Russian attacks on Kyiv and Dnipro, Wagner boss complains of "chaos" in military leadership

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Destruction caused by Russian shelling in Dnipro during the night

Photo: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE / HANDOUT / EPA

In the morning, air defense systems repelled attacks near Kyiv, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital informs via the Telegram messaging channel. Witnesses report that several explosions were heard in the area around Kyiv, which sounded as if defenses had hit targets. There was an air raid alert throughout Ukraine for over three hours.

The city of Dnipro was also attacked during the night. In a suburb, rescue workers have found the body of a two-year-old girl under the rubble of a house. The authorities also reported 22 injured in the early morning, including five children.

This is what Kiev says

President Volodymyr Zelensky had said in Kyiv in the evening: "Again, Russia has shown that it is a terrorist state." The head of state published a video showing a completely destroyed two-story building. Emergency services were still looking for survivors. According to the authorities, ten private houses, a car, a shop and gas pipelines were also damaged in the town.

Russian missile and drone attacks repeatedly hit civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. According to Zelensky, a bullet hit between two two-story apartment buildings. "The Russians will bear responsibility for everything they have done to our state and the people," Zelenskyy said. In his evening video message, he thanked rescue workers, fighters and all those who contributed to the fight against the Russian invasion, which has been going on for more than 15 months. Zelensky called on people to express their personal gratitude to the soldiers and all those who fought for the existence of Ukraine.

Zelensky sees Ukraine ready for counteroffensive

In an interview, Zelensky said that he sees the country ready for the long-announced counteroffensive to liberate its territories from Russian occupation. "I think we're ready for that today," he told the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. newspaper also published the interview as a video on its website. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine would have liked to have some more weapons for the offensive against the Russian invasion, but could not wait months for them to be delivered.

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"We believe very much in success, I don't know how long we need time," he said. At the same time, he pointed out that it could take time and that the price for success would be high. For months, there has been speculation about the start of the offensive, at times it was said in Kiev that the operation was already underway.

At the same time, Zelensky again called for significantly more US Patriot anti-aircraft systems, in the interview he named the number 50. The Patriot missiles offer the best protection against Russia's terror. "Today, Patriot is the only weapon capable of stopping some of the types of missiles that the Russian Federation is using against our civilian population, schools, infrastructure and energy systems," he told the WSJ. 50 Patriot batteries – and the majority of people don't die." According to the US television channel CNN, Ukraine is currently likely to have two Patriot systems in use.

Zelensky had also published a video on Saturday of a conversation with journalists from Latin America, in which he reiterated that negotiations to end the war were not possible with the current Russian leadership. The only chance for Russia is to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, he said. The 45-year-old reiterated that otherwise he would fight until Ukraine's victory and Russia's defeat in the war. In the event of Russia's defeat, there is a threat of a revolution there, he said.

Drone shot down in Dzhankoy in Crimea, reports official loyal to Moscow

In the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, a drone was shot down on Sunday, according to a Russian-appointed official. As a result of the nightly incident, windows were damaged in several houses in a residential neighborhood, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Moscow-installed administration of Crimea, said via the messaging app Telegram. »All services are working. Official information – in the morning," he writes.

Russia has a military base near Dzhankoi. The city is considered the most important logistical hub of the Russian army in Crimea, from where two railway lines lead from there to the occupied south of Ukraine.

Russian military expands sampling points for war

On the other hand, according to the government, Russia is not thinking of giving up. The Russian Ministry of Defense says it has expanded the number of mustering sites to recruit volunteers for the war effort in Ukraine. There are more such points and more instructors to work with the candidates, the ministry said via Telegram. Thus, more contracts could be concluded with citizens for military service. The number of applicants who "want to combine their lives with military service" has risen "significantly," the statement said.

According to official figures, more than 100,000 Russians had volunteered for military service in recent months as part of an advertising campaign by the Ministry of Defence, about a quarter of the planned number. Under the slogan "Together for victory", the ministry is now hoping for more influx. Tens of thousands have already been killed in the war.

Public criticism of warfare in Russia is growing

In Russia, meanwhile, public criticism of its own warfare is growing because Moscow's troops have no military successes against the resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces. Prominent MP Konstantin Zatulin of the ruling United Russia party lamented at a conference on "What kind of Ukraine do we need?" Failures and mistakes of Moscow.

The "special military operation" should have been called a "war" from the very beginning, Satulin said. It was not only a miscalculation to be able to win the war within a few days; nor has a single Kremlin-issued war goal been achieved.

Such statements by deputies are unusual. However, Zatulin is also in line with the Kremlin, as he supports the war. However, the deputy answered in the affirmative to the question of whether Ukraine will survive as a state. "Because our forces are not enough to prevent this – with such support that it receives," he said, referring to Western aid to Ukraine.

Wagner boss complains of "chaos" in Russian military leadership

The head of the Russian Wagner mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has accused the Russian Defense Ministry of failure. "The ministry is not in a position to do anything because it does not exist. There is chaos in the ministry," he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. He refers in particular to the situation in the Belgorod border region, which is under fire. Prigozhin announced that he would invade the region, which has been shelled for days, with his Wagner troops if the Russian military did not establish order there "as quickly as possible".

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"Peaceful people are dying," says Prigozhin. The population needs protection. "We will not wait for an invitation," Prigozhin stressed. However, the Russian military must provide ammunition. "Otherwise, as they say, we'll be sitting on the frost with our bare asses." That was also the problem in the past: "They didn't give us any grenades. And I have to mourn a great number of deaths."

His dispute with the Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov has now been resolved, says Prigozhin. Recently, there had been threats of violence against Prigozhin from the Chechen army unit. He spoke with Kadyrov on the phone, Prigozhin says, and the conflict had been resolved. However, he does not allow himself to be silenced.

What will be important on Sunday

Ukraine continues to prepare for its large-scale offensive, while regular fighting is concentrated in the Donbas. According to the authorities, the situation also remains tense in the Russian border region, which has been shelled by the Ukrainian side for days. In some cases, entire villages were evacuated there.

mgo/AFP/dpa/Reuters