Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu conducted an assessment of the military operation in Ukraine, while Moscow accused Washington of being directly involved in the war by coordinating with Kyiv, providing it with missiles and discussing the targeted areas, and NATO is also looking into providing more military aid.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that the ship loaded with grain coming from Ukraine arrived at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, and docked at the place designated for it, waiting for it to undergo procedures before reaching its last stop, Lebanon.
Shoigu stressed that the Russian military operation in Ukraine continues as planned, noting that after the completion of the separatist Lugansk Republic, the focus is on the operations to liberate the Donetsk Republic, as he put it.
During a meeting with the commanders of the military formations of the Ministry of Defense, Shoigu noted that uncontrolled Western arms deliveries to Ukraine seriously threaten the security of the region.
He said that the total losses of the Ukrainian side from foreign weapons amounted to 33 artillery "howitzers" and five "Harpoon" anti-ship missile systems, as well as 6 platforms for "HIMARS" launchers and more than 200 missiles designated for them.
Shoigu also noted that over the past two weeks, the Ukrainian forces had lost about 400 Javelin and Lau anti-tank missile systems, and 125 portable Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems.
direct responsibility
In the same context, the Russian Defense Ministry said it holds the administration of US President Joe Biden responsible for the missile attacks carried out by Kyiv.
The ministry added that Washington is directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict by agreeing with the Ukrainian forces on the targets that the US "HIMARS" systems should hit.
The Russian Defense Ministry indicated that dozens of strikes on Donetsk were carried out using the American "HIMARS" systems.
On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he had contacted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about priorities for military support, and the need for NATO and allies to provide more assistance to Ukraine faster.
Stoltenberg added that he and Zelensky also discussed the first shipment of grain since the Russian operation and the need to fully implement the Turkey-sponsored deal.
new aid
For its part, the US administration announced a new military aid package to Ukraine worth $550 million.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the new military aid package includes more ammunition for the HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and 155mm artillery systems.
Blinken explained that the Ukrainian forces are effectively using these weapons on the battlefield to defend their country.
He stated that the new aid package raises the total US military assistance to Ukraine to about 8 billion and 700 million dollars since Biden took office.
Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefront in Kharkiv (Anatolia)
Battles intensify
On the ground, the Ukrainian army said that the pace of battles with the Russian side is witnessing a noticeable increase in the south of the country, especially in Mykolaiv and the entire Kherson regions.
And the Ukrainian army announced in a statement that its forces had recaptured more than 50 towns in the vicinity of Kherson that were under the control of Russian forces.
He also announced that his forces repelled Russian counter-attacks on more than one axis between Mykolaiv and Kherson, and destroyed 4 Russian ammunition depots, a military base, anti-aircraft missile complex and self-propelled guns.
In parallel, the Ukrainian Defense Minister announced that the army had received 4 American "HIMARS" missile launchers, in addition to new German missile systems.
In Kharkiv, Al-Jazeera correspondent said that heavy shelling took place between Ukrainian and Russian forces in several towns in the northeast of the region.
Igor Senegubov, head of the Ukrainian Military Administration in Kharkiv Province, explained that the Russian forces advanced from two axes northeast of the province, before the Ukrainian forces forced them to retreat.
The Ukrainian official accused the Russian forces of bombing a factory in the city of Chugov, south of Kharkiv, and destroying homes and civilian facilities in a number of towns.
Azov Battalion
On the other hand, the Russian Supreme Court on Tuesday classified the Ukrainian Azov battalion as a "terrorist organization", which could lead to its captured fighters being subjected to severe trials in Russia.
The Russian "TASS" news agency quoted the Supreme Court judge as saying that he had decided "to fulfill the administrative request of the Prosecutor General's Office, to recognize the Ukrainian paramilitary unit Azov as a terrorist organization and to ban its activities in the Russian Federation."
According to Russian law, leaders of a "terrorist organization" face 15 to 20 years in prison, and ordinary members 5 to 10 years.
grain ship
In another context, the first shipment of Ukrainian grain since the start of the Russian military operation on February 24 arrived off the northern coast of Istanbul on the Black Sea this evening, Tuesday, according to the AFP team.
It is scheduled to inspect the ship "Razoni", which departed from Odessa in southern Ukraine and is flying the Sierra Leone flag, Russian and Ukrainian officials tomorrow, Wednesday, before delivering its shipment of 26,000 tons of corn to Tripoli in northern Lebanon, as indicated by the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
This is the first shipment to leave Ukrainian ports under the agreement signed last July 22 in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, brokered by Turkey and under the auspices of the United Nations, with the aim of alleviating the impact of the global food crisis and the rise in grain prices due to the suspension of movement in Ukrainian ports.
An AFP team at the site said the 186-meter-long boat arrived just before 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT).
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the boat is expected "at the entrance to the Bosphorus at around 21:00" (18:00 GMT).