Politics Zelensky promotes "victory plan" against Russia in Sumy

During a visit to the Sumy border region in the north-east of the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promoted his "victory plan" in the Russian war of aggression during talks with residents and military personnel. "The plan is to force Russia to end the war by diplomatic means," said Zelenskyi in Sumy, according to a statement from the presidential office. To achieve this, the country needs a strong position to force Moscow to the negotiating table.

The Sumy region is repeatedly subjected to particularly heavy shelling from the Russian neighborhood because Moscow wants to prevent the deployment of Ukrainian troops and counterattacks there. Selensky thanked the people there for protecting the region, which is important for Ukraine, from Russian occupation. "Now we have to stand together to defend everything," said Zelenskyi, referring to the ongoing attacks from the Russian side.

Details of his "victory plan", which Zelensky also presented to US President Joe Biden at the end of September, were not initially announced by the presidential office in Kiev. However, it is clear that Zelenskyi expects the Western allies to release long-range weapons, for example, in order to attack military targets in the Russian hinterland.

"Decisions have been made to support the region and other areas close to the border," said the head of state in a video message. He also consulted with the military leadership and the energy minister. The main topics discussed were air defense and the protection of energy facilities. No details were initially known.

Medals for Ukrainians and praise for Kursk operation

As part of the visit, medals were awarded to soldiers from the 82nd Brigade deployed in the neighboring Russian region of Kursk. "It is very important to understand that the Kursk operation is a real strategic issue that motivates partners to stand by Ukraine," emphasized Selensky. Pressure on Russia is necessary to end the war "fairly".

In view of the Russian towns and areas occupied in the Kursk region, Zelensky hopes to force Moscow to the negotiating table. The Russian leadership had rejected this and announced that the region would soon be liberated.

The Sumy region is being bombed and attacked with drones on a daily basis, particularly after the Ukrainian advance into the neighboring Russian border region of Kursk at the beginning of August. According to the Sumy military administration, the region was also shelled by the Russians around 50 times during the course of the day on Friday. A total of 84 explosions were recorded. One person was reportedly injured. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion, which Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin began in February 2022, for two and a half years.

Renewed drone attacks on the Russian territory of Voronezh

Russian authorities reported new Ukrainian drone attacks on the Voronezh region in south-western Russia near the border with Ukraine during the night. Some drones had targeted companies that manufacture civilian products, Governor Alexander Gusev announced on Telegram. A man was injured in one of the companies attacked and a fire broke out in one of the buildings. According to Gusev, there was no damage or casualties at another company that had come under fire. The claims of both warring parties cannot be independently verified.

Western officials: no prospect of negotiations

Western government officials see no prospect of negotiations in Ukraine "in the near future". "We see no signs that President Putin is backing away from his main goal of subjugating Ukraine's sovereignty," they said at a background briefing for journalists in a western metropolis. It is also unlikely that Ukraine will be able to reverse Russia's recent successes in eastern Ukraine.

In the coming weeks, Moscow will probably try to gain further ground in the area surrounding the strategically important city of Wuhledar, which has just been captured. However, Russia is not in a position to "capitalize on these successes in principle", it said: "We will not see a sudden breakthrough and a rapid advance by Russia to the west. It will simply continue to be this slow, painstaking approach."

Last month, Ukraine destroyed around 100,000 tons of ammunition in attacks on military warehouses in Russia and recorded the "largest loss of ammunition from North Korean supplies" since the start of the war, it said. The information is not independently verifiable.

Report on protest by Ukrainian soldiers

According to a report by public television, almost 100 soldiers held a protest meeting in Voznesensk in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv. The soldiers complained about inadequate training and a lack of weapons. They therefore refused to obey orders and left their barracks, according to the report. The unit was soon to be deployed to the combat zone in the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region.

According to officially unconfirmed information, it is said to be the 187th Battalion of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade. According to unofficial information, the 186th battalion of this brigade had previously broken away from the front near Wuhledar, allowing the Russians to break through and the town to fall. The battalion commander is said to have shot himself and is to be buried this Saturday in the Mykolaiv region. There has been no official confirmation of this.

Kiev reports many Ukrainian prisoners killed

In Kiev, a senior representative of the General Prosecutor's Office reported on television that almost 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been killed by the Russian side, most of them this year. "We currently have information about the deaths of 93 of our fighters who were executed on the battlefield," the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform quoted the head of the war department of the General Prosecutor's Office, Yuri Beloussov, as saying.

The prosecutor complained that the Russian armed forces' treatment of Ukrainian prisoners had increasingly deteriorated since November last year. There have already been numerous prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kiev. However, there have also been repeated reports of prisoners of war being killed.

As recently as Wednesday, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office reported that the Russian military had killed 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Donetsk region. Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin spoke of the largest known mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front line to date.

SDA