Russia threatened to storm 5 besieged cities, including the Ukrainian capital, and said that its forces would focus on completing the control of the Donbass region, while Ukraine confirmed that it inflicted many losses on the Russian army and forced it to retreat.
Despite Turkey's talk that its diplomatic efforts could lead to a settlement, Kyiv was pessimistic about a breakthrough soon.
A month after the start of the Russian war on Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the killing of 1,351 Russian soldiers since the start of the war, in exchange for the deaths of 14,000 dead and 16,000 wounded in the ranks of the Ukrainian army, confirming the completion of the main objectives of the first phase of the military operation.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the Ukrainian air force and air defense systems had been almost completely destroyed, and that the navy was no longer with Ukraine.
The Russian General Staff said that its forces will focus their efforts on controlling the Donbass region, adding that the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mykolaiv are besieged, without ruling out the possibility of storming them.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian forces inflicted heavy losses on the Russian army, and that they continue to defend Donbass, Kharkiv, Kiev and their suburbs, stressing that they are forcing the Russian forces to retreat.
Politically, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, and said that he would make another call with his Russian counterpart, considering that Russia and Ukraine could reach a settlement on 4 of the 6 issues discussed.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba commented that there is no consensus with Russia on the four points mentioned by the Turkish president.
Here are the latest developments on the 31st day of this war:
4 hours ago
Al-Jazeera correspondent: The official authorities in Kyiv are sending instructions to citizens to stay at home and close windows.
4 hours ago
Wall Street Journal: Washington will impose sanctions on companies that provide technological services to the Russian military and intelligence services.
4 hours ago
Senior Pentagon official:
Russian forces halted ground operations towards Kyiv, and concentrated attacks in the Donbass region.
Russia's focus on Donbass may be a bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations.
We have seen a movement of Russian troops from Georgia to Ukraine, and we cannot provide their numbers.