Situation at a glance - Kiev pushes ahead with drone production
The Ukraine is adapting to the new form of warfare and is now focusing more on drones. Accordingly, the Stawka, the supreme military leadership of Ukraine, made important decisions regarding future drone production and usage during their latest meeting. Factors considered in the decision-making process ranged from the popularity of certain drones among troops to the use of long-range drones, stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his evening video address.
During consultations with Vice-Supreme Commander Vadim Sukarevskyi, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk, "crucial" decisions were made. Zelenskyy did not provide details. "Time will tell how these decisions will impact the front."
The Ukrainian military has for some time had a separate corps for the deployment of drones alongside tank troops, infantry, or artillery. A significant portion of this unmanned aviation is already produced in Ukraine. Long-range drones have so far been the only means for Kiev to strike targets deep within Russian territory.
According to a report from the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR, a so-called kamikaze drone attacked a gunpowder factory near Tambov, approximately 420 kilometers southeast of Moscow, and over 400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. There is still no clear information on the effects of the attack, as reported by "Ukrainska Pravda" from the statement. There was no comment from the Russian side.
Heavy fighting near Pokrovsk
The surroundings of the city Pokrovsk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk were once again the scene of intense fighting. According to the General Staff in Kiev, Russian forces continued to attempt to breach the Ukrainian defensive positions there. The Russian attacks were repelled with losses for the Russian military. The information could not be verified independently.
In the evening, the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa was hit by a Russian rocket. The ballistic rocket reportedly struck in the harbor area. At least one person was killed, and seven others were injured, according to Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov.
Medvedev is satisfied with the influx of volunteers
Despite their heavy losses in Ukraine, the Russian armed forces reportedly have no personnel shortages. This year, the Russian army has been strengthened by 190,000 contract soldiers and volunteers, according to Dmitry Medvedev, Vice-Chairman of the National Security Council. With this, the task set by the Kremlin to recruit contractors and volunteers has been fulfilled, said Russia's former President during a meeting at the Defense Ministry.
"The average daily recruitment rate remains stable and amounts to about 1,000 people," Medvedev was further quoted as saying by the state agency TASS. Contract soldiers, mostly reservists, supplement the regular conscriptions.
The Russian armed forces are suffering heavy losses at the fronts in Ukraine. According to estimations by the Ukrainian military leadership, over 550,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the Russian invasion over two years ago.
Speculations about Orban's visit to Moscow
Two days after Viktor Orban's visit to Kiev, rumors surfaced that the Hungarian Prime Minister would visit Moscow on Friday. "The rumors about your visit to Moscow cannot be true, Viktor Orban, or can they?", Polish President Donald Tusk wrote in the evening on the X platform. Several media outlets had previously reported on the possible visit.
A spokesperson for the Hungarian Prime Minister stated that Orban would be in Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh on Friday and Saturday for a meeting of the Turkic Council, as reported by the Hungarian State News Agency MTI. Kreml spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter.
Michel: Discussions about Ukraine not without Ukraine
European Council President Charles Michel did not mention the rumors specifically but warned that the rotating EU Council Presidency, which Hungary currently holds, has no mandate to represent the EU in negotiations with Russia. "The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. Discussions about Ukraine cannot take place without Ukraine."
Orban had visited Kiev on Tuesday and urged the Ukrainian president to agree to a ceasefire on the Ukrainian front lines. This was rejected by Selenskyj, and Putin has since also explicitly stated "no" to the mediation offer from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Putin also rejected Erdogan's mediation offer.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed that during their latest meeting, the Stawka, Ukraine's supreme military leadership, made significant decisions regarding future drone production and usage, considering factors such as popularity among troops and the use of long-range drones.
- The Ukrainian military, under the leadership of Vice-Supreme Commander Vadim Sukarevskyi, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk, made crucial decisions concerning drone usage in warfare.
- Long-range drones have been instrumental for Kiev in striking targets deep within Russian territory, providing one of Ukraine's primary means to counteract enemy advances.
- A Ukrainian kamikaze drone reportedly attacked a gunpowder factory near Tambov, approximately 420 kilometers southeast of Moscow, according to a report from the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR.
- Heavy fighting occurred near the city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, with the Russian forces attempting to breach Ukrainian defensive positions there.
- The Russian armed forces, despite heavy losses in Ukraine, reportedly have no personnel shortages this year, having been strengthened by 190,000 contract soldiers and volunteers, according to Dmitry Medvedev.
- Viktor Orban visited Moscow on Friday, as rumored by several media outlets, but a spokesperson for the Hungarian Prime Minister confirmed that Orban would instead attend a meeting of the Turkic Council in Shusha, Nagorno-Karabakh.
- European Council President Charles Michel emphasized that the rotating EU Council Presidency, which Hungary currently holds, has no mandate to represent the EU in negotiations with Russia regarding Ukraine, stating "Discussions about Ukraine cannot take place without Ukraine."
