Dhe Russian army expects a massive Ukrainian attack to liberate the occupied city of Cherson. “The situation is difficult on this section of the front,” said the new commander-in-chief of Russian troops in Ukraine, Sergey Surovikin, on television on Tuesday evening. It was an unusual performance by the army general, who even seemed to suggest that Russia might consider withdrawing from the city. Surovikin said “difficult decisions” may be necessary.
Because the Russian army also fired at Ukraine with Iranian-made drones on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attacked Moscow in his evening speech: He called the use of the weapons from Tehran a declaration of bankruptcy by the Kremlin. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Berlin that Ukraine would soon be able to defend itself against drone attacks with anti-aircraft weapons from abroad. For the invaded country, Wednesday marks the 238th day of war since February’s Russian invasion.
Zelenskyj: Drone attacks will not do Moscow any good
“The Russian call for help to Iran is the Kremlin’s acknowledgment of military and political bankruptcy,” said Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Russia has spent decades pouring billions of dollars into its military-industrial complex, but now it has to rely on “pretty simple drones and missiles” from Tehran.
The bombardment of Ukraine with swarms of these drones might give the Russians tactical hope. “It won’t help them strategically anyway,” Zelensky said. The President thanked all the air defense personnel who shot down missiles and drones. He also praised the Iris-T air defense system from Germany: “It really is a very effective system.”
In the past few days, the Russian army has increasingly shot down Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at the energy supply in Ukraine, but also at cities. Both Moscow and Tehran deny an arms deal with the drones.
NATO Secretary General: Ukraine’s air defenses are working
To defend against the drones, NATO promised Ukraine devices that disrupt their electronics – so-called jammers. At a security conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the NATO Secretary General also recalled other anti-aircraft weapons from many countries for Ukraine. “I think the systems we deliver make a big difference,” he said. “The Ukrainians are able to shoot down many incoming missiles and drones.” And Ukraine’s equipment will continue to improve in the future.
Russian commander goes in front of television cameras for the first time
Surovikin’s television appearance was the first of its kind in almost eight months of war, and the general painted a bleak picture of the situation in and around Kherson in southern Ukraine. Ukraine is shelling residential buildings and the city’s infrastructure. Artillery hits made Ukraine’s crossings over the Dnipro River impassable. This complicates the supply of the city.
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