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
North Korea has lost 4,000 troops either killed or wounded in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Zelenskyi says
Four thousand North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded since they were sent to fight alongside Russia’s troops in its war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said, delivering remarks at the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday.
“Putin is not just holding on to his investments in aggression, he’s doubling down on them. He even started hiring soldiers from North Korea to keep this war going. North Korea studies modern warfare. They do not value their people, and we know it, they have lost 4,000 people so far. But Pyongyang gets experience cheap to re-export the war, maybe to the Indo-Pacific,” Zelenskyi said.