Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting in various parts of Ukraine, and many civilians have fled the country. We will update the situation in Ukraine from time to time on the 27th (Japan time), including the status of the battle and diplomacy of the countries concerned.
(There is a 6-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)
Russian Ministry of Defense announces the shooting down of a drone of the Ukrainian army
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 26th that it had shot down a drone of the Ukrainian army in Tula Oblast, about 200 kilometers south of the capital Moscow.
The Ministry of Defense claimed that the drone that shot down was a "Tupolev 141" developed during the former Soviet era and crashed into a residential area. In this connection, Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted local authorities as saying that three people were injured and three houses were damaged in an explosion caused by the drone crash.
In Russia, air bases in the south and center were attacked by drones believed to be by the Ukrainian military last December, and the Russian side is increasing its vigilance.
Putin insists China-Russia relations do not pose a threat to the West
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state media that he "does not have any military alliances" with China and that he does not pose a threat to the West. He argued that "in the field of military technology we cooperate, but there is transparency, and there are no secrets in it."
On the other hand, Putin criticized NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization for expanding its influence in the Asia-Pacific region, and said, "Western experts, not us, point out that the West is aiming to form a new axis similar to that created by Germany, Italy and Japan in the 1930s." However, he did not provide a specific basis.
Ukraine calls for emergency meeting of Security Council against Russia's nuclear deployment policy
In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned it as "a new provocation by the Putin administration" and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
He also called on the G7=7 countries and the EU=European Union, including Japan, to warn the Belarusian government that accepting tactical nuclear weapons from Russia would result in enormous losses.
Bakhmut The number of Russian attacks has decreased in the last two days
A spokesman for the Eastern Area Unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine appeared on a local TV station on the 26th to explain the situation in Bakhmut, the fierce battlefield in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
"There were 18 attacks yesterday in Bahumt as a whole, 17 today, and 35 to more than 50 before that," the spokesman said, revealing that the number of attacks by Russia has decreased over the past two days.
While detailed analysis is needed as to explain the reasons for this, he emphasized that "the situation is stabilized by anticipating and controlling the enemy's actions," and that the Russian movement is being monitored and attacks such as destroying tanks and ammunition depots to prevent advancement.