Zelensky urges NATO to destroy Putin’s missiles in the most recent round of the Russia-Ukraine confrontation.

Volodymyr Zelensky pressed Ukraine’s partners for greater direct engagement in the conflict and requested NATO members to shoot down Russian missiles to make up for Kyiv’s lack of defense.

He asked, “You can’t provide that right now?,” reminding the military alliance that Ukraine is still waiting for the delivery of American F-16 fighter jets to oppose Russian forces. Alright, going back to your aircraft that are on neighboring NATO land, lift them up, take out targets, and shield civilians.

The demand to expedite help and advance the so-called “red lines” of involvement in the conflict is a reflection of the mounting strain on Ukrainian forces along the more than 1,000 km of front lines in the nation’s northeast, east, and south.

Although Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow had “no plans” to annex Ukraine’s second city, Ukraine asserted that Russia had lost more than 1,500 soldiers in the last week in the bloody conflict in Kharkiv.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost 263 pieces of military hardware, including eight tanks, 66 army vehicles, and 75 drones, in addition to 1,572 servicemen in the last seven days. It is not possible to independently confirm these figures.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced late on Monday that Poland has detained nine individuals in relation to sabotage operations carried out throughout the nation on instructions from Russian intelligence.

Warsaw charges Moscow of attempting to destabilize the nation and claims that because it serves as a supply hub for Ukraine, it is a prime target for Russian intelligence operations.

Tusk told private channel TVN24, “We currently have nine suspects arrested and charged with engaging in acts of sabotage in Poland directly on behalf of the Russian services.” “This includes beatings, arson and attempted arson.”

He claimed that Poland was working with its friends on the matter and that Lithuania, Latvia, and maybe even Sweden were also impacted by the schemes.

Tusk announced earlier this month that Poland will provide its intelligence services an extra 100 million zlotys ($25.53 million) because of the threat posed by Russia.

Two individuals were arrested in Poland in April on allegations of assaulting exiled Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s main adviser, Leonid Volkov.

The Ukrainian air force stated in a statement on Tuesday that during a nocturnal attack on seven locations, 28 out of 29 Russian drones were shot down by Ukrainian forces.

According to claims made on the Telegram messaging app by the Ukrainian Interior Affairs Ministry and the governor of the region, Oleh Syniehubov, the drone strike in Kharkiv damaged four private dwellings, twenty-five trucks, and buses, injuring five individuals.

The governor also stated that two more city residents were hurt in a missile attack that occurred later in the morning and targeted transportation infrastructure.

The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk area reported no casualties despite damage to outbuildings caused by two downed drones.

According to the Ukrainian military, three Shahed-type drones were shot down over the Kherson region, while fourteen more were shot down over the Odesa region.

The regions of Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad were the targets of the remaining drones. The information on damages could not be independently verified by Reuters.

In the Belgorod region of Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike resulted in one fatality and three injuries, according to governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who made the announcement this morning on the messaging app Telegram.

Ukraine is getting ready for international negotiations intended to unite and strengthen opinion against Moscow that will take place in Switzerland next month without Russia.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, it is imperative that as many nations participate as possible in the negotiations. And not Ukraine, but the bulk of the world will then have to answer to Russia. Although nobody can guarantee that Russia will agree tomorrow, it is crucial that we take the lead.

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met last week in China and promised a “new era” of partnership between the two most potent foes of the United States, Beijing has not yet announced if it will take part.

Mr. Zelensky stated, “It is crucial that they (China) be present.” “Because, in theory, following this summit, it becomes evident who wants to keep close ties with the Russian Federation and who wants to end the war.”

Regarding US politics, he made an effort to allay worries that Ukraine would suffer if Republican nominee Donald Trump were to win in November. Trump has emphasized his “America First” ideas and is skeptical of aid to Ukraine.

“Some messages coming from their side raise concerns, but I don’t think Republicans are against supporting Ukraine.”

Comment: According to Bel Trew, reporting on the abduction and mistreatment of the most defenseless members of Ukrainian society makes one thing abundantly evident: during times of conflict, those with disabilities are the last to be remembered and the first to be abandoned.

utilized as human shields, denied food or medicine, subjected to torture, kidnapped, and vanished. According to a recent 18-month research by The Independent, these are the possible crimes that have been perpetrated against persons with disabilities since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.

Comment: Bel Trew notes that one thing is evident from reporting on the abduction and maltreatment of the most defenseless members of Ukrainian society: People with disabilities are the first to leave and the last to be acknowledged during wartime.

As he urged MPs to be practical, a former Conservative minister asserted that it is “extremely unlikely” that Ukraine will defeat Russia.

Sir Edward Leigh stated in a debate on Ukraine that if America had adequately armed Ukraine, “we could’ve won this war by now.”

After stating that there aren’t enough resources available for Ukraine to win, Sir Edward declared he was ready to contribute British troops to the conflict and put the country’s economy on a war footing. “It is extremely unlikely, sadly, that Ukraine can win this war,” stated the MP from Gainsborough.

Sir Edward Leigh stated that if America had adequately armed Ukraine, “we could have won this war by now” during a debate about the country.

According to a released proclamation, President Vladimir Putin named Oleg Savelyev, a former deputy minister of the economy, as a deputy minister of defense yesterday, signaling his continued efforts to boost the effectiveness of Russia’s war economy.

Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, was unexpectedly replaced by economist and former deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov last week, according to Mr. Putin.

The action was generally perceived as an attempt to improve the value of defense spending and clean up the Defense Ministry, which has been severely damaged by a significant bribery scandal.

Between 2008 and 2014, Mr. Savelyev worked in the ministry of economy, briefly holding the position of deputy to Belousov, the ministry’s head at the time.

In 2014–2015, Mr. Savelyev held the position of Minister for Crimean Affairs following Russia’s takeover of Crimea. He has been monitoring state defense and security spending as an auditor for the Russian Accounts Chamber for the last five years.

Volodymyr Zelensky stated that while he knew his allies were reluctant to provoke Russia, he still wished for them to play a more active role in the conflict. He did, however, add that nations could still fly the planes from nearby NATO members and intercept Russian missiles if they were unable to provide the aircraft right away.

“It’s a matter of intention,” he declared. However, there is a universal phrase that is spoken by all: “Everyone is afraid of things getting worse.” The fact that Ukrainians are dying is something that everyone has grown accustomed to; it is not a cause for concern.

In order to assist Kiev in defending itself, he suggested that the military forces of neighboring NATO nations may deflect approaching Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory.

Since the beginning of the larger confrontation, Russia has launched thousands of missiles and drones against Ukraine, and Kyiv prioritizes air defenses.

“Russians are operating 300 aircraft on Ukrainian territory.” To oppose in the sky, we need at least 120 or 130 planes, he stated. He claimed that Ukraine is awaiting the delivery of F-16 jets built in the United States to oppose Russian forces, and he requested that the North Atlantic Alliance make up for the delay by bombing the targets.

“You’re not able to give that to me now? Alright, going back to your aircraft that are on neighboring NATO land, lift them up, take out targets, and shield civilians.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged to continue supplying US weapons to Ukraine as Kyiv confronts one of its most difficult situations due to a potential Russian retaliation.

In an effort to coordinate further military assistance to Ukraine as it attempts to fend off a Russian invasion in the northeast while launching its own huge assault on the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, Mr. Austin and up to fifty defense leaders from Europe and around the world convened yesterday.

“We’re meeting in a moment of challenge,” Mr. Austin stated, pointing out that the importance of the pledge was demonstrated by Russia’s recent assault on Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. Mr. Austin pledged to continue the flow of US weapons “week after week.”

He informed reporters that the delegation had spent a significant amount of time discussing how important air defense systems are to Ukraine and how they are preventing Russian strikes.After the meeting, he declared, “We’ll keep pushing to ensure that Ukraine owns its skies and can defend its citizens and its civilian infrastructure far from the front lines.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky told Reuters that important decisions about military help for Ukraine are being made by Western allies much too slowly.

Additionally, he declared that he was pressuring allies to intervene more actively in the conflict by assisting in the interception of Russian missiles over Ukraine and enabling Kyiv to utilize Western weaponry against enemy military hardware that was assembling close to the border.

The increasing strain that Ukrainian forces are facing along more than 1,000 kilometers of front lines in the nation’s northeast, east, and south is reflected in the need to expedite help and advance the so-called “red lines” of engagement in the fight.

He described the current state of affairs as “one of the most difficult” he has experienced since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Moscow’s forces have been encroaching on northeastern Ukraine in recent weeks, putting Kyiv’s already thin defenses to the test. Simultaneously, Russia has gained land in the eastern Donbas region through occasionally intense combat.

“There is a really strong wave of fighting occurring in the Donbas… Nobody even realizes that there are additional conflicts in the east of the nation—Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, and Chasiv Yar, specifically—especially in the Donbas region.

But he went on to say that things were now “under control” north of Kharkiv and reiterated his demand for the US and its allies to send military assistance more quickly.