There prospect of a possible re-election of former US president Donald Trump does not worry Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence (Hur), according to an interview given by Budanov to CNN.
Budanov said that “I am not very worried” about the idea of a Republican administration led by Trump, “an experienced person. He fell many times and got up again. And this is a very important feature. To say that Trump and the Republican Party are friends of the Russian Federation is complete nonsense“, added Budanov, saying he is optimistic about future American aid to Ukraine.
The former US president is currently ahead in the primary election to become the Republican nominee. If nominated as the Republican nominee, Trump would once again face incumbent President Joe Biden in November's presidential election. The current congressional impasse over aid to Ukraine is largely the result of indecisiveness by Republican lawmakers, who have repeatedly blocked further aidmainly due to internal political issues.
Ukraine shoots down drones over Kharkiv
Ukrainian air defense units have meanwhile shot down two of the four Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia during the night. This was reported by the Kiev Air Force, specifying that the two unmanned vehicles were intercepted over the Kharkiv oblast.
Earlier, Russian forces hit the village of Velykyi Burluk in Kupiansk district, also in the Kharkiv region, with guided aerial bombs, damaging a civilian hospital, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
The village was attacked at around 9.50pm local time yesterday and around 38 people were evacuated, four of whom were treated for their injuries. The roof, the building's facade and windows were damaged. Russian forces have regularly launched attacks against Kharkiv, often targeting civilian areas.
Kiev: “1000 Russian soldiers died in one day”
Russia has lost 386,320 soldiers in Ukraine since the war began on February 24, 2022, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported. This number includes over 1,000 casualties that Russian forces have suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia also lost 6,322 tanks, 11,773 armored combat vehicles, 12,267 fuel vehicles and tanks, 9,228 artillery systems, 976 multiple launch rocket systems, 663 air defense systems, 332 aircraft, 324 helicopters , 7,136 drones, 23 boats and a submarine.
CNN: “Zelensky will fire army chief within the week”
A presidential decree is expected by the end of the week by which Volodymyr Zelensky will fire the head of the Ukrainian army Valery Zaluzhny. Two sources told CNN, announcing what would be the biggest military change by the Ukrainian president since the start of the war with Russia almost two years ago.
The popular army chief was summoned to the president's office on Monday and told he would be fired, according to the US broadcaster, after weeks of growing speculation about tensions between Zelensky and Zaluzhny. The meeting immediately gave credibility and confirmation to the rift between the president and his commander in chief following the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive last year.
Tensions are said to have risen especially when Zaluzhny described the war with Russia as a stalemate, in an interview and essay with The Economist magazine in November. On Monday, presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov told CNN and other media that the rumors about the army chief's dismissal were not true. Kiev's Ministry of Defense also released a message on its social media channels denying the news.
But according to one of the sources, in Monday's meeting, which was also attended by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the president said that he had “made the decision to dismiss the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.” The report is in line with other reports, including those from the Washington Post and the Financial Times. Zelensky reportedly offered Zaluzhny a different position, which the commander in chief however rejected.
Two names in particular are being given as possible successors to Zaluzhny: that of the current head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, a 38-year-old general known to have strong ties to Zelensky and considered representative of a new generation of military leaders . The other favorite is Oleksandr Syrskyi, currently commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces.
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