Ukraine counts gains in the south and Russia confirms the steadfastness of its defensive line

Ukraine counted for the first time on Thursday its gains in the south, revealing that it regained 500 square kilometers in two weeks, at a time when Russian forces confirmed that they were maintaining the steadfastness of their defensive line.

The Ukrainian army has launched an offensive on all fronts since the beginning of September, and has already retaken most of the Kharkiv region in the northeast, and important logistical areas such as Izyum, Kobyansk and Lyman.

In the last district to the east, the Russian army, almost besieged, came to the brink of disaster.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday evening that since October 1, in the Kherson region alone, more than 500 square kilometers of land and dozens of villages have been liberated.

On Thursday, Moscow attacked Zelensky’s statements about preventive strikes on Russia, before Kyiv made clear that its president was talking about preventive sanctions and not nuclear strikes.

What should NATO do?

Eliminate the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons.

But especially, I make a new appeal to the international community, as before February 24: pre-emptive strikes so that, the Russians know what their fate would be if they used nuclear weapons.

On Thursday evening, many senior Russian officials criticized Zelensky’s comments.

Similar statements are nothing but a call to start a new world war with brutal and unexpected consequences, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, as quoted by RIA Novosti news agency.

Ukrainian armed forces have liberated more than 500 square kilometers of the Kherson region since the beginning of October, said Natalia Gominiuk, a spokeswoman for the military command in the south, outlining for the first time the extent of the Ukrainians’ progress.

On Wednesday evening, Zelensky announced the restoration of three towns in this region, stressing that the counter-offensive launched by Kyiv was continuing.

On Thursday, Zelensky asked European leaders meeting in Prague to continue providing military assistance to Kyiv so that Russian tanks don’t advance towards Warsaw or Prague, adding, “The aggressor must be punished”.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that Paris is considering sending additional Caesar cannons to Ukraine, which has been trying for more than seven months to drive the Russian army out of its territory.

In a sign of the Kremlin’s annoyance, Moscow summoned the French ambassador, Pierre Levy, on Thursday, over France’s arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have confirmed that 29 towns have been retaken from the Russians since October 1.

For its part, the Russian army confirmed in its daily report on Thursday that “the enemy is far from the line of defense of the Russian forces” in this same area in Kherson.

He pointed out that the Ukrainian forces deployed four tactical battalions on this front, that is, several hundred elements, and “tried several times to break through the defenses” of Russia near Dodchany, Sukhanovy, Sadok and Proskinskoye.

In the face of the Russian army’s setbacks in Ukraine and the chaotic mobilization in Russia that pushed hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Wednesday that the military situation “will stabilize”.

On Wednesday, Putin signed a law consecrating Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions after holding a referendum on determining their fate, although Moscow only partially controls these regions, and faces difficulties in them at the military level.

In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the lost areas would be restored.

On the scene, Ukrainian soldiers recently met by AFP confirmed that they see “a light at the end of the tunnel” thanks to their recent successes, after more than seven months of grueling war.

This comes as the bombing continues on various fronts, leaving three dead and seven wounded in Zaporizhia, in southern Ukraine, which is one of the areas Moscow claims to annex.

AFP saw two sites in the city center destroyed by bombs.

Everything collapsed to the ground, raising fears that the death toll could rise.

A few hundred meters away, a hole several meters deep appears in front of an apartment building with a broken roof, as well as most of the windows.

In the east, in the Donetsk region also annexed by Moscow, at least 14 people have been killed and three others injured in the past 24 hours in the areas under the control of Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian presidency.

On Thursday, Kyiv received the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, who is scheduled to travel to Moscow soon.

The official discussed, in particular, the creation of a protection zone around the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, which is regularly targeted by bombings, about which the Russians and Ukrainians exchange accusations.

Grossi stressed that this station, the largest of its kind in Europe, is certainly still Ukrainian, despite its official acquisition by Moscow on Wednesday through a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin.

“We continue to say what should be done, that is, to avoid a nuclear accident at the plant, which remains a very clear possibility,” he added, denouncing the “unsustainable conditions” under which the Ukrainian crew worked at the plant.

On the diplomatic front, 44 European leaders met in Prague Thursday in an unprecedented format, with the aim of underlining Moscow’s isolation.

On Wednesday, the European Union agreed to an eighth package of sanctions against Moscow.

This came as the OPEC+ alliance decided to drastically reduce oil production quotas to support prices, while fuel remains the main source of income for Russia.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that Paris is considering sending additional Caesar cannons to Ukraine, which has been trying for more than seven months to drive the Russian army out of its territory.

“We’re working on several requests with several EU member states, in particular on additional Caesar cannons,” he said during a press conference after the first meeting of the European political group in Prague.

Since the beginning of the conflict, France has provided Ukraine with 18 155-mm Caesar cannons with a range of up to 40 km, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, armored vehicles, fuel, individual equipment and about fifteen 155-mm TRF1 cannons.

An informed source told AFP that Paris is considering supplying Kyiv with an additional six to 12 Caesar cannons, deducted from an order for Denmark. France is also studying the possibility of giving Kyiv 20 Bastion armored vehicles.

The French president explained that the European Union countries “will discuss these issues and some mechanisms” on Friday at an informal summit in Prague, adding that he will provide more details during a press conference after this meeting.

“We’ll continue to support Ukraine financially, humanitarianly and militarily,” Macron stressed.

“This assistance will continue in terms of equipment and training, in line with what we have been doing for several months,” he added.

“We continue to move forward on the basis of requests and coordinate very closely between EU members and non-EU countries,” he said, referring to the United Kingdom.