The British Ministry of Defense said on Monday that Russian forces were carrying out “tactical” moves on the southern edge of territory they control in Ukraine, while Washington announced that it had received assurances from China that it would not provide any “reciprocal assistance” to Russia. “In its war with Ukraine.
An MoD intelligence assessment of developments in Ukraine said Russia may have begun moving elements of the Dnipro group to reinforce the Zaporizhia and Bakhmut sectors on the east bank of the Dnipro River in the past 10 days.
This estimate – published by the ministry on its Twitter account – could include several thousand members of the 49th Army, which includes the 34th Separate Brigade in addition to Airborne Forces and Marine Corps units.
The assessment noted that the relocation of the Dnipro group reflects Russia’s perception that a major Ukrainian offensive across the Dnipro is now less likely following the collapse of the Nova Khakovka dam and subsequent flooding.
Blinkin.. Fears of “lethal weapons”.
On the other hand, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed – today Monday in Beijing – that China has renewed its pledge not to supply Russia with dangerous weapons for use in Ukraine, while expressing concern about the actions of private Chinese companies.
“We and other countries have received assurances from China that they will not and will not provide dangerous aid to Russia for use in Ukraine,” Blinken told reporters.
“We see no evidence to the contrary. We continue to be concerned about Chinese companies that could provide technology that Russia could use to further its aggression in Ukraine,” he added.
According to Blinken, Washington has asked the Chinese government to be “very vigilant” on the matter. He insisted that China had given assurances about the file “in recent weeks” and not just during his visit to Beijing.
Ramaphosa.. Evaluating the Work of the African Mission
At the diplomatic level to resolve the conflict, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised the African effort to bring peace to Ukraine on Monday – describing it as “historic” – after returning from talks with leaders in Kiev and St Petersburg. On both sides of the conflict.
A high-level African delegation met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday before heading to Russia for talks with its president, Vladimir Putin.
“This initiative is historic as it is the first time African leaders have undertaken a peace mission beyond the continent’s borders,” Ramaphosa told a weekly news release.
The mission revealed the voice of a continent that has been hit hard by the aftermath of the Ukrainian conflict, particularly due to high grain prices, much of which is imported from the two warring countries, Russia and Ukraine.
10-point proposal
The mission presented a 10-point proposal, including de-escalation, recognition of the sovereignty of both countries, non-blocking of grain exports across the Black Sea, and the return of prisoners of war and children to their countries of origin.
Ramaphosa on Monday – Ramaphosa pointed to the “positive reception” he received from both parties as “one of its most significant achievements”.
On the other hand, the Kremlin believes that applying these policies will be “very difficult”, while Zelensky has ruled out negotiating with Moscow until Russian forces occupy parts of Ukraine.
In this context, the Kremlin said – today, Monday – that it will be in touch with the African mediation mission, especially during the Russian-African summit scheduled for next month, to implement some of the proposed ideas.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that talks with the delegation would continue because some of its proposals were theoretically applicable, but he did not specify the aforementioned plans, adding that “in general, dialogue with Africans will continue.”
Fierce battles on many fronts
On the ground, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had fully captured the city of Novodonetsk in the Donetsk region.
The ministry said its forces repulsed the Ukrainian attack and destroyed around 50 Ukrainian vehicles and tanks during the fighting. It released two video clips that showed its forces taking control of the city and Ukrainian casualties.
For her part, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said last week that Ukrainian forces had continued their advance in the direction of Baghmuth, despite Russian reinforcements in the region, adding that Ukrainian forces had repulsed Russian efforts. Advance in the direction of Liman Kopiensk, Avtivka and Maringa.
Malyar said that within two weeks of offensive operations in the direction of Berdyansk and Melitopol, Ukrainian forces recaptured 8 cities, and within two weeks – advanced to the Davrian region at a depth of about 7 kilometers.
After two weeks of fighting, the Ukrainian army announced it had retaken control of the town of Pyatakatka, southwest of Zaporizhia, and released a video clip showing its soldiers in front of one of the official buildings in the town.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive has been going on for about two weeks now, with the pace of fighting especially on the southern and eastern fronts increasing.
Fronts burning in the south
In a related context, 10 buses were set on fire as a result of Russian bombing of a bus stop by the Ukrainian military administration in Kherson, while an emergency service facility in the Odesa region was damaged as a result of the bombing.
An Al-Jazeera reporter reported hearing a series of explosions in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia after monitoring the launch of S-300 missiles.
For its part, the military administration in Odessa announced that it had come under missile attack from the Black Sea, to which the air defense responded.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it detected the movement of missiles and missiles towards Zaporizhia, Dnipro and Donetsk in the south and east of Ukraine.
In the north, the governor of the Russian province of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Klatkov, said that seven people were injured in a Ukrainian shelling targeting the village of Volusky, and nine residential buildings were damaged in the border province with Ukraine.
In Donetsk, pro-Russian officials said 8 civilians were injured in Ukrainian bombing targeting the city, and the blast damaged 7 residential buildings and 3 infrastructure facilities.
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