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Sirens sounded today, Friday, in Kiev, coinciding with the visit of an African delegation to Ukraine to mediate the war, and while the Ukrainian forces announced that they had achieved significant field gains in the last hours, the Russian army said that they had suffered heavy losses in lives and equipment.
Russian missiles were fired at Kiev today and at least one explosion was heard, said the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Vitaliy Klitschko, coinciding with a visit by an African delegation to the country to mediate the conflict.
“An explosion took place in the Podil district of the capital. Rockets are still flying towards Kiev,” Klitschko said on Telegram. Sirens sounded, while reporters of the French Press Agency heard explosions.
And arrived in Ukraine today, Friday, African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and went earlier to the city of Bucha, which Kiev accuses the Russian army of committing a massacre there.
And the South African presidency published on Twitter videos showing some of the movements of African leaders, and said that President “Ramaphosa and other African heads of state and government participating in the peace mission in the city of Bucha.”
Moscow terms
In response to the African effort, the official Russian Information Agency quoted the Kremlin as saying today, Friday, that President Vladimir Putin is still open to any contacts to discuss a solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “President Putin was and remains open to any contacts to discuss possible scenarios for resolving the Ukrainian problem.”
The African delegation is scheduled to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today before meeting Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova addressed Moscow’s conditions for resolving the crisis, which are:
- Kyiv’s return to neutrality.
- Confirmation of its non-nuclear status.
- Recognition of the new regions annexed by Russia in accordance with current realities.
- Guarantee the basic rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainian citizens and representatives of minorities, including the official status of the Russian language.
- cessation of hostilities.
- Western countries stopped supplying Kiev with weapons.
The field situation.. conflicting accounts
On the ground, a senior Ukrainian military commander said on Thursday that his forces had regained control of more than 100 square kilometers of territory in their counterattack against Russian forces.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian General Staff, General Oleksiy Hurumov, confirmed in a press statement that in the first stages of the offensive – which Ukraine said began last week – 7 residential communities were liberated in Donetsk in the east of the country and in Zaporizhia in the south.
“We are ready to continue fighting to liberate our lands with our hands only,” Khromov added.
Military officials stated that the Ukrainian army advanced up to 3 kilometers near the village of Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia sector, and up to 7 kilometers near a village in the south of Velika Novoselka in the Donetsk sector.
But the Russian army did not recognize the Ukrainian advance, and announced today, Friday, that it had inflicted heavy losses on the Ukrainian forces during its attacks on the axes of Donetsk and its south.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that its forces thwarted 5 Ukrainian attacks on the Donetsk axis.
Money and missiles
On the level of Western support for Ukraine, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense said in a statement yesterday, Thursday, that Norway and Denmark agreed to donate 9,000 additional artillery shells to Ukraine.
The ministry added that Norway will provide the missiles, while Denmark will donate fuses and propellant charges.
Norway will also donate 7,000 shells from its own stocks, which have already been sent to Ukraine, according to the ministry.
The ministry stated that the shells can be used in several types of artillery, including the M109, which Norway donated before.
Reuters also quoted the German Defense Minister as saying that his country would provide 64 additional Patriot missiles to Ukraine.
In the same context, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Canada pledged to provide 500 million dollars in military aid to Ukraine, including surface-to-air missiles.
“Our top priority now is providing Ukraine’s needs for air defense systems,” Austin added, noting that his country has provided “distinguished training and great capabilities for the Ukrainian army in its war against Russia.”
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