Ukrainian troops advance in the south of the country

Ukrainian troops managed to break through the Russian defense line in the Kherson region and penetrate tens of kilometers deep into the occupied territory, which was the most significant military advance in the south of the country in several months.

President Volodymyr Zelensky had already hinted over the weekend that there was good news on the southern front, but confirmation came from the opposite direction. Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-appointed leader in the Kherson region, acknowledged yesterday that the situation on the ground is “very difficult” as Ukrainian forces advance rapidly along the western bank of the Dnieper and capture several settlements, including Dudchany, which is about 30km to south of the previous fighting front.

It is recalled that the Kherson region is one of four regions annexed by Russia on Friday, and if this nomination is confirmed, it will be further evidence that Russian forces do not control most of these territories. This new setback, together with the loss of the city of Liman over the weekend, led yesterday to the removal of General Alexander Zhuravlev from the post of commander of the Western Military District.

Meanwhile, in another sign that reservist mobilization is not going as expected, thousands of recruits have been rejected and sent home for “not meeting the necessary criteria for military service.”

Borders of new regions are being specified
The Kremlin spokesman acknowledged that Russia did not know the territorial borders of two of the four Ukrainian regions annexed last week, Kherson and Zaporozhye, which it does not fully control, and admitted that he “requested help” from pro-Russian allies to determine the borders. .

DETAILS
The Duma approved the annexation
The lower house of the Russian parliament yesterday approved laws that would secure the annexation of the occupied territories of Kherson, Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporozhye.

Kadyrov sends children
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, said he would send his three teenage sons, aged 14, 15 and 16, to fight in Ukraine.

Nord Stream received rating
Sweden sent a submarine to assess damage to the Nord Stream I and II natural gas pipelines, which were damaged by the alleged sabotage.

NATO’s tough response to a nuclear attack
General David Petraeus, a former director of the CIA, warned yesterday that the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine would be “unacceptable” and would provoke a harsh response from NATO. “Hypothetically, this response could include the destruction of all Russian conventional weapons in Ukraine and Crimea, as well as the entire Russian Black Sea Fleet,” Petraeus said, adding that a nuclear attack “cannot go unpunished.”