Russian war of aggression: Ukraine defends itself against attack near Kharkiv

Ukraine is trying to repel a major new attack by Russian troops in the border area near the city of Kharkiv. Russian forces advanced on Monday to the northern edge of the city of Vovchansk, about 40 kilometers northeast of Kharkiv. The Ukrainian General Staff in Kiev presented it as saying that the area was being cleared of attackers. The Russian military blog Rybar reported that the Russian units had established themselves there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine must do everything it can to prevent the front from expanding. “Our task is clear: to thwart Russia’s attempt to expand the war,” he said in his evening video address. The night of Tuesday began in Ukraine with Russian drone attacks, especially in the south, as the Air Force announced.

“Ukrainian soldiers inflict losses on the enemy”

Ukraine has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for more than two years. Given the deterioration of the situation in Ukraine, Germany and the Nordic countries promised Ukraine further arms deliveries.

Zelensky and the General Staff claimed that the defenders had the situation under control. There are counterattacks in the border region near Kharkiv that has been under attack since last week, the president said in Kiev on Monday. “The area has been reinforced.” The leadership also does not lose sight of other sections of the front. “Of course, we will not leave the areas around Donetsk without the necessary support and supplies, namely in the direction of Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk.” According to military experts, one goal of the new Russian attack is to force Ukraine to withdraw troops from other threatened areas of the front in the east.

“The Ukrainian soldiers inflict losses on the enemy, recapture their positions and achieve tactical successes in some areas,” the General Staff report said. During the day there were 140 battles on the front in the east and south. Zelensky confirmed military reports that a Russian Su-25 fighter jet had been shot down in the Donetsk region.

US Secretary of State Blinken arrived in Kyiv

The new Russian attack will cause major problems for Ukraine in the coming months, the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) wrote in an analysis. In the analysis, the expert George Barros criticized Washington’s ban on Ukraine not being allowed to use weapons supplied by the USA against Russian territory. This limits Ukraine’s defense capability. For the Russian army, however, it creates a kind of reserve in which it can prepare its attacks unhindered. The Russian Air Force could launch glide bombs from its own airspace unhindered on the city of Kharkiv. The USA and Germany have imposed restrictions because they hope that this will prevent an escalation with Russia.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived unannounced on Tuesday for a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said he wanted to underline “the United States’ continued support for Ukraine.” Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, among others, to discuss the latest developments on the battlefield and the impact of new US security and economic aid.

In addition, the talks will cover long-term security commitments as well as ongoing work to support Ukraine’s economic recovery. Blinken also wants to emphasize the US commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and democracy in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression. A speech by Blinken is also planned.

Germany also promises aid to Ukraine

It is Blinken’s fourth visit to Kiev since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine is currently facing a new Russian offensive in the northeast of the country.

Last week, the US government announced another package of military aid for Kiev worth around $400 million (around €371 million). It includes, among other things, ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, other multiple rocket launchers of the Himars type with ammunition as well as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and artillery ammunition with calibers 155 and 105 millimeters. After months of domestic political impasse, the US Congress approved billions in aid for Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, at the end of April – thereby clearing the way for new arms deliveries. The law provides aid worth around $61 billion (€57 billion) for Kiev.

After releasing new funds about two and a half weeks ago, the US government had already launched several billion-dollar packages of new military equipment for Ukraine. According to the Pentagon, the USA has provided military aid worth around $50.6 billion (around €47 billion) to Kiev since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against the country.

In view of the Russian offensive in northeastern Ukraine, Germany and the Nordic countries also promised additional weapons. “We are united in our support for Ukraine in its defense against the Russian attack,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a meeting with the heads of government of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland in Stockholm. “We will continue to support Ukraine – for as long as necessary.”

Scholz: Europe’s arms deliveries are “frankly not enough”

Scholz dampened expectations for the Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland in June. “No one should have excessive expectations: We are not negotiating the end of the war there,” Scholz told the newspaper star. “At best, it is the start of a process that could lead to direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. In Switzerland it will be about the safety of nuclear power plants, about grain exports, about the question of prisoner exchanges and about the necessary taboo “As far as the use of nuclear weapons is concerned, this is all still a delicate matter.”

The Social Democrat was disappointed by the Europeans’ involvement in the war in Ukraine after his appeals for more arms deliveries. It was “frankly not enough,” he concluded. “This is depressing because Ukraine urgently needs more air defense systems. Putin obviously wants to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure.”