The situation at a glance: Zelenskyj is promoting a “victory plan” against Russia in Sumy

During a visit to the border region of Sumy in the northeast of the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj promoted his “victory plan” in the Russian war of aggression during talks with residents and military officials. “The plan is to force Russia to end the war through diplomatic channels,” Zelensky said in Sumy, according to a statement from the presidential office. To do this, the country needs a strong position to force Moscow to the negotiating table.

The Sumy region is repeatedly subjected to particularly heavy fire from Russia’s neighborhood because Moscow wants to prevent the build-up of Ukrainian troops and counterattacks there. Zelenskyj thanked the people there for protecting the area, which is important for Ukraine, from Russian occupation. “Now we have to stand together to defend everything,” said Zelensky, referring to the ongoing attacks from the Russian side.

The presidential office in Kiev initially did not disclose details of his “victory plan,” which Zelenskyj also presented to US President Joe Biden at the end of September. What is clear, however, is that Zelensky expects the Western allies to release long-range weapons in order to attack military targets in the Russian hinterland.

“There are decisions being made to support the region and other areas near the border,” the head of state said in a video message. He also consulted there with the military leadership and the energy minister. The main focus was on air defense and the protection of energy systems. Details were initially not known.

Medals for Ukrainians and praise for Kursk operation

Part of the visit included awards of medals to soldiers from the 82nd Brigade deployed in the neighboring Russian region of Kursk. “It is very important to understand that the Kursk operation is a real strategic matter that motivates partners to assist Ukraine,” Zelensky emphasized. Pressure on Russia is necessary to end the war “fairly”.

Given the Russian locations and areas occupied in the Kursk area, Zelensky hopes to force Moscow to the negotiating table. The Russian leadership rejected this and announced that the region would be liberated soon.

The Sumy region is being bombed and attacked with drones on a daily basis, particularly after the Ukrainian advance into the neighboring Russian border region of Kursk at the beginning of August. According to the military administration in Sumy, the region was shelled by the Russians around 50 times during the day on Friday. 84 explosions were registered. One person was reportedly injured. Ukraine has been resisting the Russian invasion, which Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin began in February 2022, for two and a half years.

Renewed drone attacks on Russian territory Voronezh

Russian authorities reported another Ukrainian drone attack overnight on the Voronezh region in southwest Russia near the border with Ukraine. Some drones targeted companies that produce civilian products, Governor Alexander Gusev said on Telegram. A man was injured in one of the companies attacked and a fire broke out in a building. In another company that came under fire, there was no damage or injuries, said Gussev. The information provided by both warring parties cannot be independently verified.

Western officials: no prospect of negotiations

Western government officials see no prospect of negotiations in Ukraine “in the near future.” “We see no signs that President Putin is deviating from his main goal of subjugating Ukraine’s sovereignty,” said a background briefing for journalists in a western metropolis. It is also unlikely that Ukraine can reverse Russia’s recent successes in eastern Ukraine.

In the coming weeks, Moscow will probably try to gain further ground in the area around the strategically important city of Wuhledar, which it has just conquered. However, Russia is not in a position to “fundamentally capitalize on these successes,” it said. “We’re not going to see a sudden breakthrough and a quick push westward from Russia. It’s just going to continue to be this slow, plodding approach.”

Last month, Ukraine destroyed around 100,000 tons of ammunition in attacks on military camps in Russia and recorded the “largest loss of ammunition from North Korea” since the start of the war, it said. The information cannot be independently verified.

Report on protest by Ukrainian soldiers

According to a report by public television, almost 100 soldiers held a protest meeting in Voznesensk in the Mykolaiv region of southern Ukraine. The soldiers complained about inadequate training and a lack of weapons. So they refused orders and left their barracks, it was said. The unit should soon be deployed to the combat zone in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

According to information that has not been officially confirmed, it is said to be the 187th Battalion of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade. According to unofficial information, the 186th battalion of this brigade had previously separated from the front near Wuhledar, which allowed the Russians to break through and the city fell. The battalion commander is said to have shot himself and will be buried this Saturday in the Mykolaiv region. There was no official confirmation of this.

Kyiv reports many Ukrainian prisoners killed

In Kiev, a senior representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on television that nearly 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been killed by the Russian side, most of them this year. “Currently we have information about the deaths of 93 of our fighters who were executed on the battlefield,” the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform quoted the head of the war department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Yuri Beloussov, as saying.

The prosecutor complained that the Russian armed forces’ treatment of Ukrainian prisoners had deteriorated since November last year. There have already been numerous prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kyiv. There are also repeated reports of prisoners of war being killed.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Wednesday that the Russian military had killed 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Donetsk region. Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin spoke of the largest known mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front line to date.