Zelenskyj called on Ukrainians to be particularly vigilant in the coming days. “Therefore, please heed the air-raid signals, help each other and always look out for one another.” At the same time, he issued an unusually sharp warning to Russia. “The citizens of Russia must clearly understand that terrorism never goes unanswered,” he said – without further elaborating.
According to Ukrainian sources, the target of Russian attacks on Saturday was the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson. At least five people were killed and around 20 injured, according to the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
“This is terrorism”
Reporters from the AFP news agency reported a series of bombings that hit the central market and adjacent streets in Kherson. The attack was not aimed at military facilities, according to Zelenskyj, who again spoke of terror on Telegram. “This is not a war by the established rules. This is terror, this is killing for intimidation and for pleasure.”
The city was liberated by the Ukrainian army on November 11 after eight months of Russian occupation. Since then, Kherson has been under Ukrainian control again, but in recent weeks it has been the target of Russian attacks on a regular basis. These were aimed in particular at the energy infrastructure.
Ukraine: Ten Months War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns of possible Russian attacks during the holidays. In addition to the war in Ukraine, the government in Russia is itself conducting another campaign, against those who think differently.
Great damage when attacking power supply
In recent weeks, the Russian military has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy supply network with cruise missiles, rockets and drones. Despite the high number of Ukrainian air defenses shot down, the attacks caused extensive damage, resulting in extensive power and water supply failures.
Most recently, the Ukrainian military leadership had repeatedly warned of possible new rocket attacks on the country’s infrastructure and energy supply. Among other things, the military pointed out on Friday that a Russian fleet was underway in the Black Sea, which also included a warship equipped with cruise missiles.
More drone deliveries to Russia?
In this context, the Ukrainian leadership on Saturday called for the “liquidation” of Iranian arms factories that produce drones and missiles and supply them to Russia. Iran “obviously humiliates the institution of international sanctions,” said Mykhailo Podoliak, who also worked as an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, and who at the same time accused Iran of planning further arms deliveries to Russia on the short message service Twitter.
According to Ukraine, Iran has already delivered 1,700 Shahed-136 drones to Russia. These have been used since September to hit targets in Ukraine. Iran denies the allegation. In an interview published on Friday, Ukraine’s intelligence chief said Russia had already fired around 540 of these drones at targets of Ukraine’s military and energy infrastructure.
London: Russia is short on ammunition
According to British military intelligence services, Russian troops in Ukraine continue to lack ammunition and missiles. With tens of thousands of recruits recruited since October, Moscow has alleviated the immediate manpower shortage, but an ammunition shortage remains “most likely the most important constraining factor for Russian offensive operations,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
Due to the limited availability of cruise missiles, Russia has limited its long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure to about once a week. The stock of artillery ammunition is not sufficient for larger offensive operations. This is due to the fact that numerous grenades and rockets are needed every day for defense along the front.
The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
Putin in tank factory
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has recently called on the Russian arms industry to make more efforts to support his country’s armed forces. “The key task of defense industry companies is to provide all units with all the necessary weapons, technology, ammunition and equipment,” said the Russian President yesterday during a visit to a defense factory in Tula, south of Moscow.
In a workshop, Putin climbed onto a highly polished tank. He called for “past combat experience” to be incorporated into the production of weapons. He avoided any reference to where this “combat experience” was gained.
At a meeting at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Putin called for a faster pace of upgrading and modernizing the armed forces. There are “no financial restrictions” on further upgrading of the army, he said. In addition, the armed forces are to be expanded by almost 350,000 soldiers to a strength of 1.5 million men.
Increased Russian troop movements
According to Ukrainian reconnaissance, the Russian armed forces are currently bringing reinforcements to their troops on the fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine. “The enemy has increased the volume of rail transport of troops, equipment and ammunition to combat zones,” the General Staff said in Kyiv on Friday.
The area around the front-line town of Bakhmut in the east, as well as the towns of Avdiivka, Kupyansk and Limansk in the Donbas region, were considered the main combat zones. Reinforcements on the Russian side have also been identified in the south of the country. According to the Ukrainian assessment, the new units in the Cherson region would only be used to expand the defense lines. There is no independent verification of the information.
