The southern port city of Odessa was hit by a drone attack during the night, killing eight people, including a child and a baby, according to a regional**. Ukraine** said three more people were killed as a result of shelling in the Kharkiv frontline region in the northeast and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia frontline areas in the south.
Zelensky posted on social **:"Russia continues to attack civilians. I beg our partners for more air defense systems. We need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense shield to provide our people with more protection from Russian terror. More air defense systems and missiles can save lives. ”
Ukraine is currently facing a disadvantage in the two-year war as a major $60 billion aid package has been shelved in the U.S. Congress.
Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said in a telegram that in Odessa "a nine-story building was destroyed as a result of an attack by Russian ***". About 10 people are still missing, and nearly 100 rescuers will continue the search and rescue operation overnight.
The scene** showed several floors of a residential building collapsing and the façade being torn apart. The Ukrainian Air Force said fragments of its downed Russian drone fell on residential buildings in Odessa and Kharkiv.
The commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, inspects the eastern front line of Ukraine along with other military **. The attack comes at a time when Russia is trying to play to its advantage on the battlefield. Kyiv admits that its ** equipment and quantity are seriously insufficient, facing problems with ammunition shortages and delays in assistance. According to the Minister of Defense, half of the ammunition promised by the West is late.
Since Russia captured the eastern town of Avdiivka last month, Russian forces have advanced westward and captured several smaller villages in recent days. Ukraine's new commander-in-chief, Alexander Syrsky, said on Saturday during a visit to front-line military posts that "the situation on the front line remains difficult, but it is under control."
This situation highlights the urgent need of the Ukrainian army in terms of supplies and assistance to maintain its resistance on the battlefield. As the war drags on, the timely delivery of aid will have a profound impact on the military situation in Ukraine.
Kyiv appears to have launched a nightly drone attack, with the Russian Defense Ministry claiming earlier Sunday that it had shot down 38 drones over occupied Crimean territory. A day earlier, an apparently Ukrainian drone had also damaged a residential building in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city.
On Russian social media, a drone descended into the building in a circle, triggering, blowing up windows and causing a small fire. The city's National Guard department said it was initially assumed that the damage was caused by a "falling drone."
Ukraine** reported that the drone was shot down by Russian air defenses while aiming at an oil depot about a kilometer from the crash site.
Kyiv has attacked several Russian oil facilities in recent months, saying it was fair retaliation for Moscow's attack on Ukraine's power grid. Russia's Investigative Committee said that a Ukrainian drone dropped ** objects in the border area of Bryansk, resulting in the injury of four Russian**.
In addition, Russia expressed outrage at the leak of confidential talks of the German team, during which the officers allegedly discussed missile strikes on the Crimean peninsula. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a full investigation,Russia, for its part, demanded a "timely" explanation from Berlin, saying it showed that Ukraine's European supporters intended to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia on the battlefield.
Over the past month, Russian attacks have destroyed about a third of Ukraine's power stations,** urging Ukrainians to use as much electricity as possible. Kiev authorities said on Monday that the city's ability to provide energy to residents remained "strained" and urged Ukrainians in the capital to limit electricity consumption during peak hours.
We ask all residents of the region to support energy workers in their fight on the energy front," it said on the social media platform Telegram.
Behind this energy strain is Russia's targeted destruction of Ukraine's vital infrastructure, including power stations. This has not only caused Ukraine to fall into a power shortage, but also had a great impact on people's livelihood and the economy.
In such an emergency, we call on residents to support and take steps to conserve electricity to ensure maximum use of energy. It also highlights the multiple challenges Ukraine faces in responding to Russian aggression, including strategic, economic, and infrastructure dilemmas.
The mobilization challenges facing Ukraine demonstrate the need for Zelenskyy and his military leadership to deal with internal political and social divisions while responding to Russian aggression. The lack of a clear mobilization strategy and a consensus on how many soldiers are needed has left Ukraine faced with the problem of filling the ranks of its army.
This can lead to recruitment difficulties, morale issues, and dissatisfaction with leadership. Due to the lack of a clear plan, some young people may be apprehensive, reluctant to join a poorly equipped army, and may be afraid of being sent to dangerous areas. Such a situation could lead to evasion of military service, affecting Ukraine's overall defense capability.
Solving these problems requires Zelensky and his military leadership team to form a consensus with ** and society, develop a clear mobilization plan, and provide sufficient incentives and support to ensure that a sufficient number and quality of military members are recruited. This is a complex and urgent task, as Ukraine needs to maintain the strength of its military at a strategic level in order to effectively respond to Russia's continued attacks.
Solomia Bobrovska, a lawmaker from the liberal opposition Holos, said: "I don't know why Zelensky or his team is still trying to convince society that everything is fine, especially in the military. ”
At the moment, the retreat of Ukraine in the eastern city of Avdiivka and its surrounding villages has led to a reduction in the number of combat troops, creating a strategic crisis. The retreat has taken Ukrainian forces out of control of the region, making it more difficult for their future defenses and capabilities to confront Russia.
Oleksie Berzhewitz, adviser to the Ministry of Defense on recruitment, said: "If no one stops them, the Russians may well get closer soon." He added that it would be a tragedy if, "in addition to the lack of ammunition, shells, etc., we lack personnel".
But after two years of all-out warfare, the public urgency to spur recruits to the battlefield had been exhausted, and many soldiers were wounded or exhausted.
Ukraine has been grappling with the issue of mobilization and the availability of troops. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been barred from leaving the country, men aged 27 and over are eligible for conscription, and civilians between the ages of 18 and 27 can sign up on their own. However, there is currently a bill in parliament that would change the mobilization process and expand the scope of recruitment, in part by lowering the age of eligibility to 25. This measure is seen as an attempt by Zelensky to shift the blame for the unpopular decision to parliament.
The bill has been debated over more than 4,000 amendments, and some lawmakers believe that Zelensky is trying to shift responsibility for unpopular decisions to parliament in this way. This shows Ukraine's internal divisions and pressures in the face of the issue of troop sources.
Zelensky has been trying to control public information about the war situation in order to maintain public morale. He recently publicly announced for the first time that the death toll of the Ukrainian army was 31,000, but this figure could not be independently confirmed. In addition, he is challenged by pessimism at home and abroad, arguing that Ukraine may not be able to defend itself against a Russian offensive without more U.S. help.
"Until the moment when some are ready to fight for it and die for it, the country has a future," said Bezhives, an adviser to the Ministry of Defense. He added: "I don't like to 'die for it' – it's better to kill for it." ”。
Despite the existential threat to Ukraine, many Ukrainian civilians are "just dust in the wind."
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