On Saturday, October 22, pro-Russian authorities in Kherson, southern Ukraine, called on all civilians to leave the area “immediately” amid escalating fighting. A Russian foreign ministry official said NATO was in danger of direct military confrontation with Russia.
A few weeks ago, the government of the region, which was incorporated into the Russian Federation by Moscow, said on Telegram that “all civilians in Kherson must leave the city immediately”. He also pointed out that “the situation on the front lines is very tense and the risk of heavy shelling is increasing”.
Kherson was the first major city to be occupied by Moscow troops in the nine-month war. Its recovery will be one of the most important outcomes of Ukraine’s counterattack.
Earlier, Russia said its forces had thwarted Ukraine’s attempt to break through its defenses in the Kherson region. Meanwhile, the evacuation to the left bank of the Dnieper on the border of Kherson has been carried out since Wednesday 19th.
“All attacks have been thwarted, and the enemy has returned to its original position,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. It also said Ukraine launched an attack on the settlements of Pyadykhatki, Sukhanove, Sablokiefka and Bezvodne on the west side of the Dnieper.
Russian media have also published pictures of what they say is the process of thwarting Ukraine’s attack on the Kherson axis. The media said that Russian troops destroyed the Ukrainian vehicle. The vehicles were trying to break through the lines of Russian troops in the region.
In this context, the British Ministry of Defence said that Russia has successfully built a temporary floating bridge over the Dnieper River in Ukraine to supply its troops.
In its daily intelligence update on Saturday, the ministry also said the bridge would replace the destroyed Antonovsky Bridge nearby.
Crossing the river is crucial to supplying Russian troops in the occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Russian media also released some pictures. They said the images showed Russian troops targeting a bus carrying Ukrainian soldiers in southwestern Donetsk.
The Russian Air Force destroyed the warhead of the Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile while targeting the military workshop in Kharkiv, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
Russian missile defense system
On the other hand, the Ukrainian Air Force Command said it shot down 18 of the 33 missiles Russia fired on Ukrainian territory on Saturday morning.
The ministry also said Russia launched a massive attack on all Ukrainian territory starting around 7 a.m. In addition, Russian forces carried out partial attacks from warships anchored in the Black Sea and fired 16 Kalibr cruise missiles.
In Donetsk in the northeast, pro-Russian authorities said Ukrainian shelling had killed and injured civilians. And the Russians destroyed a bus carrying Ukrainian soldiers near the town of Igovka on the axis of Uglidar in the southwest of the state.
On the other hand, the capital, Kyiv, was hit by a Russian missile. Ukraine used air defenses to counter it, while the city’s mayor urged residents to be careful and stay in shelters.
The mayor of Lutsk said the Russian missiles targeted several areas west of Kyiv, most notably Rivnia, Lutsk and Khmelnitsky, and caused blackouts in those areas.
danger of confrontation
Against this backdrop, Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, said that NATO was about to fall into “danger” of direct military confrontation with Russia.
Speaking at the United Nations during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Vorontsov said that “NATO countries prefer to remain silent about their involvement in the Ukraine crisis.”
He also said, “However, these countries are competing to provide support to the Kyiv regime and continue to provide it with weapons, ammunition, intelligence, soldier training and operational support. These are the truths that cannot be hidden. Therefore, they are about to touch on the Dangerous line of direct military confrontation with Russia.”
Vorontsov pointed out that according to the Kiel Institute for World Economic Research, Western military aid to Ukraine totaled $42.3 billion, more than half of which came from the United States.
He also said, “Washington continues to get the most from the ongoing bloodshed. Because the United States is forcing European countries to buy weapons and military equipment from itself and then ship it to Ukraine.”
Iran’s condemnation
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, Tehran strongly condemned requests from France, Germany and the United Kingdom to the United Nations to investigate allegations that Russia used an Iranian-made drone to attack Ukraine.
Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said his alleged allegations by the European trio on Friday were “false and unfounded”. He also said he completely “disapproves and strongly condemns” the move.
On the other hand, in a speech on Saturday 22nd, Iranian President Ibrahim Rahi used a generally defiant tone on the issue of Iranian arms sales, saying that the country is now a “known potential source of weapons” .
On a recent trip abroad, including a trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, he said, “They want the military products we sell, and we asked, there are many other countries, why choose us? They say because your weapons are better. “
Leahy did not specify what type of weapons he was being asked to sell or who contacted him. He said the incident angered Iran’s enemies, who “worry about us invading the market and therefore don’t want us to develop”. He also said, “Let the enemy be angry and be angry and die.”
U.S. officials recently revealed that Russia received Iranian Migrant-6, Shaheed-129, and Shaheed-191 drones in August 2021. But Tehran has always denied this.