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 17th (Japan time), including the status of the fighting and the diplomacy of the countries concerned.
(There is a 6-hour time difference between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)
African countries to send delegations to Russia and Ukraine
South African President Ramaphosa announced on the 16th that he would send delegations from African countries to both Russia and Ukraine to realize peace.
This was what President Ramaphosa said at a joint press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is visiting South Africa.
President Ramaphosa held telephone talks with President Putin of Russia and President Zelensky of Ukraine one after another, and both sides agreed to dispatch a delegation.
The leaders of five countries, including Senegal and Egypt, also endorsed the delegation.
South Africa has not explicitly condemned Russia's military aggression and has been criticized for being pro-Russia, including joint military exercises in February.
In addition, the Ukrainian side has not wavered from its position that there can be no ceasefire unless Russian troops completely withdraw from its territory, and it is unclear whether it will be able to present an effective peace plan by dispatching a delegation at this time.
Russian Ministry of Defense "Kinzhal hits Patriot deployed in Kyiv"
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 16th that the "Kinzhal" hit the surface-to-air missile system "Patriot" deployed in Kyiv, but a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force told local media that "we will not comment, we will leave it alone."
Speaking over the fierce battle ground of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Commander Silsky of the Ukrainian Army described the fighters of the Russian private military company Wagener as "like rats in a trap" and encouraged his troops to continue their defensive operations and turn to counterattacks.
Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense Mallar also emphasized on SNS on the 16th that part of the northern and southern suburbs of Bakhmut had been recaptured, but wrote that "at the same time, the enemy is destroying the city with artillery and deploying empty units of the regular army," making it clear that fierce fighting is still continuing.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Confident of "Intercepting All Russian Missiles"
In Ukraine, on the 16th, the Russian military intensively carried out missile attacks in various places, including the capital Kyiv.
In response, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that all 18 missiles fired were intercepted, including six "Kinzhal" missiles that the Russian side considers to be hypersonic missiles.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Reznikov posted on social media that "we have achieved incredible success again" and expressed confidence that we can counter with weapons provided by the West.
The Ukrainian Air Force initially said that it would be extremely difficult to intercept the "Kinzhal", but then announced on the 6th of this month that it shot down for the first time, and Defense Minister Reznikov also appealed for the improvement of the Ukrainian air defense capability.