Latest news with #MykhailoPodolyak
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says troops contesting Russian advance in Sumy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian forces are pushing back against Russian forces in the border Sumy region where they have established a foothold in recent weeks. 'Our units in Sumy region are gradually pushing back the occupiers,' said Ukraine's president in his nightly video address. 'I thank you! Thanks to every soldier, sergeant and officer for this result.' The Ukrainian president provided no further details and offered no proof of Ukrainian advances in the area, and the claim contradicts prevailing assessments of continued Russian gains in Sumy. Russia has seized over 190 sq km (73 sq miles) of the Sumy region in less than a month, according to pro-Ukrainian open-source maps. They have captured more ground in the past days, advancing to around 20km from the city of Sumy's northern suburbs and rendering it vulnerable to long-range artillery and drones. The number of displaced people arriving in Sumy city is increasing, said Kateryna Arisoi, head of Pluriton, an aid organisation running shelters. 'So far evacuation has been ordered in more than 200 settlements,' she said. Last week, a Russian rocket attack on Sumy city killed three people and injured 28, including three children, while also damaging several buildings. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said there had been a concentration of Russian men and equipment in Sumy region because of months of military operations across the border in Kursk region. He advised caution to establish details of the situation on the ground. 'I think [Ukraine's] military has the situation under control and I think we shall see a different picture in the coming days.' Ukrainian police said two people were killed and six were injured in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The authorities in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, said 18 people including four children were injured by Russian drone attacks over Wednesday night. Boris Pistorius on a surprise visit to Kyiv said Germany was not planning to deliver Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine that could allow it to strike deep into Russian territory. Instead, the German defence minister announced €1.9bn in additional military aid. Pistorius underscored that Germany would help Ukraine build its own long-range missile systems and help it finance purchases of homemade material. 'The first systems should be available in the coming months,' Russian has exceeded a million troops killed or wounded in its Ukraine war, according to the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces and western intelligence estimates. The UK defence ministry also announced the figure on Thursday. The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington has called it 'a stunning and grisly milestone'. Zelenskyy said he hoped to press Donald Trump at the G7 summit this weekend to step up sanctions against Russia. The US president said at the White House on Thursday that 'I'm very disappointed in Russia, but I'm disappointed in Ukraine also, because I think deals could have been made'. Two weeks ago, Trump indicated he would do something by now if it turned out Putin had been 'tapping him along', but the US president has so far failed to follow through. The US Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, is pushing what he calls a bipartisan 'bone-breaking' bill to introduce a 500% tariff on countries buying Russian oil and gas – mostly targeting China and India.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Zelenskiy says Ukrainian troops pushing back Russian forces in Sumy
June 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were gradually pushing Russian forces out of the border Sumy region, where Moscow has established a foothold in recent weeks. Russian forces have been moving into Sumy region since April when Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin called for the creation of a buffer zone after he said all Ukrainian troops had been evicted from a months-long incursion into Russia's western Kursk region. Both Russian and Ukrainian reports indicate that Russian forces have seized a series of villages in the region, which has for many months also come under heavy Russian air attacks. And Russian reports said Moscow's troops were advancing in the area. "Our units in Sumy region are gradually pushing back the occupiers," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "I thank you! Thanks to every soldier, sergeant and officer for this result." The Ukrainian president provided no further details and offered no proof of Ukrainian advances in the area. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said there had been a concentration of Russian men and equipment in Sumy region because of months of military operations across the border in Kursk region. He advised caution to establish details of the situation on the ground. "I think (Ukraine's) military has the situation under control and I think we shall see a different picture in the coming days," Podolyak told Ukrainian TV Channel 24. The popular Ukrainian military blog DeepState, which charts the position of Russian troops using open-source materials, reported Russian gains in recent days around villages inside the border. Other Ukrainian bloggers said on Thursday that Russian forces had advanced to within 20 km (12 miles) of the city of Sumy and were likely to move southward on villages to secure high ground outside the city. Russian media reported similar advances through the region. One military site "Voyennoe Obozrenie" said Russian forces had made "significant progress" and were now positioned south of a major highway.
Washington Post
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Zelenskyy's adviser says US gave up its lead role on resolving war in Ukraine, strengthening Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — A Ukrainian presidential adviser claimed on Wednesday that the United States has weakened its position and relinquished the diplomatic lead to Russia ahead of any possible peace talks on Ukraine, following a meeting in Saudi Arabia between top American and Russian diplomats. The remarks by Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, came a day after President Donald Trump falsely suggested that Kyiv was to blame for the war, which is entering its fourth year next week.
Arab News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Kremlin declines to comment on reports N.Koreans withdrawn from front
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Friday declined to comment on reports that North Korean soldiers fighting with Russia's army had been pulled back from the front line. Western, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies say Pyongyang had deployed more than 10,000 troops to support Russia's forces fighting in its western Kursk region, where Ukraine is mounting a cross-border offensive. Citing US and Ukrainian officials, the New York Times on Thursday reported that the North Korean troops had been pulled back from the front and had not been seen fighting there for around two weeks, after suffering heavy casualties in combat. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Wednesday said that 'some North Korean units have been pulled back from the front line in the Kursk region, according to reports from Ukraine's Special Operations Forces.' Asked on Friday about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment. 'There are a lot of different arguments out there, both right and wrong,' he told reporters. 'It's not worth commenting on every time,' he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has published footage of what he said were captured North Korean soldiers taken by Ukraine's forces in the Kursk region. Kyiv and the West decried the deployment of North Korean fighters as a major escalation in the three-year conflict.
