Ukraine’s victory plan outlined by Zelenskyi consists of five key points and three secret annexes. Ukraine shoots down 68 of 136 drones that Russia launches overnight, 64 more go off radar. Ukraine’s defense intelligence frees a forest area in northern Kharkiv region, takes out an almost regiment-size Russian force.
Ukraine’s victory plan outlined by Zelenskyi consists of five key points, three secret annexes
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi presented a description of Ukraine’s victory plan to the Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday.
The plan consists of five main points and three secret addenda. “The first point is geopolitical. The second and third points are military. The fourth point is economic. The fifth point is security-related,” Zelenskyi said.
The Ukrainian president described the first step as an immediate and unconditional invitation to join NATO. “We understand that NATO membership is a matter of the future, not the present. But Putin must see that his geopolitical calculations are doomed. Russians must feel that their czar has lost geopolitically to the world. And I want to thank all our partners who support the idea that an invitation for Ukraine to NATO now, with membership later, strengthens not just us, but strengthens all of us. An invitation is a strong decision that requires nothing but determination,” he said.
The second point in the plan is defense. According to Zelenskyi, “the keys to implementing this part of the plan are:
-a successful continuation of Ukraine’s military operations on Russian territory to avoid creation of the buffer zones in our land;
-irreversible strengthening of the positions of Ukraine’s defense and security forces and destruction of Russia’s offensive potential in the occupied territory of Ukraine;
-allies’ assistance to man reserve brigades for the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
-bringing Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to a level that is sufficient to protect our cities and villages from Russian missiles and drones, and joint defense operations with our neighbors in Europe to shoot down Russian missiles and drones within range of the allies’ air shields;
-expanding operations with the use of Ukrainian missiles and drones, and investing in scaling up their production in Ukraine;
-lifting allies’ restrictions on the use of long-range weapons in the occupied territory of Ukraine and inside Russia to strike enemy military targets, and providing Ukraine with appropriate long-range capabilities – missiles, drones and other weapons;
-providing Ukraine with real-time satellite data and data obtained through other intelligence means.”
Third point is deterrence. Ukraine proposes to deploy on its soil a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package that will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia. Zelenskyi said there was also a secret addendum to this part of the plan that had already been presented to U.S., British, German, French, Italian and German partners.
Fourth point is strategic economic potential, including joint protection by the U.S. and the EU of Ukraine’s critical natural resources and joint use of their economic potential. “Ukraine is rich in natural resources, including critical metals worth trillions of U.S. dollars. These include uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite and other strategic and strategically valuable resources that will strengthen either Russia and its allies or Ukraine and the democratic world in global competition. Deposits of Ukraine’s critical resources along with its globally important energy and food production potential are what Russia aims to capture in this war,” Zelenskyi said. “Ukraine offers the United States, together with selected partners, including the European Union, of which Ukraine will be part, and other partners in the world, to conclude a special agreement on joint protection of critical resources available in Ukraine, joint investment and use of the corresponding economic potential,” he added. A secret addendum to this point was circulated to Ukraine’s select partners.
The fifth point refers to the post-war period only and suggests replacing some U.S. troops stationed across Europe with Ukrainian troops. “If the partners agree, we envisage replacing certain military contingents of the U.S. armed forces stationed in Europe with Ukrainian units. After the war,” Zelenskyi said. “Ukrainians have proven that they can be a force that Russian evil cannot overcome. I am grateful to every partner, (…) to everyone with whom we have discussed this perspective for the post-war period, I am grateful for your respect for Ukrainians and our ability to stand irresistibly in alliance with our partners,” he said.
Ukraine shoots down 68 of 136 drones that Russia launches overnight, 64 more go off radar
Russia launched 136 drones at Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, in one of the largest attacks in recent months. Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 68 drones used in the strike. Sixty-four drones were unaccounted for, possibly after being disabled by electronic warfare systems, two drones got back to Russia and two more hit unidentified targets, the Ukrainian Air Force said. The drones were launched from Kursk, Oryol, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
Russia also sent an S-300/400 missile at Donetsk region from Ukraine’s occupied territory and targeted Chernihiv region with a Kh-59 air-launched missile from the Kursk region, the report reads.
The Air Force and other branches of the Ukrainian military deployed aircraft, surface-to-air missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile groups to repel the attack.
In a comment to Radio NV, head of the Center for Military and Legal Studies, Oleksandr Musiyenko analyzed the performance of Ukraine’s air defenses during a Russian drone attack on Wednesday: “Unlike for other attacks, the Air Force officially said that 60 drones [68 according to an updated count] disappeared off radar, thanks to the use of electronic warfare systems. It is a record number that never appeared in reports. It marks considerable progress that the Ukrainian military made in the use of electronic warfare systems to counter Shahed drones,” Musiyenko said.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence frees forest area in northern Kharkiv region, takes out regiment-size Russian force
Ukraine’s defense intelligence recaptured a 400-hectare forest area in northern Kharkiv region. Russia lost an almost regiment-size force in the operation, the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The operation was conducted by Artan and Kraken intelligence units, the International Legion, and the Freedom for Russia Legion, the agency said.
Ukrainian troops captured the enemy’s battalion positions, took out three motorized rifle battalions, a Storm unit and a reconnaissance company of the 7th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 11th Army Corps, the defense intelligence said.
They said they had also taken Russian troops prisoner during the operation. After Ukrainian forces cleared 400 hectares of woods north of Lyptsi in Kharkiv region, the Russian army’s battlefield position “has worsened and is close to desperate,” the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said. A successful Ukrainian operation has created conditions to further push Russian forces out of the northern parts of Kharkiv region.