Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed the continuation of the Russian military operation in Ukraine until all the goals set by Russian President Vladimir Putin are achieved, while Turkey, along with Russia and Ukraine, is seeking a solution to ensure safe paths for ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports.
The Russian Defense Minister indicated during a meeting with officials in the Ministry of Defense, that the West continues to supply Ukraine with weapons to prolong the conflict in Ukraine, he said.
On the ground, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported hearing sirens in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Wednesday morning.
Explosions also rocked the center of the southern province of Mykolaiv, on Tuesday.
Al-Jazeera correspondent said that one of the Ukrainian military units in the canton was targeted, and plumes of smoke and flames were widely seen rising from it.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it targeted a site for the concentration of foreign mercenaries in the Mykolaiv region, according to a statement by the Russian Ministry.
In the Donbass, the British intelligence service said that the battle in the region was decided by Russian artillery by leveling towns and cities with the ground, and that this approach was continued later.
The Ukrainian army stated that it is working to rehabilitate what it says are Russian equipment that it seized during the confrontations.
Reconstruction
Sergei Gaidai, the regional governor of Ukraine's Lugansk region, said that Russian forces were engaged in heavy fighting and were advancing towards the Donetsk region after capturing the last two towns in neighboring Lugansk.
Gaidai said that the Russian forces suffered heavy losses during the long operation to control the cities of Severodonetsk and Lychansk, but they are directing their efforts towards moving south.
"Heavy fighting continues on the outskirts of the Lugansk region... All forces of the Russian army and reserve forces have been redirected there... They are suffering heavy losses," he told Ukrainian television.
In a parallel context, there is increasing talk about the cost of the war and the requirements for future reconstruction.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal said that the cost of the war may amount to at least 750 billion dollars, and added to the Conference on Supporting Ukraine, which was held in Lugano, Switzerland, that his country is working with its partners to enact national and international legislation that enables the confiscation of frozen Russian funds.
Donor countries are seeking to collect the amount of reconstruction, but they have linked their support to conducting a set of reforms and maintaining transparency.
Safe paths
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he will intensify his contacts with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents during the coming period, in the context of reaching a solution to ensure safe paths for ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports.
This came during a joint press conference held by Erdogan with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in the capital, Ankara.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said it was necessary to open safe routes for the departure of grain ships from Ukrainian ports.
Draghi also stressed that these ships should not be attacked, and that they should not transfer weapons in fulfillment of the conditions set by Russia, as he put it.