08:54: NATO Leader Stoltenberg: No Escalation Fears Over US Attacks on Russian Targets
NATO's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, asserts that America's decision to allow Ukraine limited strikes on Russian targets doesn't pose any escalation risk. In his opinion, it's Russia who escalates by attacking another country. At a briefing during the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Prague, he also pressured Germany and other countries to permit such attacks using weapons they provided. The right to self-defense includes the right to target valid military objectives in Russia, Stoltenberg declared, emphasizing the urgency of this matter in light of recent clashes in the Kharkiv area near the Russian border.
During the night, Ukrainian air defense units intercepted four Russian Shahed drones and one Iskander-K missile, according to Mykola Oleschtchuk, commander of Ukraine's Air Force on Telegram. These attacks were thwarted in the regions of Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk.
Tragically, the number of civilian casualties in a Russian rocket attack on Kharkiv has risen to four, with 25 others injured. Governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, shared this information via Telegram. Unfortunately, one more body was found in the wreckage of the destroyed building, bringing the death toll to four.
Since the start of the war in February 2022, 1390 Russian soldiers have been killed or left unable to fight within just a day in Ukraine, according to official statistics from Kyiv. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also reported that Russia has lost 18 more tanks (7728) since they invaded Ukraine. Since the commencement of the Russian invasion, nearly 15,000 armored vehicles and around 10,500 drones have been seized or destroyed. However, these figures cannot be independently confirmed. Moscow itself has not revealed its losses in Ukraine.
Two people were injured in a Ukrainian air raid on Russian oil facilities in the Krasnodar region, as per local authorities. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev notified this on Telegram. The infrastructure of an oil depot in the Temryuk district was damaged, causing a blaze that was later extinguished. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that their air defense systems intercepted five rockets and 29 drones launched by Ukraine against Krasnodar and neighbouring regions.
In the Russian-occupied Crimea, locals heard several explosions overnight, as per Crimean Wind, a Telegram channel cited by Ukrinform. There's a blaze currently engulfing an oil depot in the port city of Port Kavkaz. According to the Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two ferries from Kerch were hit by ATACMS missiles.
According to a US military debris analysis, Russia is employing North Korean rockets in Ukraine. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) revealed this through a statement: "The analysis shows that Russia is using ballistic missiles from North Korea in its conflict against Ukraine. North Korean missile debris has been discovered throughout Ukraine."
The US government regards China's backing for Russia as a hazard to European security, as stated by Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Vedant Patel. The US, its G7 partners, and other countries believe that China's support to Russia's war in Ukraine not only threatens Ukraine but also endangers European security. The US had accused the Chinese leadership earlier of supporting the Russian arms industry, and Vedant Patel promised more sanctions if China doesn't limit its assistance to Russia's arms industry.
So, these incidents throughout the day and night gather a picture of an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with various countries involved and offering their own support. The escalating casualties on both sides and the increasing concerns over international relations highlight the gravity of the war.
At night, Russia fired rockets into Kharkiv from Belgorod. Local authorities reported that five impacts were recorded in the city center, with one of the strikes hitting a five-story residential building. Consequently, 20 residential buildings were damaged, as shown in photos released by Ukrainska Pravda. The attack resulted in three fatalities and injured 16 others, two of whom were children.
01:46: SPD Politician Advocates for Use of Western Weapons against Russian Military Targets
Nils Schmid, the SPD's foreign policy spokesperson, expressed his support for permitting Ukraine to utilize Western weapons against military targets in Russia. Schmid stated, "Lifting the restriction on targets on Russian territory would make sense. This decision should be made collectively by NATO allies."
00:06: Scholz Rejects Sending German Soldiers to Ukraine, Rules out No-Fly Zone
Chancellor Olaf Scholz firmly opposes the deployment of German soldiers in Ukraine and avoidance of a no-fly zone. "We don't want to put our soldiers in harm's way," he remarked at a reader's meeting with the "Thuringian General" in Erfurt. Furthermore, he denounced the proposal for a no-fly zone, explaining, "It means shooting down aircraft belonging to another nation with your own aircraft. Then you're at war." Scholz emphasized the importance of preventing a conflict between NATO and Russia.
22:25: Insider: Biden Allows Use of US Weapons in Russia - With Conditions
A US government insider revealed that the United States now permits Ukraine to use US weapons against Russia, but only in the Kharkiv region. According to the source, this marks a shift in strategy from US President Joe Biden, who had previously denied Ukraine permission to use US weaponry for operations within Russia. The US requirement that Ukraine only use domestically supplied long-range rockets and ammunition for offensives within Russia remains unchanged.
22:06: Ukrainian Assault Brigade Demonstrates Street Combat in Vovchansk
The Liut Brigade, a Ukrainian police unit, is fighting alongside other troops to defend the city of Vovchansk, located in the borders of Kharkiv. The brigade has published a video that depicts street fighting inside the urban area. The brigade claims the footage shows that the Troop Storm Regiment Tsunami successfully obstructed Russian soldiers from seizing a building.
Read also:
- In response to the escalating Cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Germany and other allies to allow Ukraine to target valid military objectives in Russia with weapons provided by them.
- Amidst the Ukraine conflict, the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) revealed that Russia is employing North Korean rockets in its conflict against Ukraine, as evidenced by the discovery of North Korean missile debris throughout Ukraine.
- Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, praised the recent Military operations by Ukrainian forces to thwart Russian attacks, including the interception of four Russian Shahed drones and an Iskander-K missile by Ukrainian air defense units.
- Russia's attacks on Ukraine have prompted demands for NATO intervention, with SPD politician Nils Schmid advocating for permitting Ukraine to utilize Western weapons against military targets in Russia. This call comes as Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany rejects sending German soldiers to Ukraine or establishing a no-fly zone, emphasizing the importance of preventing a conflict between NATO and Russia.
