2024-03-05 06:35:31
According to Kiev, the Russian army is continuing its ground offensive in the east and south of Ukraine. The Ukrainian General Staff reported 63 battles along the approximately 1,000 kilometer long front on Monday. After the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the city of Avdiivka in the Donbass industrial region, the focus of the fighting shifted south to the town of Novomykhailivka, southwest of Donetsk, a military spokesman said.
On Tuesday night, Russia once again attacked the Ukrainian region of Odessa on the Black Sea with combat drones. The Russian military has used 22 attack drones against Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force said. The air defense intercepted 18 of these drones. There was initially no information about possible damage or victims.
At the same time, Russian sources on the annexed Crimean peninsula reported Ukrainian attacks near the city of Kerch. Remote-controlled drones would be used in the air and at sea. The extent of these attacks could not initially be estimated. Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale Russian invasion for more than two years. The 741st day of the war will be counted on Tuesday.
After months of fighting, the Ukrainian army had to evacuate Avdiivka in mid-February, which had been a frontline city against the nearby Russian-controlled Donbass metropolis of Donetsk since 2014. In the days that followed, the Russian troops continued their advance and captured several villages. A Ukrainian military spokesman said on Monday that it had now been possible to stabilize the front northwest of Avdiivka. “The enemy’s advance has stopped,” said Dmytro Lykhovy, spokesman for Ukrainian troops on this sector of the front, on Kiev television. This military information could not initially be independently verified.
Russia has amassed large reserves near Novomykhailivka, southwest of Donetsk, Lykhovy said. The number of Russian attacks there is increasing – he reported up to 30 battles a day. Above all, Ukrainian troops lack artillery ammunition to defend themselves against Russian attacks. They are also largely unprotected from bombing by Russian fighter jets.
Despite Russian threats, Ukraine transported almost 30 million tons of cargo via its maritime corridor on the Black Sea in just over six months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his evening video address. “This is very remarkable in times of war,” said Zelensky in Kiev. “I am grateful to everyone who works in our ports and on the ships, and to everyone who ensures the operation of the maritime corridor and its safety.”
The cargo volume has almost reached the mark of 33 million tonnes of grain, which was exported from July 2022 to July 2023 as part of the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative. In August 2023, Ukraine established its own shipping corridor from its seaports towards the Turkish Straits – without Moscow’s security guarantees. The route has been heavily used since then, although there have been some Russian attacks on freighters and a residual risk remains.
Lithuania will join and financially support the Czech initiative to procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in Vilnius that she promised her Czech colleague Petr Fiala this in a telephone conversation. The Prime Minister of the Baltic EU and NATO country did not initially provide any further information. According to President Petr Pavel, the Czech Republic has the opportunity to purchase large quantities of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from non-EU countries. However, the country is looking for partners who will contribute to the costs of bulk purchasing.
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