‘JDN News’ presents the events of the past day, the 144th day of the Russia-Ukraine war – as it happened minute by minute.
09:01 – The British Ministry of Defense has released a new intelligence update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the update, Russia is strengthening its defensive positions in the areas it has occupied in southern Ukraine. It was also reported that the Ukrainian army had increased pressure on the Russian line of defense in the Kherson region for more than a month, and the leadership hinted at an offensive operation that would push them out of the region. Russia’s defensive moves are seen in response to Ukrainian attacks against logistics bases, command posts and troop concentrations.
09:59 German Chancellor Schultz tells the Associated Press that due to the war in Ukraine, Germany will reactivate 16 fuel-powered power plants and continue to operate 11 others to make up for the lack of Russian energy supply. This is a step backwards in the green policy of the Schultz government and one of its members – the Green Party
13:33 The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian Air Force shot down a Ukrainian MI-17 helicopter near Slovenia and SU-25s in the Kharkiv area.
14:41 – Report: Iran and Russia are considering the possibility of Russia exporting grain to Iran in exchange for Iranian assistance in evading sanctions.
Photo: Ukrainian Army
15:54 Russia is preparing to launch the next phase of the offensive against Ukraine, Ukrainian military officials said after Moscow announced that its forces would step up military activity on all fronts.
18:05 Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Ukraine’s refusal to recognize Russia’s sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula poses a threat to Russia.
19:00 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced that he has ordered Russian military forces to step up their attacks against all “operative sectors in Ukraine”. The announcement is of great concern in Kiev and the West, and comes at the end of a bloody week of intense Russian attacks deep in the country. According to the Pentagon estimates over the weekend, the Russian attacks claimed the lives of more than 150 Ukrainian citizens in just one week.
21:00 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zlansky told his citizens to be on high alert for aerial bombardment, even far from the front line. The Ukrainian military says more than 70 percent of Russian military bombing has hit non-military targets. According to the Ukrainians, in the last three days more than 40 civilians have been killed in Russian bombings.
21:50 Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said an attack on the Crimean peninsula would lead to a “doomsday” response, and it would not be possible to hide from it, he said. Medvedev warned Western powers of trying to punish Russia, which owns nuclear weapons, for its actions in Ukraine, saying it could endanger humanity.
22:00 Belarus has announced its intention to adopt the Russian S-400 air defense system in the near future, the RIA news agency reported.
Photo: Ukrainian Army