Russia-Ukraine War : Latest Developments

Russian military command has resumed offensive operations near Kursk Oblast. Ukraine forces are reportedly targeting GLOCs leading to Korenevo and Sudzha, with long-range fire aimed at Russian units’ rear areas.

The Kremlin has stated that Ukrainian attacks have failed to achieve meaningful territorial gains and are costing Russia significant manpower and material losses, along with shooting down of 146 drones.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy says he’s prepared to swap captured North Korean soldiers for Ukrainians

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has indicated his country is prepared to exchange two North Korean soldiers captured during its ongoing conflict in Ukraine for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia. These two individuals, believed to be part of Pyongyang’s Reconnaissance General Bureau – Pyongyang’s intelligence service – were originally captured near Kursk in Russian border region but are currently held by Ukraine’s Security Service and being interrogated there.

Zelenskyy’s offer to arrange the exchange via his foundation is a surprise move by Kyiv, as it goes against Kyiv’s longstanding refusal to negotiate with Moscow. Zelenskyy made clear that this gesture wasn’t designed to appease Moscow but to show Ukraine has an effective plan against what he calls an unprecedented coalition of malign autocratic states that include both Russia and North Korea who have both sent thousands of troops in support of Moscow’s invasion.

Zelenskyy’s strategy of restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, prosecuting war crimes and making Russia pay for destruction has won widespread Western support. Not only has the war enabled Ukraine to increase security assistance but it has also hastened EU candidate status faster and used up part of their peacekeeping budget unused prior to conflict. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Zelenskyy at Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue conference to underscore their strong U.S. backing of Ukrainian against Russian aggression.

Russian forces are bypassing a key stronghold in eastern Ukraine

Russian forces’ advance on Sievierodonetsk is cause for alarm as an occupation by separatist forces could see them advance toward other important frontline towns like Kramatorssky and Sloviansk, further fuelling Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine for more than one year now. Additionally, this shows Russia’s commitment to keep fighting.

Ukrainian government officials claim they have conducted long-range strikes against Russian military logistics, airfields and bases located 200-1100 km deep inside Russia. According to Ukraine’s defence ministry, these strikes have targeted locations 200 to 1,100 kilometers deep within Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, appealed for assistance from Western partners and warned that without more sophisticated equipment and enhanced training in Kiev’s east region, Moscow will pursue its aggressive tactics. Furthermore, he demanded EU nations support Ukraine in rebuilding its economy with increased financial assistance.

Zelenskyy also took aim at Hungary for blocking an EU proposal to impose additional sanctions against Russia, calling on it to punish their “obvious policy of genocide” with new measures like an oil embargo and sanctions package dropped back in 2022 that was scrapped altogether. Meanwhile in occupied Ukraine shelling killed at least one person according to emergency services; new safety concerns about Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant near where the world’s worst nuclear accident took place also raised their head again this week.

A Ukrainian official says Russian forces are focusing on cutting supply lines to the town of Donetsk

As any soldier knows, war requires an extensive logistics network that enables fighters to keep their weapons stocked and fuel tanks full. When fighting across 1,000 kilometers between Ukraine and Russia forces, that creates an array of supply lines susceptible to disruption by either side.

Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser says Russian military command has changed tactics from surrounding Ukrainian troops near Sievierodonetsk to cutting Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs), making it harder for Ukraine’s forces to operate in eastern Ukraine, an area Moscow seeks to annexe.

Experts agree that, despite repeated declarations by Putin and his commanders to end the conflict, Putin and his forces still hope for some form of decisive victory. While they no longer aim to take Kyiv itself, their armies have managed to push Ukrainian forces back across large chunks of eastern Ukraine territory.

Ukraine needs Western assistance to bolster its battlefield positions, such as ammunition and missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on more Western pressure on Russia to end this conflict, saying in his nightly video address: “the catastrophic unfolding of events could be stopped if powers that be treated it as a matter of national security, instead of playing around with Russia,” adding: Ukraine awaits delivery of Gepard anti-aircraft guns from Germany while Chancellor Olaf Scholz has indicated Germany might also provide more support by providing howitzers.

A Ukrainian official says Russian forces are encircling the town of Mariupol

Mariupol is an attractive strategic target that could give Russia access to Crimea and control of Ukraine’s main port – Mariupol is home to a coal mine which played an essential role in its pre-war economy.

Video from both aerial and ground views depict a city reduced to rubble by weeks of Russian siege and bombardment, described by the Red Cross as having caused “apocalyptic destruction.” According to deputy mayor estimates, nearly 2,300 civilians have perished and are being buried across this besieged Ukrainian city in temporary gravesites.

People who have managed to escape have described their former city as an empty shell, where life has devolved into an everyday battle for food, water, shelter and safety from Russia’s relentless bombardment. They describe a senseless war which has upended post-Cold War global security order and put millions at risk in a conflict that has already destroyed thousands of buildings and claimed over 902 civilian lives.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a video address to the nation, encouraging everyone to remain safe at home and assuring them that his government would fight until liberating Donetsk. He pledged his assistance in working with the UN in freeing all captured Ukrainian soldiers including pilot who has recently been flown off for medical care in Russia.