The Ukrainian government wants to give the Russian population a realistic picture of the war and thus counteract the Kremlin-loyal propaganda in the neighboring country. “It is important for us that the perception of the war in Russia worsens,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video address. Russian society must learn what negative results the policies of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin have. Zelensky also spoke of his government’s “victory plan” that he wants to present to American President Joe Biden during his visit to the USA in the next few days.
Acute military issues should not be ignored, said the president. “Of course, we are also preparing for what Russia will do next in the fighting on the front lines,” said Zelensky. The Ukrainian leadership is constantly working to ensure that it has enough forces and resources to produce and deliver drones. “No matter how the situation in the world changes, no matter how circumstances change: Ukrainian soldiers must have everything they need for our successful defensive and active actions.” The provision of drones is not just a tactical issue, but a strategic priority.
Ukraine has been pushing ahead with the production of drones in recent months. The Ukrainian armed forces have been using these drones to increasingly attack military and logistical targets on Russian territory in order to make it more difficult to supply Russian troops on the front lines in Ukraine. These combat drones have only a low explosive power, but are currently the only way for Kiev to attack targets within Russia. Despite repeated requests, the allies have so far not allowed Kiev to use the long-range weapons systems they have supplied – artillery rockets and cruise missiles – for these attacks.
In this context, Zelensky mentioned the Ukrainian “victory plan”, which has “military, political, diplomatic and economic content”. The most important steps have already been worked out “to move closer to peace – a real, just peace”. “Taken together, this package can ensure the correct development of the situation not only for Ukraine, but for all people in the world who value international law.”
The day before, during a visit to Kazakhstan, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had stressed that Germany would continue to support Ukraine in defending itself against the Russian attackers. At the same time, he reiterated that he would support a peace conference involving Russia. Now is the time to “see what is possible,” said Scholz. But Russia must make a contribution by stopping its aggression.
Scholz has been openly promoting a peace process since the end of August. In June, 93 countries met for a first peace conference in Switzerland, to which Russia was not invited and which was boycotted by Russia’s most important ally, China. The follow-up conference is now to take place with Russia. However, the location and date have not yet been announced.
Russian troops continue assaults in eastern Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russian troops continued their assaults in eastern Ukraine. The “focus of the day” was the area around Kurakhove on the edge of the Donbass, as the Ukrainian General Staff announced in its situation report in the evening. A total of 26 Russian attacks were repelled by the Ukrainian defenders during the course of the day.
Similarly heavy fighting was reported from the area around Pokrovsk, which has been under battle for weeks. Russian units made 24 attempts to break through the Ukrainian defense lines there. These attacks were also repelled. The information could not be independently verified.
Russian and Ukrainian units also fought fierce battles in the western Russian region of Kursk, which Ukrainian units invaded in a surprise attack in early August. “We have separate and detailed information about Operation Kursk, and we act every day exactly as we planned,” said Zelensky. Ukrainian airborne troops published a video on Facebook showing the destruction of a Russian tank in an unnamed village in the region. This information could not be independently verified either.
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