By Euronews with AP, AFP
The latest development from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia says it foiled two Ukrainian drone attacks on Monday morning, which caused no casualties, the Russian Defence Ministry says.
ADVERTISEMENTAt around 06:50 local time (3:50 GMT) on Monday, an attempt by Kyiv to carry out “a terrorist attack (using an) unmanned aerial vehicle (…) was foiled”, the ministry said on Telegram.
Detected by air defences in the Moscow region, the craft was “neutralised by electronic warfare means” and then “crashed near the village of Pokrovskoye, in the Odintsovo district”, south-west of the capital, the Russian Defence Ministry added.
Another “terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime” was foiled at 08:16 (05:16 GMT), when Russian air defence shot down a drone in the Istra district, also in the Moscow region, to the north-west of the Russian capital, the same source said.
According to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, following these incidents, Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports temporarily imposed restrictions on departures and arrivals and redirected several flights to other locations.
Drone attacks inside Russian territory have been on the increase for several weeks, usually without causing any damage or casualties, and have targeted the Russian capital in particular.
Kremlin “expanding its military structures in the face of wartime realities”
British military intelligence says the Kremlin is “expanding its military structures in the face of wartime realities.”
The Ministry of Defence makes the assessment in its latest Monday morning briefing, and says one new measure will mean that units currently operating in the Kherson region, including the 22nd Army Corps, are likely to be amalgamated into a new structure called the 18th Combined Arms Army.
The British MoD says the new 18th CAA is likely to consist mostly of mobilised personnel and to focus on defensive security operations in the south of Ukraine.
“Russia likely aims to free up more experienced units to fight on key axes.2
“There is a realistic possibility that this has led to the recent re-deployment of airborne forces from Kherson to the heavily contested Orikhiv sector,” the Ministry of Defence adds.
Zelenskyy welcomes promises of 61 F-61 aircraft
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the “historic” decision by the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver a total of 61 American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, two days after the Americans gave a green light to the deals.
“Our fighters will receive 42 super fighter planes” from the Netherlands, Zelenskyy wrote online, as he paid a surprise visit to the Netherlands on Sunday, where he thanked Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
These 42 Dutch aircraft are in addition to the 19 announced by Denmark. The two countries, both EU and NATO members, have pledged to deliver the F-16s to Kyiv once the Ukrainian pilots have been trained.
Zelenskyy also travelled to Denmark on Sunday where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
During this visit, they examined F-16s and took stock of the start of training for Ukrainian pilots, said the office of the Danish Prime Minister.
ADVERTISEMENT“We know that you need more [military equipment] and that is (…) why we are going to donate 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine,” PM Frederiksen announced during a press conference with Zelenskyy.
These planes will be delivered gradually to Kyiv: six towards the end of the year, eight next year and five the following year, she added.
“This is very powerful support for us,” Zelensky said.
Protests in Poland and Finland against Putin, supporting Navalny
Several hundred people took to the streets of the Finnish capital Helsinki, and the west coast city of Turku on Sunday to mark the third anniversary of the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
And in the Polish capital Warsaw, protesters gathered outside the Russian embassy waving banners which read “Putin the killer” and “Freedom for Political Prisoners.”