Is the war approaching a crucial moment? That’s what the Ukrainian President says – thanks to Western help, Russia’s attack is on the verge of failure. The news at a glance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assumes that Russia has little left to do in its war against Ukraine. Arms shipments and other assistance “are particularly important now, when you feel that Russian aggression is approaching the moment when it can break,” the 45-year-old said in his daily video address on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Moscow has denied US allegations after a military drone crashed in the Black Sea and has leveled allegations against Washington itself. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin received moral support in Moscow from Syria’s ruler Bashar al-Assad, who is taking a stance on Russia in the war.
Zelenskyy dismisses three regional governors
Zelenskyi dismissed the governors of the Luhansk, Odessa and Khmelnytskyi regions. According to the decrees published on Wednesday, the dismissals of Serhiy Hajdaj, Maxym Marchenko and Serhiy Hamalij were at their own request. Rumor has it that Hajdaj will soon become ambassador to Kazakhstan.
The 47-year-old had been head of administration for the difficult eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk since October 2019. After the Russian invasion a good year ago, it largely came under Moscow control. Marchenko, meanwhile, wants to return to the army, where he led a brigade as a colonel before being appointed governor.
Zelenskyj: Constant pressure on Russia necessary
Thanks to Western help, Zelenskyy believes that Russia’s attack is on the verge of failure. But constant pressure on Russia is necessary, he demanded. In his video speech, Zelenskyj also addressed the decisions made on Wednesday at another meeting of the so-called Ramstein format. Weapons deliveries to Kiev are coordinated via this format – named after the US air force base in Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate, which is the location of several meetings with Ukraine. It was decided to supply ammunition and anti-aircraft weapons, he said. Reports of lack of ammunition on both sides had recently increased.
Military incident over the Black Sea draws circles
The crash of the US military drone over the Black Sea is making waves. On Wednesday evening, the Kremlin also spoke up about the affair and blamed Washington for the crash. “Perhaps those who are not entitled should not have flown there, then everything would have been clean,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Russian state television. The United States had previously raised allegations that Russian fighter jets had dumped fuel on the drone. According to the Pentagon, the drone was traveling in international airspace.
The military incident increased concerns around the world about an escalation of the war and the drawing of other states into the conflict. “All incidents that provoke a clash between the two superpowers, the two largest nuclear powers, lead to great risks,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on these fears on state television. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that at Washington’s request, Defense Ministers Sergei Shoigu and Lloyd Austin spoke on the phone. Shoigu spoke of a provocation by the US military.
US Chief of Staff: Do not want armed conflict with Russia
US Chief of Staff Mark Milley stressed that the United States did not want an escalation after the incident over the Black Sea. “Incidents happen. And we clearly don’t want an armed conflict with Russia,” Milley said in Washington on Wednesday. He was responding to the question of whether the incident was an act of war. Read more here.
Syrian ruler Assad supports Russian war against Ukraine
During his first visit to Moscow since the beginning of the war, Syrian ruler Assad Putin expressed his support. According to the Interfax news agency, Assad said on Wednesday in the Kremlin that he wanted to use the moment to repeat the Syrian position in support of the “special operation”. In Russia, the war against Ukraine is called a special operation.
Assad arrived in the Russian capital on Tuesday evening for an unannounced visit. After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Kremlin wall, he also met Putin for talks on Wednesday. He thanked, among other things, for the help provided by Russia after the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey in February. Previously, Putin and Assad met in September 2021, when the Syrian also traveled to Moscow.
