Today, Monday, Russia welcomed the Vatican's offer of mediation to resolve the conflict with Ukraine, and while Kyiv is preparing to evacuate the residents of the city of Kherson (south) due to Russian bombing and expects new strikes, fierce battles are taking place in the Donbass region (east).

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that his country welcomes what he described as the "political will" expressed by the Vatican to mediate a solution to the conflict, but he ruled out such mediation due to "Kyiv's positions," as he put it.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of refusing to negotiate under the influence of its Western allies, while officials have repeated to the Ukrainians that Russia is closing the doors to negotiations by continuing the war on their country.

And 10 days ago, Pope Francesco reiterated that the Vatican - the smallest sovereign state in the world and the seat of the Catholic Church located in southern Europe in the heart of the Italian capital, Rome - was ready to do anything possible to mediate an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.


Evacuations and violent battles

On the ground, the Ukrainian army said that trains were being prepared to evacuate the residents of Kherson to Khmelnytsky district in the west of the country due to the intensification of Russian bombing of the city, which was recently recovered by Ukrainian forces.

The authorities had called on residents to voluntarily flee Kherson as soon as possible, in light of the escalation of confrontations between Ukrainian and Russian forces on both sides of the Dnipro River in the city.

In the province of Mykolaiv, which in turn is located in the south of the country, the Ukrainian forces talked about the continuation of the Russian bombardment of the Ochakov region, which hosts many water stations.

Also in Zaporizhia, on the southern front, the Ukrainian army confirmed the destruction of 6 units of military equipment and the injury of dozens of Russian soldiers in the bombing of its forces on the positions of the Russians there.

In contrast to Ukrainian statements talking about a possible Russian withdrawal from the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the validity of what was being promoted, and said that there was no need to search for non-existent indications regarding the possibility of withdrawing from the station.

And in the south-central part of the country, the Ukrainian army reported that intensive Russian bombing targeted the infrastructure in Kryvyi Rih and Nikopol, and the army called on the residents there to stay in safe places.

As for Donetsk, in the Donbass region in the east, battles are raging along the front line of the region, which Russian forces control large parts of.

The pro-Russian authorities said that the Ukrainian forces targeted the Leninsky and Petrovsky districts in the city of Donetsk with six artillery shells.

Zelensky with British Prime Minister Ritchie Sunak in Kyiv (Reuters)

New hits and a long winter

In terms of military developments as well, Ukrainian officials expected today, Monday, that their country would be exposed to a new wave of Russian bombing this week.

Previous waves of Russian bombing focused on vital installations, led by power stations, causing power outages for millions of Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian people need to prepare for a long and difficult winter punctuated by Russian attacks.

Zelensky added that the Russian army will not stop firing missiles, and that Russia is trying to use winter and cold as a weapon against people, as he put it.

He added that the Ukrainian army is preparing to counter the attacks as best it can, saying that the Ukrainians should prepare to help each other in the coming months.


High precision weapons

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted US sources as saying that the Pentagon is studying a proposal from Boeing to supply Ukraine with precision bombs with a range of more than 160 kilometers, while the West is making unremitting efforts to meet the demand for more weapons. .

These bombs are accurate, small and cheap, and are mounted on missiles that are widely available, allowing Kiev to strike behind Russian lines. These bombs can be delivered as early as the spring of 2023.

Washington had provided Kyiv with advanced weapons, including the Himars missile system and air defense systems, which helped Ukrainian forces contain Russian attacks.

In turn, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it had provided Ukraine with high-precision "Brimstone-2" surface-to-air missiles, as part of its military aid package to Kiev, and said that this aid package played a decisive role in obstructing the Russian advance.