NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg defends Kursk offensive

Five people die in an attack on Belgorod. Ukraine fires its air force chief. All the information in the news blog.

4 am: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described the advance of the Ukrainian armed forces into the Kursk region of Russia as legitimate. The Ukraine has the right to defend itself, Stoltenberg told “Welt am Sonntag”. “And according to international law, that right does not stop at the border.” Regarding accusations by the government in Moscow that the West was previously informed about the attack on Russian territory, the NATO chief stressed: “Ukraine did not discuss its plans for Kursk with NATO in advance, and NATO played no part in it Role. ” This was Stoltenberg’s first response to Ukrainian troops advancing in the Russian border region.

Of course, the Kursk offensive, like every other military operation, involves risks, Stoltenberg explained. “But Ukraine’s decision is how to defend itself.” President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear that the Kursk operation was intended to establish a buffer zone to prevent Russia from further attacks across the border.

In the interview, Stoltenberg praised Germany’s role in military support for Ukraine: “I welcome Germany’s clear commitment to remain the largest military donor in Europe and at the same time the second largest military donor in the world to Ukraine.” But in order for Ukraine to be able to continue to defend itself and ultimately defeat itself, it needs more support from the allies, according to the head of NATO. “This is essential for Ukraine to be able to repel the Russian invasion,” Stoltenberg said.

10:09 pm: According to Russian information, at least five people were killed by shelling from the Ukrainian side in the Russian city of Belgorod near the border. There are also at least 37 injured, including six children, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. It mentions damage to two apartment buildings, several shops and more than 20 cars.

Russia’s governor accuses Ukraine of firing a cluster of rocket launchers. This information cannot be independently verified. Cluster munitions are banned in many countries because they are dangerous, especially to civilians. In Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, both sides use such missiles.

7:53 pm: After the crash of a recently delivered F-16 fighter jet from the West, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired his air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk. This stems from an official announcement from the President’s Office. Read more about this here.

4:42 pm: A Russian airstrike on the city of Kharkiv in north-east Ukraine has killed at least four people, including a 14-year-old girl. According to the military governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Synyehubov, 28 have been injured. The number could still increase. According to official information, guided aerial bombs hit, among other things, a twelve-story residential building, which partially collapsed.

“A blow that would not have happened if our defense forces had the opportunity to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are located,” said the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a message on Telegram. Faced with the destruction, he calls once again for the release of vast Western weapons against targets in Russia.

Video | Child dies in Russian airstrike on residential area

What: Reuters

2:40 pm: The Russian army has captured three towns in eastern Ukraine, according to a report. Accordingly, the army has brought the settlements of Synkivka, Kostiantynivka and Novozhelanne under its control, reports the Russian news agency Tass, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.

11:41 am According to British information, Russia is establishing a volunteer association there to defend against the Ukrainian attack on the Kursk region of Russia. The recruited soldiers were promised that they would only be deployed in the Kursk region as part of a six-month contract, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said, citing intelligence information. It is a so-called Bars force for the combat reserve.