The NATO Secretary General said he expects a “long war in Ukraine.”
“We must prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Sunday, September 17. The Ukrainian army claimed to have taken control of a town near Bakhmut, while Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region and six others en route to the annexed Crimean peninsula. Finally, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left the Russian Far East to return to his country, marking the end of his visit to Russia. Here’s what you’ll remember from this day.
Ukraine says its forces have taken control of Klishchyivka, near Bakhmut
Ukrainian authorities claimed their forces had recaptured Klitschivka, a tactically important town south of the city of Bakhmut on the Eastern Front. “Klichtchiivka was liberated by Russians,” an army commander explained. Before the Russian invasion, the city had only a few hundred residents and was captured by Russian forces in January.
The announcement came after Ukrainian forces said on Friday they had recaptured another town, Andriivka, south of Bakhmut. The Russian army said on Sunday that this was not the case.
NATO and Washington are preparing for a long war
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that a quick end to the war in Ukraine is not expected as the Ukrainian army is conducting a counteroffensive to push back Russian forces. “Most wars last longer than expected at the beginning,” he emphasized in an interview with the German group Funke. “That is why we must prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” he added.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive “did not fail”, but the road to a final victory for Kiev in the conflict is still very long, said American Chief of Staff General Mark Milley on CNN. “This offensive, while slow, slower than expected, remained consistent,” he said, reiterating that the Ukrainians still had “significant striking power.” However, the general acknowledged that it will take a “long time” to achieve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s goal of “expelling all Russians from the country.”
Russia says it shot down seven Ukrainian drones near Moscow and in Crimea
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region and six others on the way to the annexed Crimean peninsula. One of the drones was intercepted overnight in the Istrinsky district of the Moscow region, he said. “According to preliminary information, there is no damage or injuries at the site where the debris struck,” added Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Shortly before, according to the Defense Ministry, two Ukrainian drones were destroyed on the west coast of Crimea, then four more over the east and northwest coast of the peninsula.
Kim Jong-un leaves Russia after receiving explosive drones as a gift
Arriving on Russian soil on Tuesday for his first foreign trip since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kim Jong-un left the Russian Far East for the North Korean border, marking the end of his visit to Russia. He showed his closeness to Vladimir Putin and stoked Western fears about a possible agreement to supply arms to Moscow for its attack on Ukraine. According to the official Tass agency, the North Korean head of state had previously received five explosive drones in Vladivostok as a gift from the regional governor.