The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian air defense systems shot down, for the first time in the airspace of the special military operation area, a new Ukrainian tactical missile "Grom-2".

The Russian agency Sputnik quoted a statement by the ministry, that during the past 24 hours, a new Ukrainian tactical missile "Grom-2" and 3 shells from the "Himars" launchers were intercepted, and two Ukrainian drones were destroyed, in the areas of the towns of Novoandrievka and Zeloni Gay, in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

The Groom is a tactical missile system developed by Ukraine that premiered in 2013 at several international arms exhibitions. According to the developers, the range of the missile reaches 50 to 500 kilometers. In recent years, prototypes of this missile have participated in Independence Day shows in Kiev, according to the same source.


NATO meeting

The US State Department said on Thursday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels between the third and fifth of next April, a meeting in which he will emphasize continued US support for Ukraine and transatlantic security.

The ministry said in a statement that while in Brussels, Blinken will meet with EU foreign policy chief and European Commission
Vice President Josep Borrell, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

During more than a year of war on Ukraine, NATO has provided significant military and material support to Kiev, and most of its members have confirmed that they will continue to support them until victory over Russia.

Lavrov to Turkey

In a related context, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will conduct an official visit to Turkey on April 6 and 7.

Zakharova indicated at a press conference in the Russian capital Moscow on Thursday that Lavrov will travel to Turkey for a two-day visit - April 6 and 7 - at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

During the meetings, bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest will be discussed, including trade, energy, tourism, and many different issues, she said.

Lavrov will discuss in Turkey many files, especially the file of the war in Ukraine (Reuters)

Current international issues will be discussed, including the situation in Ukraine, Syria and Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, as well as talks on Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin may visit Turkey on April 27 to inaugurate the country's first nuclear power reactor, built by the Russian state nuclear energy company ROSATOM.

In more than a year of war in Ukraine, Turkey has sought a settlement between the warring parties, and succeeded in reaching a grain export agreement across the Black Sea between Moscow and Kiev under the auspices of the United Nations.

Predictions for the course of the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the coming months of the war could be more active, and noted that his administration is doing its best to ensure that the support provided to his country is more effective.

Ukraine acknowledged that Russia had made some gains inside the eastern city of Pakhmut, while insisting on Thursday that it was inflicting more losses on Russian attackers than its forces in defending the city.

Pakhmot, a small mining town, has become the site of Europe's most intense infantry battles since World War II, as Russian forces seek their first victory since mid-2022 in a massive winter offensive.

Ukraine has been on the defensive for nearly five months, but says it plans to launch a counteroffensive soon.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a report late on Wednesday that "enemy forces have achieved a degree of success in their movements aimed at storming the city of Bakhmut." "Our defenders control the city and repel many enemy attacks."