Ukraine calls on residents of Kherson and Zaporozhye to evacuate their areas.. British intelligence: Russia is mobilizing its forces in preparation for a new attack

On Saturday morning, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Verychuk called on the residents of Kherson and Zaporizhia, which are under Russian control, to evacuate as soon as possible.

While British intelligence said that Russia is moving its reserve forces from different parts of the country to the Ukrainian border.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army announced that the Russian forces tried to achieve a breakthrough towards the Ukrainian forces in the Knyazka and Olgani regions in Kherson, but the attempt failed.

The Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement that the Russian forces also tried to take control of the power plant in the Voleherska region, east of Donetsk province, but were repelled by the Ukrainian forces.

And she added that the Russian forces are carrying out offensive operations and trying to advance near the Hrigoryivka area, in the northeast of the province, where the battles are continuing, while the infrastructure in Kramatorsk is being bombed.

On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced, on Saturday, the downing of two Ukrainian Air Force fighters, "Su-25-" and 15 drones, and the destruction of a number of weapons stores, during the past day.

The Ministry of Defense said, in a statement, that the Russian aviation, missile and artillery forces targeted 22 positions of the operational command in Ukraine, including the 98th battalion of the Defense Brigade in the Novovorontsovka region of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the 16th mechanized brigade in the Pokrovsky region of Donetsk, and a concentration point. For foreign mercenaries in Kharkiv.

Russian crowd

On the other hand, the British Military Intelligence said that the Russian reserve forces were moved to the Ukrainian border in anticipation of future offensive operations.

And he suggested - in a series of tweets on Twitter - that a large proportion of the new Russian infantry units are being transported with MT-LP armored vehicles.

In Kherson, southern Ukraine, the Russian administration decided to activate air defenses over the city in response to the launch of Ukrainian missiles from the neighboring Mykolaiv province.

In the neighboring province of Zaporozhye, the Russian military administration accused Kyiv of cutting off gas supplies to the city.

American aid

In turn, the US Department of Defense announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $400 million.

A senior Pentagon official explained - during an unfilmed briefing - that the aid includes high-precision artillery shells, and includes 4 Hymers launchers with their ammunition.

In addition to the 1,000 high-precision 155-millimeter shells that America is supplying for the first time to Ukraine, the Pentagon expects that it will represent a development in the Donbass battle.

The Pentagon official explained that the new aid brings the total number of Hymers launchers to 12, denying that the Russians destroyed any of them.

A senior Pentagon official also said that Russian forces were making slow and uneven progress north of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

The US official added that the Russian forces did not extend their control over Ukraine's airspace, noting that Russia now has from 10 to 15 tactical battalions in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.

He explained that the Russian forces suffered heavy losses in eastern Ukraine, saying that it was not clear whether they could take the war outside the borders of the Donbass region.

Prolonging the conflict

Politically, the Russian embassy in the United States said that behind the expected US shipment of 4 "HIMARS" missile systems to Ukraine is Washington's unbridled desire to prolong the conflict at any cost.

The embassy added in a statement Saturday that Washington is actively seeking to compensate for the increasing losses of the ultra-nationalist (Ukrainian) battalions and the armed forces.

On the other hand, the chief Ukrainian negotiator, Mikhailo Podolyak, said - in the stalled talks with Moscow - that the Russian army was forced to stop its operations to resupply its forces, as well as because of the losses it had incurred.

"Obviously they have to redeploy and bring in new forces and weapons, which is very good. There is a turning point that is forming because we are proving that we will attack storage facilities and command centers," Podolyak told Ukraine's 24 TV channel.

In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia has lost its influence in the European Union, and that most EU countries are not under Russian control, considering this a new political reality in Europe.

Zelensky added - during a speech to the people of Slovenia - that Ukraine and its European allies are achieving new unity on the continent on the basis of new and strong steps, as he put it.