Russia launches missiles and drones at Ukraine, killing at least six, a day after one of its biggest attacks on the country. Ukraine does not aim to occupy the Kursk region, Zelenskyi says. Ukraine to present Biden admin with targets it could hit in Russia, given the chance, according to Politico.
Russia launches missiles, drones at Ukraine, killing six, in second day of aerial attacks
Russia launched missiles and drones into Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, a day after one of its biggest attacks on the country. Explosions rocked Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Rivne, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and the region of Khmelnytskyi.
During Tuesday’s attack, Ukraine downed five out of 10 incoming missiles and 60 out of 81 drones, according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk.
Russia used three Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, an Iskander-M ground-launched ballistic missile, an Iskander-K ground-launched cruise missile, and five Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles in the attack. Ukraine’s air defenses shot down all five Kh-101 cruise missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force lost track of 10 more drones that have likely come down somewhere on its territory. One more crossed into Belarusian territory; 10 more were still flying around in Ukraine’s airspace on Tuesday morning, Oleshchuk said in a Telegram post.
Russia’s missile and drone strike killed at least six people and wounded 16 others. Three people were killed when a hotel in Kryvyi Rih was struck by a missile. Five more people were saved from under the rubble. “One person is missing. Rescue teams continue to work at the site of the tragedy,” head of the Dnipropetrovska regional military administration, Serhiy Lysak said. Three people died in drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine does not aim to occupy Kursk region, Zelenskyi says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said Ukraine’s military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region aims to prevent Russia from creating a buffer zone in the Ukrainian territory. Ukraine does not occupy the Kursk region, he said.
“This is defense, we prevent [Russia] from creating buffer zones in our territory. We are using every possibility of defense inside Russia to prevent [Russia] from occupying our land. We were not the first to begin this — they have already occupied 27 per cent of our land. We are doing this so that they don’t occupy more. We don’t need foreign land or foreign people,” Zelenskyi told a news conference Tuesday that followed a panel at the Ukraine 2024. Independence forum.
The Kursk incursion has resulted in “several things.” It particularly prevented Russia from occupying Kharkiv region, Zelenskyi said.
“We had information that [Russia plans to] create buffer zones in Kharkiv region and later on in the north. Without knowing the details we realized that Sumy and Chernihiv regions can be part of [Russia’s] plan. This is what reports by our intelligence and intelligence of partner countries told us,” Zelenskyi said.
The Kursk incursion prevented Russia from occupying Sumy and Chernihiv regions, he added.
Ukraine does not annex territories or amend its laws or Constitution, Zelenskyi said, adding that Ukrainian troops treat Russian civilians better than Russian forces treat Ukrainians. “Our people are simply better,” he said.
“They do not approach civilians of a hostile country like savages, but like humans. Do you think the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces or I called them to say: ‘Take a bucket of water to the granny?’ Our troops are just normal people. Of course there can be different situations. It is important for us not to be like those who brought the war here — not to loot, rape etc. I am very proud of our troops, proud that we do not have anything close to that,” Zelenskyi said.
Ukraine to present Biden admin with targets it could hit in Russia, given the chance, according to Politico
Ukrainian officials are preparing to present a list of long-range targets in Russia to top U.S. national security officials that they think Kyiv’s military can hit if Washington were to lift its restrictions on U.S. weapons, according to Politico.
Ukraine is using the list as a last-ditch effort to convince Washington to lift the restrictions on U.S. weapons being used inside Russia. While Ukraine has previously provided the U.S. some of its potential targets in Russia, this list is supposed to be more tailored.
Ukraine’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and Andriy Yermak, senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will be in D.C. this week and plan to present the list to the administration during their discussions, according to three people familiar with Ukraine’s efforts.
While escalation is still a concern, the Biden administration has more recently been stressing its belief that there is little tactical advantage, given Russia moving assets out of range. The administration also assesses that Ukraine does not have enough Army Tactical Missile Systems — the long-range missiles it wants to use — to strike the high-value targets in Russia. Kyiv is using many of those missiles in their offensives inside Crimea — a battle the Biden administration assesses is going well for Ukraine. And the U.S. has a limited stockpile of ATACMs it can draw on to send Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials and lawmakers insist that the lifting of all restrictions is imperative to the country’s war effort, claiming it would give its military greater freedom to take the fight to Russia inside its own borders.
It is not clear exactly when Umerov and Yermak will arrive in Washington or what other meetings they plan to have while in the United States.
Some Ukrainian lawmakers and officials say they’ve seen signs that some in the Biden administration are considering lifting the restrictions in the coming days. A Democratic lawmaker with knowledge of the conversations also said the administration was considering Kyiv’s request.
Zelenskyy and Biden spoke by phone on Friday, but did not specifically discuss the request to lift the restrictions, according to a U.S. official briefed on the call.
Kyiv and Washington are in talks for Biden and Zelenskyy to meet in-person at the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month, the U.S. official said.
Russian energy blackmail and risks for Europe. Ukraine in Flames #656
In this episode of Ukraine in Flames, we’ll explore Russia’s use of energy supplies as a geopolitical tool, exploring how the Kremlin leverages its control over gas and oil exports to exert pressure on European nations. We take a look at the potential risks for Europe’s energy security, economic stability, and political cohesion, while also discussing the strategies Europe might employ to mitigate these threats and reduce dependency on Russian energy. Watch UIF #656 to learn more about how the West must better counteract these challenges.
Guests:
- Mykhailo Honchar, President of the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”, expert on energy security.
- Sergiy Makohon, General Director of GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC in 2019-2022
- Sergiy Kuyun, Director of A-95 Consulting Group LLC, expert on the oil and gas market