Aerial view of the city of Sevastopol after a Ukrainian missile hits the Russian headquarters in Crimea Planet Labs PBC/AFP 9/23/23
Ukraine said it had managed to break through Russia’s first lines of defense on the southern front and its army asserted that “senior commandos” of the Russian navy had been killed or injured in a Ukrainian bombing of its headquarters in Crimea.
The Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive, which began in June, has managed to recapture only a few destroyed villages, but the force claims that in recent weeks it has managed to cross the first Russian lines on the southern front after taking the town of Robotyne had brought their control, in the Zaporizhzhia region. .
“On the left, we have made progress and advanced further,” General Oleksandre Tarnavski, in charge of Kiev’s difficult counteroffensive, said in an interview with a North American broadcaster, acknowledging that the advance had been slower than expected. Fighting is currently taking place east of this town, near Verbove.
Tarnavski said one of the goals now was to capture the Russian bastion of Tokmak, a key logistics center located 20 kilometers south of the current front line.
winter
“At the moment, the Russian armed forces are confident in the depth of their defensive line,” the general said, acknowledging that “weather may pose a serious obstacle during the advance.”
The counteroffensive will also be carried out with the beginning of winter, as it will be carried out with small units without vehicles due to the tank losses suffered in the first weeks.
“Currently, neither the enemy nor we are deploying large formations, companies, battalions or brigades. We deploy attack teams, groups of 10 to 15 men,” he explained.
The statements were released a day after Kiev bombed the Russian Navy’s headquarters in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
No confirmation
In a statement, the Ukrainian army said that an attack that Kiev said took place “during a meeting of leaders of the Russian Navy” left “dozens dead and injured among those inside, including highranking commandos of the Russian fleet.” .
Kiev intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told Voice of America that the attack killed “at least nine people,” including generals. To date, AFP has not been able to verify this information. Russia said an officer had been missing since the attack.
Tarnavski explained that the goal of the Ukrainian counteroffensive was not only to recapture Russianoccupied territory, but also to “destroy command centers” in order to “create disorder on the battlefield.”
International aid
At the diplomatic level, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced a new aid package for Kiev worth 650 million Canadian dollars (482 million US dollars, 2.3 billion R$ at the then exchange rate). announced three years ago.
The package includes around 50 armored vehicles and the training of Ukrainian pilots in American F16 fighter jets.
Virtually 19 months after the start of the war, there is no sign of a possible negotiated solution to the conflict and both Moscow and Kiev and their Western allies expect it could last until 2024 or even 2025.
Guardians of the Peace? Check out how the UN Security Council works in 7 points
The Security Council is the most important body of the United Nations (UN) and its main task is to maintain international peace and security. It consists of 15 members, five of which are permanent and have veto power: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. The other ten members have a rotating mandate
The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. This composition was determined at the founding of the United Nations these countries emerged victorious from the Second World War and were the main military powers at that time. About 80 years ago, China did not have the military power it does today, but was admitted to the council because of the size of its territory
The UN Security Council has the authority to impose economic sanctions, embargoes and other restrictions. In extreme cases, the group can even authorize the use of military force in international conflicts. However, permanent members can also veto these decisions. In practice, they can block a measure and thus reduce the effectiveness of the Security Council: the major powers are accused of defending their interests by vetoing resolutions
In addition to the permanent members who have veto power, the Security Council consists of ten rotating members elected by the General Assembly for a twoyear term. The election is conducted to ensure that all regions of the world are represented in some way. Five new members are elected each year, so there is rotation between nations on the council. To be elected, a country must receive the support of at least twothirds of the member states present and voting in the General Assembly during a secret vote. This helps ensure that new members enjoy broad support among UN members
The presidency of the Security Council rotates monthly and follows the English alphabetical order of member country names. This means that each of the 15 members of the Council (five permanent and ten nonpermanent) has the opportunity to chair the body for a month