On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin again slammed Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion in Ukraine. He said that the sanctions are a danger to the world.
Putin, speaking at an economic forum held in Russia’s far eastern region, said that Western countries had aggressively tried imposing their way of living on other countries to “make them submit to their will.”
Ukraine has launched a counterattack on the Kharkiv region, located in the northeastern part of the country. There have been several reports of fighting.
Oleg Synegubov posted on Telegram, overnight and early Thursday morning that Russian forces are shelling Kharkiv – the second largest city in Ukraine – and fighting is taking place in the region.
Analysts say that Russia’s redeployment troops from eastern Ukraine to southern Ukraine in order to defend against Ukraine counteroffensive has likely allowed Kyiv’s counterattack around Kharkiv.
UK: ‘Heavy combat’ taking place in the north, east, and south of Ukraine
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed reports earlier from officials in Ukraine, that the armed services in Ukraine have launched counterattacks on Russian positions in the northeastern, eastern and southern parts of the country as well as the south, where an offensive was launched last weekend.
In its Wednesday intelligence update, the ministry stated that heavy fighting had taken place in the last 24 hour on three fronts. These were in the north near Kharkiv, in the east, in the Donbas, and in Kherson Oblast in the south.
The ministry said that “Russia’s main planned effort is likely to be an advance on Bakhmut, in the Donbas. However, commanders are faced with a dilemma as to whether to deploy operational reserve to support this offensive or to defend against the continued Ukrainian advances in south.”
“Multiple simultaneous threats spread over 500km will test Russia’s ability to coordinate the operational design and reallocate resource across multiple groupings.” It said that earlier in the war Russia’s failure of this was one of many reasons for its military’s poor performance.
In an overnight update, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War stated that “Ukrainian Forces have likely launched opportunistic Counterattacks in the Southern Kharkiv Oblast (province) and retaken a number of settlements.”
Analysts noted that Russian redeployments from this area in order to defend against the Ukrainian Counteroffensive at Kherson, south Ukraine, “likely caused and facilitated” these counterattacks.
The shutdown of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is being considered
Ukraine’s top inspector for nuclear energy says that the Zaporizhzhia plant could be closed if hostilities around the plant continue. Russia and Ukraine continue to blame each other for shelling Europe’s biggest nuclear plant.
Oleh Korikov said that the Ukrainian nuclear regulatory agency was considering shutting down this plant.
In an interview broadcast Wednesday on YouTube, Korikov stated that if the situation worsens further, we will be forced to use backup diesel generators to maintain our security systems. Diesel fuel reserves in war conditions are difficult to replenish.
“Then, it will have implications not only for Ukraine, but also for other nations,” he said.
If the conditions are right, it is possible to turn off the station. In this case, the 6th unit will be switched off.
The only reactor in the plant is the 6th one, which was inspected last week by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In a 52-page report, IAEA inspectors warned that, while ongoing shelling has not yet triggered an emergency nuclear, it continues to pose a constant risk to nuclear safety and nuclear security.
The IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi wrote: “The IAEA recommends stopping shelling immediately on site and nearby to avoid further damage to the plant and its associated facilities, to ensure the safety of operating staff and maintain the physical integrity for safe and secure operations.”
Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, said that Russia attempted to exert pressure on IAEA director general Rafael Grossi during the visit to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Grossi, who led an investigators team to the site earlier in the month, published yesterday a report on the findings of the nuclear watchdog agency.
Grossi recommended the immediate establishment of a zone demilitarized at the nuclear facility.
More than 50 agricultural vessels left Ukraine for Asia
Oleksandr Kubakov, Ukraine’s Infrastructure minister, said that more than 50 agricultural vessels left Ukraine for Asia during the first month after exports resumed.
Under the UN-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative – a deal that aims to reopen 3 Ukrainian ports – 54 vessels have left Ukraine for Asia, carrying more than a million metric tonnes of agricultural products. He said that 16 vessels have left Ukraine for Africa with nearly half a metric ton of grain and other food products.
Another 32 vessels with nearly 1 million metric tonnes of agricultural products have left for European ports.
Six NATO allies still have to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s membership in the alliance
Six NATO members have not yet signed the protocols of ratification for Finland and Sweden’s entry into the military alliance.
Both nations began the formal application process to NATO in May as Russia’s conflict in Ukraine raged. Sweden and Finland must be ratified by all 30 members of NATO before they can join the group.
Six allies are still to sign up: Greece, Hungary, Portugal Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey.
Following a Senate vote of 95-1 to admit Finland and Sweden to NATO, US President Joe Biden ratified documents last month.
Putin and Xi will meet next week, as the war in Ukraine continues.
A Russian official announced Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Uzbekistan. The summit could be a step towards warming relations between the two countries, which are increasingly at odds with each other.
Putin and Xi met last in Beijing in February, just weeks before the Kremlin began sending troops into Ukraine.
The two presidents signed an agreement that promised that the relations between the parties would be “without limits.”
It is unclear whether Xi was aware of Russia’s plans for an invasion of Ukraine at the time.
By Ana Dumbadze
Read More @ georgiatoday.ge