Iruni Kalupahana JadeTimes Staff
I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Russia-Ukraine war
Ukrainian forces have achieved a significant victory in their struggle against Russian aggression by recapturing the settlement of Kotlyne near the strategic city of Pokrovsk. It is a big win in Ukraine's campaign of defense because Russian forces have been unable to take Pokrovsk for over a year. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicated that the Russian effort to capture the city has failed and that it has now apparently directed its focus toward greater encirclement operations. However, the Ukrainian resistance as well as the heavy Russian casualty toll seem to have caused Moscow to reconsider strategy. In response, Russia has announced the recapture of Pogrebki and Orlovka, both near the town of Sudzha in the Kursk province. The region had been contested ever since Ukrainian forces first appeared in Russian territory in August 2024. The Russian defense ministry claimed that it had attacked Ukrainian forces in over a dozen locations, including areas near Sudzha. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine's ongoing hold on a buffer zone within Russian-occupied territory, highlighting the innovation and endurance of his troops.
Ukraine stepped up attempts at counterattack by launching drone attacks on key Russian installations. Among these were attacks on the Tuapse oil refinery along the Black Sea coast, with at least 40 explosions reported. The refinery, one of Russia's largest, had previously been bombed on several occasions. Ukraine also reported attacks on Russian occupied Crimea's military airfields, but no further details were provided. Russia also corroborated these reports, stating that drones had bombed the Krasnodar region, the Tuapse port facility, and the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Russian airstrikes have, in the meantime, continued to kill and cause destruction in Ukraine. One missile strike at the city of Kostyantynivka in the east killed at least five people and injured eight others. Two individuals, including news agency Ukrinform reporter Tetiana Kulyk, were killed by Russian drones outside Kyiv. Two were injured in drone attacks in Kharkiv, and Ukraine's largest private utility company, DTEK, said one of its power plants in the Dnipropetrovsk region was hit in Russian strikes.
Diplomatic negotiations on the security of Ukraine continue to gain pace. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reaffirmed that any potential peace agreement must include security guarantees with NATO. A draft US-Ukrainian agreement was reported to lack explicit security commitments but has a mechanism for their prospective implementation. Meloni emphasized that peace can never be permanent if Ukraine is not provided with adequate security guarantees to prevent future conflict. Former US President Donald Trump had signaled that a significant agreement with Ukraine would be signed in Washington on Friday. But Zelenskyy stressed that peace and security guarantees are at the heart of any resolution. He also stressed the importance of sustained US assistance, as he stated that there is a need for strength in order to tread the road to peace. Zelenskyy suggested the agreement could serve as a precedent for broader security guarantees from both the US and European powers. Trump insisted Europe should, however, take the lead in ensuring such support and push Ukraine to abandon its ambitions of joining NATO.
During his ongoing diplomacy, Zelenskyy will travel to the United Kingdom to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders. His trip to London follows a series of planned talks in Washington, where he will meet with US officials, including Trump. Starmer, also set to meet Trump, will host a broader European meeting on his return from Washington, and once again stressing diplomatic coordination between Ukraine and its Western allies. To offset the rising security threats as a result of Russia's drone strikes, Romania's parliament has authorized the nation's military and allied forces to shoot down any unauthorized drones that penetrate its airspace. The EU and NATO member state has repeatedly found Russian drone components on its ground as Moscow continues to launch attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure. This move is an indication of increased dedication to defending the sovereignty of Romania and averting further escalation of the conflict in the area.
Comments