Kyiv confirms the restoration of 500 square kilometers in the south of the country

Russia: The war on Ukraine continues until it achieves its goals, and there is no possibility of negotiation

Drone footage of destroyed buildings and damaged vehicles as a result of a Russian attack on the Kharkiv region.

Reuters

Russia said that its war in Ukraine is continuing, and there is no possibility of negotiating with Kyiv, while Ukraine confirmed that it has regained 500 square kilometers in the south of the country.

According to the Russian Interfax news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that "the special military operation will continue... and it will continue until all the goals that were initially set are achieved."

In response to a question about the prospects for peace talks with Kyiv, Peskov said that "there is no possibility of negotiation."

Russia's TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin is receiving reports on all matters going on in the special military operation, including the regrouping of Russian forces.

"Of course everything happens," he said. "Any order that the army does during the special operation is reported to the commander in chief."

Moscow's goals in the war include complete control of the Luhansk and Donbass regions in eastern Ukraine.

However, the Russian army came under Ukrainian counter-attacks, and its forces were largely withdrawn from the Kharkiv region in the east.

The Kremlin spokesman did not make any statements about the publication of the dismissal of the commander of the Western Military District.

"It (the matter) should be referred to the Defense Ministry," Peskov said.

Last Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the withdrawal of its forces from strategic towns in the south of the Kharkiv region.

It justified this by saying that its units should be strengthened in the Donetsk region.

On the other hand, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said yesterday, in statements carried by the TASS news agency, that "the Kyiv regime has incurred more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers killed and up to 1,000 wounded."

In addition, the Russian Air Force bombed units of the 63rd Mechanized Brigade and the 46th Air Assault Brigade near Kostromka and Belogorka in the southern Kherson region, he added.

A depot of Ukrainian forces containing 45 thousand tons of ammunition was also destroyed in the Nikolaev region.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting on economic issues that Russia is confidently overcoming external pressure and "financial and technological aggression" on the part of some countries.

And the Bloomberg news agency quoted Putin as saying that the monthly changes in the main indicators show that the economy is gradually stabilizing and entering a growth path.

He added that companies are returning to the normal pace of work.

He explained that low inflation will continue.

Putin noted that the unemployment rate has recorded historic lows, but that people at risk of unemployment are increasing.

Putin said the priority is to maintain macroeconomic stability.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian army confirmed yesterday that, during its two-week counter-offensive, it had recovered 500 square kilometers from Russian forces in the Kherson region in the south of the country, in the first official assessment in numbers of Ukrainian gains.

"Our achievements in the last two weeks are convincing," said Natalia Guminok, a spokeswoman for the army in southern Ukraine.

We have liberated 500 square kilometres, especially in the towns of Visokopylya, Belogirka, Sukhi, Stavok and Mirolubivka.

In another context, the European Union's suspension of the agreement to facilitate the issuance of visas for Russians entered into force yesterday, as Russian citizens lost the possibility of obtaining visas under an agreement that allows them to have relatively easy access to the European Schengen area.

The European Council adopted a proposal to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia last week.

The move will significantly reduce the number of new visas that will be issued to Russians in order to enter the Schengen area, which includes 22 European Union countries and four European countries.

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