As every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the news about the war in Ukraine.
Kyiv is the target of a drone attack
Russia carried out a drone attack on Kiev overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday ahead of the opening of a crucial NATO summit which must focus on supporting Ukraine. “The enemy has attacked Kiev from the air for the second time this month,” the Kiev military administration said on its Telegram account, noting that the attack caused only minor damage.
The action was carried out with Shahed drones made in Iran Launched from the south, she added, likely from Russia’s Krasnodar Territory. “All detected air targets moving towards Kiev were destroyed by the forces and means of our air defense,” said the same source, without specifying the number of drones shot down.
For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior announced that drone debris had been located in the Kiev region. “Windows and outbuildings of certain apartment buildings were damaged,” the source added. Relatively unscathed since the beginning of the year, the Ukrainian capital was the target of frequent night air raids in May. The port city of Odessain southern Ukraine, also became the target of a drone attack overnight.
A Russian officer killed
The captain Vladislav Ryitsky, deputy head of mobilization in Krasnodar, but also a submarine operator, was shot dead in this large southern city not far from Crimea on Monday. The information, shared in particular by the Russian agency Tass, was confirmed by the Ukrainian intelligence services, which provided more details.
A Krasnodar official in charge of mobilization in the city was shot four times in the back while jogging. This man was the commander of the Krasnodar submarine, which in particular killed a dozen civilians in Vinnitsa last July. https://t.co/ywlKCqforI
— Paul Gogo (@Paugog) July 10, 2023
“The submarine driver jogged in the Park of Thirty Years of Victory. At around 6 a.m. it was him shot seven times with a Makarov pistol. “As a result of the gunshot wounds, Rzhitsky died at the scene,” the statement said. “Because of the heavy rains, the park was deserted, so there were no witnesses who could provide details or identify the victim.” “Aggressor,” Ukrainian intelligence continues.
The killed soldier was a regular user of the jogging app Strava, which allows you to record your route and share your performance. A tool that was questioned back in 2018 for allowing the identification of American bases in the Middle East.
France supplies Scalp missiles to Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday, the first day of the NATO summit, that France would supply long-range Scalp-type missiles to Ukraine. “We decided to deliver new rockets “We allow heavy attacks on Ukraine,” Emmanuel Macron said upon arrival at the summit site in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“I think today it is important for us to send a message of support for Ukraine, unity of NATO and determination that Russia cannot and must not win this war,” he added.
The cruise missiles storm shadow, dubbed Scalp by the French military and being jointly developed by Britain and France, will be air-launched. It has a number of more than 250 kilometers, more than any other weapon that Western countries have supplied to Kiev. Due to their long range, these missiles are capable of reaching areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian forces.
Berlin supplies weapons worth 700 million euros
Berlin will almost deliver 700 million euros More weapons for Ukraine, German government circles said on Tuesday, the first day of the NATO summit in Vilnius. According to the same sources, in particular, Germany will supply launchers for the Patriot anti-aircraft system, Marder armored vehicles, as well as Leopard 1 A5 tanks and artillery shells.
As the second donor of military aid to Ukraine after the USA, Germany had already announced on May 13, one day before a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Arms deliveries worth 2.7 billion euros. Germany has long been criticized by Kiev and some of its European partners, particularly in the east, for its timid military support to Ukraine. But for several months, Berlin has been intensifying its efforts in this area: it is now supplying ammunition, Leopard tanks and anti-aircraft defenses.
Zelenskyy in Vilnius
“Hello, Vilnius! Hello, NATO!” Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of himself taken in front of signs with the summit’s logos shortly after the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Vilnius.
“NATO will provide Ukraine with security. Ukraine will strengthen NATO”stated the President of Ukraine before attending a ceremony alongside his Lithuanian counterpart to hoist a Ukrainian flag brought from Bachmout, the scene of a long siege and the epicenter of fighting with the Russian army in eastern Ukraine.
“Today in Vilnius flies a flag of the Battle of Bakhmout (…), one of the most decisive battles for freedom in Europe,” continued Mr. Zelensky. “In the ruins of Bakhmut, on the scenes of other battles in Ukraine, aggressive Russian ambitions continue to be defeated,” he added.
The President of Ukraine said he did “Believe in a strong NATO” Those who “do not hesitate do not waste time”. “And I want that belief to turn into trust — trust in the choices we deserve,” he said.