Live: Ukraine moving forward, talks between US and Russian defense ministers

Europe 1 with AFP 9 a.m., October 22, 2022

kyiv has claimed new advances in the strategic region of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine from which Russia began to evacuate the civilian population on Friday, the day the American and Russian defense ministers spoke by telephone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Friday evening in a video the "good results" of his army in this region where, he said, more than thirty Russian armored vehicles were captured.

Russian Defense Ministers Sergei Shoigu and American Lloyd Austin meanwhile had a telephone conversation, after which the head of the Pentagon stressed the need to keep "communication channels" open.

Information to remember:

• Volodymyr Zelensky claims the "good results" of the Ukrainian army in the Kherson region

• Over 30 Russian tanks captured in southern Ukraine

• First telephone exchange in months between the Russian and American defense ministers

• The Russian authorities announced the death of four people, including two journalists, during a night bombardment on a bridge in Kherson

• Ukraine on Friday called for an international observation mission at the Kakhovka dam, upstream from Kherson, where it accuses Russia of "consciously preparing the ground for a large-scale disaster"

Lloyd Austin also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov, reiterating "the United States' unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine's ability to counter Russian aggression."

On the ground, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, reported "88 localities taken over" from Russian forces in the Kherson region.

The Russian authorities announced for their part the death of four people, including two journalists, during a night bombardment on a bridge spanning the Dnieper river in Kherson.

Russian television broadcast images of a damaged car and a traffic jam of vehicles waiting to cross the river.

The Ukrainian army denied having targeted civilians: "We are not hitting essential infrastructure, we are not hitting peaceful settlements and the local population," said a spokeswoman, Natalia Goumeniouk.

Pro-Russian forces urged civilians to move to the left bank of the Dnieper in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The pro-Russian administration plans to evacuate "50,000 to 60,000" people in a few days.

"The city of Kherson, like a fortress, is preparing its defense," said a Russian occupation official in Kherson, Kirill Stremoussov.

Kherson is the first major city to be taken by Russian forces at the start of their offensive launched on February 24.

Belarus, Iran

Ukraine on Friday called for an international observation mission at the Kakhovka dam, upstream from Kherson on the Dnieper River, where it accuses Russia of "consciously preparing the ground for a large-scale disaster".

Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russian forces of having "undermined the dam and the units of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station", one of the largest infrastructures of its kind in Ukraine.

The Russian occupation authorities in Kherson have denied any mining of the dam.

Struck in its energy infrastructure for ten days as winter approaches, confronted with Russian forces in the south and east, Ukraine was also alarmed on Thursday by the possible opening of a new front in north, from Belarus.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reacted on Friday by saying that his country "did not need" a war with Ukraine, by visiting a military training center.

Tehran for its part advised its nationals in Ukraine on Friday to leave "in view of the intensification of military clashes and the increase in insecurity", according to the Iranian agency Tasnim.

Iran is accused by the West of supplying drones to Russia, and three European countries - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - demanded on Friday, in a letter addressed to the UN, an investigation "impartial" on Iranian drones.

The European Union, which announced new sanctions against Iran, assured this week that it had "enough evidence".

Moscow and Tehran strongly denied on Wednesday after a closed meeting of the Security Council any partnership on these weapons, Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones.

The United States went further in its accusations on Thursday, the White House claiming that Iranian soldiers were in Crimea to help the Russians in the handling of kamikaze drones launched against cities and infrastructure in Ukraine.

EU financial support

On the ground, in addition to the situation in the Kherson region, the Ukrainian authorities reported Russian bombardments on Friday morning on the cities of Kharkiv (northeast) and Zaporijjia (southeast).

“The enemy launched a rocket attack on the city of Kharkiv (in particular) by hitting an industrial infrastructure,” according to regional governor Oleg Sinegoubov.

The governor of Zaporijjia, Oleksandre Starouk, reported on Telegram about "rocket strikes on the city".

In Russia, it was the governor of the Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, Viatcheslav Goudkov, who mentioned on Telegram a Ukrainian bombardment on an industrial zone which injured one person.

On the issue of grain exports, the blockage of which had caused world prices to soar before an agreement in July, the Ukrainian president accused Russia of purposely delaying the passage of ships loaded with Ukrainian grain, a vital supply for many. African and Asian countries.

"More than 150 ships are in a queue to fulfill contractual obligations to supply our agricultural products. This is an artificial queue, which has arisen only because Russia deliberately delays the passage of ships “, Mr. Zelensky said in a video.

Russia and Ukraine had agreed in July to resume Ukrainian grain exports, halted since the start of the war, after a UN-sponsored deal with Turkey.

Russia later criticized the deal, saying its own exports were hampered by the sanctions.

The European Union has said it plans to provide 1.5 billion euros a month in aid to Ukraine in 2023 to support the country at war, for a total of 18 billion for the year.