The Ukrainian government has urged Iran not to supply Russia with ballistic missiles for its war of aggression under any circumstances. If international media reports are confirmed that Iran is supplying Russia with such missiles for attacks on Ukraine, this will seriously damage bilateral relations between Kyiv and Tehran, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. According to the rules of the United Nations and international law, Russia is an aggressor state.
A deepening of military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow threatens not only the security of Ukraine, but of all of Europe, the Middle East and the world, the ministry said. The Iranian leadership must prove through actions that it does not support Russia’s war machine. Kiev has long accused Tehran of supporting Moscow’s war – initially primarily by providing Iranian drones and blueprints for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The international community must increase pressure on Tehran and Moscow to protect international peace and security, demanded the Foreign Ministry in Kiev. The Ukrainian population has been suffering from daily Russian terrorist attacks with all kinds of weapons, including those made in Iran, for more than two years.
Meanwhile, Iran denied a report in the US newspaper “Wall Street Journal” about the delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia. “Iran considers the delivery of military aid to warring parties to be inhumane and will therefore not take any action in this regard,” Tehran’s UN mission in New York announced in a press release. Such cooperation would also weaken the peace process and lead to a further escalation of the conflict – something Tehran does not want either, the news portal Mashregh quoted from the press release.
New Ukrainian Foreign Minister thanks Baerbock
Meanwhile, the new Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha thanked his German colleague Annalena Baerbock and other Western allies for supporting the country in the fight against Russian aggression. Ukraine is “grateful for Germany’s strong and consistent support” and continues to “rely on cooperation in strengthening Ukrainian defense,” Sybiha wrote in German on the social network X. Both also coordinated their positions for the United Nations General Assembly next week.
The minister also reported on a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, during which the strategic partnership between Washington and Kiev was once again reaffirmed. They also discussed how military aid for Ukraine could be accelerated and sanctions against Russia could be tightened. Sybiha did not provide any details.
Criticism of elections on annexed Crimean peninsula
In another statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also criticized the elections scheduled by Russia this Sunday on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. The vote was a farce, a violation of international law. It had nothing to do with the will of the voters and was therefore void, the ministry said. The politicians standing for election were in no way legitimized by the Ukrainian side.
In Russia, local and regional elections, which were held in many places under the impression of the war of aggression against Ukraine, will end this Sunday. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, who himself voted online for the new Moscow City Council, spoke of important elections. The ballots always have “great significance for political stability in the country, and today that is especially important,” he said in a video published by the Kremlin.
In total, around 4,000 different votes have been taking place since Friday in the world’s largest country by area. More than 57 million people are called upon to vote.
A real opposition is not allowed in the elections for new governors, regional parliaments and mayors. Independent observers from the organization “Golos”, which is ostracized in Russia as a “foreign agent”, have already complained about manipulations with which the authorities want to help the candidates of the Kremlin party United Russia to win.
Mood test for the Kremlin in wartime
Nevertheless, the vote is seen as an important test of the mood for the Kremlin, which is under pressure in particular from the Ukrainian offensive on Russian territory in the Kursk area and from the shelling of border areas. Governor elections are scheduled in 21 regions, including St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, where Alexander Beglov, a politician who is controversial for mismanagement, is expecting a new term in office thanks to the Kremlin’s support. “Golos” registered numerous complaints about violations of the electoral laws and alleged ballot falsification.
Fighting and drone attacks continue
Meanwhile, fighting on the front line continued unabated. According to official reports, new Russian artillery fire killed at least three people in the town of Kostiantynivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Three men aged between 24 and 69 succumbed to their injuries, the Ukrainian military administration announced. It again called on residents to heed the evacuation orders. The strategically important town of Kostiantynivka is repeatedly the target of Russian attacks.
In the Russian region of Voronezh, the authorities reported explosions in the Ostrogozhsk district and declared a state of emergency there. Governor Alexander Gusev announced on Telegram that several villages in the district were being evacuated. Hundreds of people had been brought to safety. Ukrainian media reported that the ammunition depot in the village of Soldatskoye in western Russia had been hit. Russian troops in Ukraine were supplied from there, it was said, citing the Ukrainian military intelligence service SBU.
Governor Gusev also announced that a 54-kilometer stretch of the highway had been closed for security reasons. This refers to the highway from Voronezh towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which has not been under Kyiv’s control since 2014. Areas along the route were on fire, and the ongoing explosions were causing problems in extinguishing the fire, the governor said.
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