• Kiev: “Battles are raging in the East, superiority of Russian forces”
06:21 am – New night attacks in Kiev and other cities
New “massive” Russian attacks have targeted Kiev and the Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Zaporizhzhia, according to military authorities, who are currently not reporting casualties. The attacks came on the cities from different directions through drones and the alert lasted more than three hours. The Ukrainian General Staff later claimed that 28 drones had been shot down by Ukrainian air defense out of 30 dropped by Russian forces over Ukraine during the night. The military administration of Zaporizhzhia, for its part, said the city and its surroundings were the target of a “massive attack” against civilian targets. According to initial information from the General Staff, seven S-300 missiles were fired on Zaporizhzhia and its suburbs. “After a restless and noisy night, the situation in Zaporizhjia is stable. Thank God there are no injuries and no residential buildings were hit,” city council secretary Anatoly Kurtev wrote in Telegram.
06:00 – Kiev, new Russian attack, 28 Shahed drones destroyed
A new Russian attack targeted Ukraine and the capital Kiev during the night. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that it was an attack with 30 Shahed-type UAV drones, of which 28 were destroyed by the air defense. The military administration of the city of Kiev, as reported by Rbc Ukraine, added that the drones entered the capital in waves, from different directions. There are currently no victims. “Nearly two dozen enemy targets were detected and destroyed by our air defense forces and means in the airspace around Kiev,” reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Kiev
05:46 am – Biden, Russia’s use of tactical nuclear weapons is a “real” threat
Russia’s use of tactical nuclear weapons is a “real” threat. This was stated by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, days after the announcement by Moscow of the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. During a visit to Palo Alto, in California, the US president defined Russia’s initiative as “absolutely irresponsible”: “During my last visit here, about two years ago, I said that I feared the drying up of the Colorado River, and everyone they looked like I was crazy,” Biden said. “They looked at me like when I said I feared (Russian President, Vladimir) Putin might use tactical nuclear weapons. It is (a risk) real,” Biden said.
05:01 am – Kiev, 70 million are needed for Kherson reconstruction
About 60-70 billion euros will be needed to restore houses and infrastructure in parts of Kherson oblast damaged by the explosion of the Kakhovka dam, according to the estimate of the department head of the Ukrainian Construction Academy, Ivan Perehinets. “The restoration of the 60 million square meters we lost due to fighting and flooding will amount to 60-70 billion dollars,” Perehinets told local media. With the Ukrainian government expecting to receive funds from international donors for the reconstruction, Perehinets said that Kyiv should have sufficient financial resources to rebuild the area but that the lack of skilled and experienced engineers remained a problem. Perehinets estimates that rebuilding houses in Kherson oblast will take five to ten years and a workforce of 1.5 million construction workers.
04:02 – Kiev, 208 victims of sexual abuse by Russian invaders
Kiev has identified 208 victims of sexual assault by Russian troops since the start of the invasion, Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said, quoted by local media. One hundred and forty of the registered cases are against women and another 13 against minors, the office explains, noting that the real number of victims is probably much higher.
03:35 – Explosions in four other regions, including in Kiev
Explosions rocked the city and the Kiev region overnight, according to local media. The military administration of the Ukrainian capital has announced that the air defenses have been activated. Blasts were also reported in Cherkasy, Vinnitsa and Khmelnytskyi oblasts.
02:51 am – Media, European Union ready for a 50 billion aid plan
The European Union is ready to propose a 50 billion euro financial aid plan to support Ukraine. The Bloomberg agency reports it, citing some sources, according to which the announcement is expected in the next few hours. The proposal will help finance the current expenses of the Kiev government and pay for the most pressing priorities for reconstruction.
01:56 am – Zelensky, no positions lost, our forces defend them
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski said that “we have not lost combat positions, only liberated. Defense forces of Ukraine are advancing in some directions and defending their positions and resisting the onslaughts of Russian invaders in others.”. This is reported by Ukrinform. Zelensky – according to reports from Ukrinform – stressed that the training and supply of equipment to the new brigades of the National Guard and border guards were discussed in detail during the staff meeting.