Air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian cities and regions of Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Mariupol and the Donbas last night, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. Air strikes with missiles took place in some places, drones have been reported elsewhere.
New offensive expected
Yesterday, Russian troops already stepped up their attacks in eastern Ukraine. For example, an attempt was made to break through Ukrainian defense lines near the city of Kreminna, the governor of the Luhansk region said.
Kreminna itself has been in the hands of the Russians for months. A breakthrough would bring Russian forces one step closer to the much larger city of Kramatorsk.
Kiev went on to say that Russian forces are trying to take full control of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the eastern Donbas region. The Ukrainians have been expecting a major new offensive for some time.
Some Western military analysts say the offensive has already begun. They point to the tens of thousands of recently mobilized troops sent to the front and the gradual advance of the Russian army.
European summit
The reports came in while Ukrainian President Zelensky was attending a European summit for the first time in Brussels. He also urged the heads of government that it is also in the interest of the European Union for Ukraine to win the war with Russia. The European Council has again pledged support to the country.
On Wednesday, Zelensky saw British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. He requested fighter planes from both leaders. Sunak promised to train Ukrainian pilots, but could not promise anything else.
France can ‘under no circumstances’ deliver fighter jets in the coming weeks, Macron said last night. “I exclude absolutely nothing,” the French president said of a possible delivery of French fighter jets. “But at the moment the need is not there.” Macron says his country wants to supply ‘more useful’ and ‘faster’ weapons to Kiev.
This is what Rutte said about the possible delivery of F16s to Kiev:
