Situation at a glance - Zelensky appeals to allies after deadly attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking allies for more air defense systems for his country. He referred to the latest Russian rocket attack on the city of Dnipro, which reportedly killed five people and injured over 50 others, damaged buildings and a hospital.
"There were also rocket attacks on our other regions, missiles on Kharkiv and our frontlines," Zelenskyy said in his evening video address yesterday. According to Ukrainian reports, 14 people were injured in the attack on a suburb of Kharkiv.
The army of his country needs more weapons to counter these attacks, Zelenskyy stated. "We can only stop all this with more air defense systems, only with more long-range attacks on the Russian terrorists' strongholds and airbases."
Hope for Agreement at NATO Summit
Currently, four Patriot air defense systems are in use in Ukraine. Two of them were provided by Germany. Zelenskyy has recently estimated the need of his country to be at least six more Patriot systems. Ukraine hopes to make a decision on this at the upcoming NATO summit in the coming week.
The Ukrainian president has also repeatedly requested permission from allies to use the supplied western weapons against targets deep in Russian territory - for example against military airfields. "We are actively discussing all this with our partners at all levels," the head of state said.
Currently, the Ukrainian military can only use heavy weapons in the frontline areas and near Charkiw in the border area with Russia because the allies are concerned about excessive involvement in the war with Russia. In deep Russian territory, the Ukrainian military uses drones, which do not have as much explosive power as missiles or rockets.
Heavy fighting near Pokrovsk in Eastern Ukraine
The surroundings of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region are currently in the focus of the frontline action. According to the report of the 47th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces deployed there, Russian troops are attempting to breach the Ukrainian defense lines. The Russian military is primarily using massed and infantry attacks supported by combat drones, said brigade spokeswoman Anastasia Blishchyk on television.
"The fact that we have hardly seen armored vehicles on the battlefield for a month is at least unique, as they have run out of these weapons," Blishchyk said. Reconnaissance drones showed "huge cemeteries" of destroyed armored vehicles. Therefore, the Russian side is trying to dominate the combat situation with strong infantry forces.
According to the General Staff in Kiev, the Russian military is attempting to increase the firepower in the Pokrovsk region. Correspondingly, the defense lines are being reinforced and more ammunition is being brought to this front sector.
Heavy fighting also took place around Tschassiw Jar, a few kilometers west of the city of Bachmut, which was taken by the Russian army. According to Ukrainian military reports, Russian ground troops repeatedly attempted to infiltrate the Ukrainian positions there under the cover of so-called Kamikaze drones and artillery. The current frontline situation cannot be independently verified.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the city of Dnipro in his address, highlighting a recent Russian rocket attack that resulted in casualties and damage.
- The city of Kharkiv also faced a rocket attack, causing injuries as per Ukrainian reports.
- Germany has provided two Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, which are currently in use.
- At the upcoming NATO summit, Ukraine hopes to discuss the need for additional Patriot systems to bolster its air defense capabilities.
- The Ukrainian military is using drones in deep Russian territory due to restrictions on the use of heavier weapons.
- The city of Pokrovsk in Eastern Ukraine is currently experiencing intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces, with the Russian side employing infantry attacks and drones.
