After a visit to the frontline areas in the east of the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of great suffering, but also of hope. He had visited the region around the embattled Bakhmut and the city of Kharkiv to get an idea of the situation.
Selenskyj after visiting the front: Hope can be felt
"It is painful to see the cities of Donbass, to which Russia has brought terrible suffering and ruin," said Zelenskyy in his evening video address. There are "hourly air raid sirens, a constant threat of shelling, a constant threat to life." But despite the severe destruction and suffering, there is hope in these areas. "You can feel them," said Zelenskyj.
"We will do everything so that the blue and yellow colors can continue their liberation movement and normal life can return to our whole country, from Donetsk to the border," he said, referring to the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Nevertheless, Selensky also drew a positive conclusion. "In some places more than 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed," said the president in his evening video address. "But even to villages like that, people are coming back, and it's proof that life still wins." Ukraine will do its utmost "to rebuild our territories".
Life is even returning to the fields around Cherson. "It is a pleasure to see how the fields in the Kherson region, cleared by Russian mines and shells, are being cultivated and brought back to life," said Zelenskyy. However, there are still enough fields that are contaminated with mines.
At the same time, Zelenskyi announced a response from Kiev to the recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities with combat drones. "We will definitely respond to any attack by the occupying forces on our cities," said Zelenskyy. "We will react militarily, politically and legally to all Russian attacks."
According to information from Kiev, at least 14 people were killed in Russian attacks in various parts of Ukraine on Wednesday. The press service of the Ukrainian army also reported 24 injuries.
Zelenskyj visits and honors "hero city" Kharkiv
Zelenskyj visited the city of Kharkiv in the northeast of the country on Wednesday and presented Mayor Ihor Terekhov with the insignia of a "hero city of Ukraine". With the award, Selenskyj acknowledged the residents' resistance to Russian attacks in the previous year. "Kharkiv is a real hero city," said Zelenskyj, according to the Unian news agency. "Thanks to the citizens, this beautiful city, along with other cities, defends our independence."
In a way, Kharkiv acted as a breakwater to stop the Russian attacks in the extreme east of Ukraine in battles that cost both sides heavy losses. In May, a Ukrainian counter-offensive pushed the Russian units out of the immediate vicinity of the city. During his visit, Zelenskyy awarded a number of medals to the defenders of Ukraine's second largest city. A few hours earlier, the Ukrainian head of state had distributed medals to the defenders near the heavily contested city of Bakhmut.
Kiev: Russians launch cleanup operation in Kherson region
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops and security services have started so-called cleansing operations among the population on the banks of the Dnipro they control in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson. The search for citizens with pro-Ukrainian attitudes, military pensioners and employees of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies has begun in various settlements there, the General Staff in Kiev announced on Thursday in its daily situation report on Facebook.
In contrast, a large-scale raid took place in the Nowa Kachowka settlement. Large quantities of household appliances, jewelery and mobile phones were "confiscated" from the civilian population. After that, the Russian units disappeared from the area. The information could not be independently verified.
Kiev: Russian attacks repelled at Bakhmut
According to their own account, the defenders in Bakhmut fended off new attacks by Russian troops. As the general staff in Kiev explained, Russian units had tried to close the pincers around the city from the north and south. "The enemy continued his efforts to capture the city, with significant losses of troops and weapons," wrote the general staff in Kiev on Facebook in its daily situation report. In the meantime, a "decrease in attack momentum" by the Russian forces had become apparent. The information could not be independently verified.
The British Ministry of Defense had previously reported that the dynamics of Russian attacks near Bakhmut were declining, citing intelligence findings. In addition, Ukrainian troops had provided relief with their own advances, it said.
Russia has been at war with neighboring Ukraine for more than a year. Along with Crimea, which was annexed to the Black Sea peninsula in 2014, Moscow annexed a total of five Ukrainian regions in violation of international law.
Stoltenberg: Weapons deliveries to Ukraine will still be necessary for a long time
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg swore the West would have to arm Ukraine with weapons to fight the Russian invasion for a long time to come. Russian President Vladimir Putin has no immediate plans for peace in Ukraine, he told the British newspaper Guardian. "President Putin is not planning for peace, he is planning for more war." The West must therefore be prepared to continue supplying Kiev with weapons for a long time to come.
IAEA warns about security at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to warn of a dangerous situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops. "Nuclear safety at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant remains in a precarious state," said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, according to a statement from his organization. He added: "I again call for commitment from all sides to ensure nuclear safety and protection of the power plant."
With six blocks and an output of 6000 megawatts, Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been under Russian control for a good year after the Russian invasion. All reactors have now been shut down and are only being cooled and monitored. Incidents of artillery fire had fueled international concerns about a nuclear catastrophe.
Medvedev: arresting Putin would be tantamount to a declaration of war
For former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, arresting Vladimir Putin abroad on the basis of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant would be a declaration of war on his country. He said so in an interview published by the state news agency Tass. "Let's imagine - of course this is a situation that will never happen, yes - but let's imagine that it actually happened. For example, an incumbent president of a nuclear power comes to Germany and is arrested. What is that? A Declaration of war on the Russian Federation," said Medvedev.
An international arrest warrant for war crimes in Ukraine has been in place for Kremlin chief Putin since last week. Russia - and also China - do not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Prince William visits soldiers near Ukraine border
Britain's heir to the throne, Prince William, arrived in Poland on Wednesday. He wanted to thank British and Polish military personnel involved in the support for Ukraine, Kensington Palace said in a statement in the evening. The 40-year-old visited a British military base in the town of Rzeszow near the Ukrainian border on the first day of the two-day visit.
Slovakia hands over first four MiG-29
Slovakia has handed over the first four of its 13 promised Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. This was announced by Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad on social networks. His spokeswoman confirmed the information to the German Press Agency.
The planes were transported from Slovakia to Ukraine by Ukrainian pilots in cooperation with the Slovak Air Force, Minister Nad explained, adding: "I would like to thank all the units involved for the fantastic work. Slovakia is on the right side and with it gesture, we have written ourselves in modern world history in capital letters when it comes to timely help and sincere solidarity."
Slovakia intends to hand over the remaining nine MiG-29s to Ukraine "over the next few weeks," the Ministry of Defense told the German Press Agency.
