The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Ukraine has the necessary minimum of weapons to launch a counteroffensive.
“Many civilians are still under Russian occupation, and there is no more time to lose. We already have the necessary minimum of weapons. I can only say that the counteroffensive will begin soon,” Budanov said. He noted that more weapons are needed to drive the invaders out of the temporarily occupied territories.
On his return from a visit abroad, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the frontline positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Vuhledar-Marinka defense zone in the Donetsk region on the occasion of the Day of the Marines.
The President spoke with Ukrainian soldiers and emphasized that since the beginning of Russian aggression, military units and marines have been reliably holding the line in the most critical areas of the front, professionally and confidently destroying the invading Russian forces.
“Every day on the battlefield, the Ukrainian marines prove that they are a powerful force that destroys the enemy, liberates Ukrainian lands, and performs the most difficult tasks in the most difficult conditions. And we need more of this force. Therefore, from today, we are significantly increasing the potential of the marines and creating a Marine Corps,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President presented state awards. For personal courage and heroism in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people. In particular, Zelenskyy awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and presented the Golden Star Order to Colonel Yuriy Andrienko and Colonel Mykola Palas.
It is also known that Ukraine will create a Marine Corps.
100 killed and the same number of wounded is the average daily loss of the Russian forces near Bakhmut. The average statistical indicator of losses in the Bakhmut area was announced by the spokesman for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevatyi.
“They have about 250 tanks, up to 300 artillery pieces and up to 150 MLRS. As for the losses, yesterday Joe Biden said about 100,000 wounded and killed. Prior to that, Rear Admiral John Kirby also spoke about 100,000, of which, according to him, 20,000 were definitely fatal. Our Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov mentioned losses of 70,000, but perhaps he was talking about a smaller area. All these figures are absolutely relevant given their daily losses,” Cherevatyi said.
The German opposition called for the delivery of long-range Taurus missiles with a range of 400-500 kilometers to Ukraine.
“Ukraine's partners must now go all-in and provide Ukraine with everything it can use in general military operations and that is permissible under international law,” said Roderich Kiesewetter, a representative of the German CDU and retired colonel.
In his opinion, there should be no more red lines - Ukraine should receive all the weapons used by NATO. Kiesewetter said that Germany does not have many such missiles, but it would be more rational for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use them against the occupying Russian forces. He noted that Berlin has ordered about 600 Taurus missiles, but only 150 are in working order.
The European Commission has disbursed a new tranche of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine worth EUR 1.5 billion. The funds will be used to pay salaries, pensions and repair critical infrastructure
“This regular EU support helps Ukraine to meet its financial needs, such as paying salaries, pensions, and repairing critical infrastructure,” he said.
“So far, the EU has provided EUR 14.7 billion in macro-financial assistance since the start of the full-scale war with Russia,” he wrote. A total of EUR 18 billion in aid is envisaged.