Fighting escalated in the vicinity of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, in light of uncertainty about the fate of the strategic region, at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the disbursement of a financial grant to his contract soldiers and those who were called to fight in Ukraine.
The pro-Ukrainian Kherson Regional Council said that Russian forces had halted their work in the main government building in the city, where the fighting has been raging for days.
While local sources indicated that the number of Russian forces in the city decreased recently, with the transfer of some of its mechanisms to the southern bank of the Dnipro River in small batches.
Ukrainian official sources said that Russian forces continue to dismantle medical facilities, equipment and museums in Kherson.
Two weeks ago, the Russian-installed Kherson authorities ordered the city's residents to leave "immediately", in anticipation of an expected advance by Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian army has recaptured large areas in the north of the province since launching a counterattack in late August.
The Ukrainians revealed "new victories" over the past weeks that forced Russian forces to withdraw from several regions.
Russian novel
On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the repulsion of Ukrainian offensive attempts in Kherson, the destruction of a weapons depot in the province, and the downing of a Ukrainian military helicopter.
Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Russian forces also repelled Ukrainian attempts to advance at the Krasnyi Lyman axis in Donetsk and inflicted losses on the attacking forces.
The pro-Russian authorities had confirmed the evacuation of tens of thousands of Kherson residents in anticipation of an attack by Ukrainian forces to restore the city, which fell into the hands of the Russians at the beginning of the war that erupted on February 24, before Moscow announced the annexation of the province with 3 other provinces at the end of September. last September.
Ukrainian soldiers on one of the fighting fronts in southeastern Ukraine (Reuters)
Putin's grant to his soldiers
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a one-time payment of 195,000 rubles ($3,200) to contract soldiers and those called up to fight in Ukraine.
Moscow said last week that the "partial mobilization" campaign of about 300,000 reservists had ended, but acknowledged that some problems had plagued the mobilization process.
In a decree posted on the Kremlin's website, Putin said the amount was intended to "take additional measures of social support" for the recalled contract soldiers, without elaborating.
The minimum monthly wage offered to contract soldiers is 160,000 rubles ($2,700), nearly three times the average wage in Russia.
On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Iran is considering supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine, in addition to the drones that Tehran delivered to Moscow. 8 months.
"We see Iran providing drones and considering delivering ballistic missiles to Russia... This is unacceptable. No country should provide support to Moscow in this illegal war," Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday.