The situation at a glance: Kiev expects quick answers from the West on the “victory plan”

After presenting its “victory plan” in the war against the aggressor Russia, Ukraine is hoping for quick commitments from the West for the military aid it demands. It’s not a matter of days, but of hours, said the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, on Ukrainian television. “Our partners understand the logic of the plan,” he said. Very concrete steps are needed from Western partners to help Ukraine.

The country is under great pressure from the Russian troop advance. The details of the “victory plan” promoted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are not yet publicly known. According to his office, the basic principles will soon be made public. The head of state discussed the project behind closed doors with heads of state and government during his visits to Paris, Rome and London. In Berlin on Friday he met Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

It is known that Ukraine is demanding that the West release long-range weapons for strikes against military targets far in the Russian hinterland. The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly stated that the aim is to destroy the military of the nuclear power Russia so that it can never attack another country again. Kyiv is also calling for Ukraine to be invited to NATO membership.

Praise for successful drone attacks on Russia

There has been a lot of attention on the plan, Jermak said. Now we need very concrete commitments from the West. Zelenskyj brought new defense packages with him from his trip, including commitments to supply anti-aircraft systems, investments for Ukraine’s own production of drones and other weapons.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Olexander Syrskyj, praised the successes in the use of drones against military targets on Russian territory on social networks. The Ukrainian military recently hit ammunition and fuel depots, triggering huge explosions and disrupting supplies.

Transmitter: Many Russian arsenals destroyed

Since the beginning of August, one Russian arsenal after another has been blown up, reported the Ukrainian foreign broadcaster Freedom. At least six large camps were hit with drones. In the Tver and Krasnodar regions, between 66 and 93 percent of the ammunition stocks were destroyed. Around 30,000 tons of ammunition are said to have been stored in the Toropets arsenal in the Tver region alone. Deliveries from Iran and North Korea were also destroyed, it said. The information cannot be independently verified.

The reason for the high losses is the procedure, already known from Soviet times, of storing as much ammunition as possible in one place for simple logistics, the broadcaster reported, citing experts. In addition, there are lax security precautions, storage sometimes in the open air and inadequate anti-aircraft defense for the depots.

Zelensky wants to expand arms production in Ukraine

Zelensky wants to significantly expand weapons production in Ukraine with Western investments. “Our industrial capacity allows us to produce far more drones, more grenades and military equipment than our country’s financial capabilities allow,” he said in his evening video message. The West could give the money, especially since many partners would otherwise not be able to help Ukraine sufficiently at the moment due to a lack of their own weapons.

“In addition, some partners have special technologies that can already be used in Ukraine,” said Zelensky. He thanked everyone who had already invested in the defense sector – especially in the production of drones. During his visit to Paris, a new Ukrainian-French model was discussed. This should now be deepened at the level of the defense ministers.

During the Russian war of aggression, which has been going on for more than two and a half years, Zelensky has repeatedly stated that he wants to make Ukraine one of the world’s largest arms producers. In order to be able to survive against the numerically superior Russian military, the Ukrainian armed forces are dependent on new weapons and ammunition from their allies.

Zelenskyj: Maintain defined lines in the Kursk area

With regard to the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian military was holding the defined lines there. There had previously been attempts by enemy forces to drive the Ukrainian army from its positions. He thereby indirectly contradicted Russian claims that Moscow’s troops had recaptured several towns there.

The Ukrainian army invaded the Kursk region at the beginning of August and occupied dozens of towns there. According to Zelensky, this is intended to increase the pressure on Russia to negotiate. The military leadership in Moscow has announced that it will soon liberate Russian territory.

Dead and injured in attacks

In the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the war claimed the lives of at least two more people and ten were injured, according to the public prosecutor’s office. In one case, a drone hit a car, killing the 19-year-old driver. An 84-year-old woman died in a Russian attack in a village in Pokrovsk County. In other cases there were injuries from Russian artillery fire.

In the Russian region of Belgorod on the border with Ukraine, authorities also reported a death in the village of Ustinka. Two people were also injured by shelling from the Ukrainian side. In its defensive battle against the invaders, Ukraine repeatedly attacks Russian territory.