Russia’s next offensive is coming – the most important question

What does the front look like?

The industrial city of Pokrovsk is the next important target in Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine. Donetsk city administrator Serhiy Dobrjak said the enemy was now just 7 kilometers away from the city in the Donetsk region, which had about 50,000 residents before the war. Although about 80% of the infrastructure has been destroyed, about 12,000 people, including children, are still holding out in Pokrovsk.

The Ukrainian General Staff in Kiev said that 28 attacks occurred in the Pokrovsk region on the Russian frontline on Wednesday. 134 battles took place along the long front across the east and south.

Since Wednesday night, Russia has again attacked Ukraine from the air, using missiles, glide bombs and drones. About ten rockets were fired in and around the port city of Odessa alone, according to regional authorities. An explosion is heard. But Mayor Hennadij Trukhanov said it was outside the city. Ukrainian grain exports pass through Odessa and its neighboring ports. This is why the coast has been repeatedly attacked by Russia.

According to media reports, a glide bomb struck the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, injuring 17 people. At dawn on Thursday, many regions in northern and central Ukraine were alerted to the presence of Russian drones in the sky.

Why did Ukraine’s defenses collapse in Donbass?

In the southern Donetsk region, Ukrainian defenders have had to evacuate several towns over the past days and weeks. Major General Dmytro Marchenko spoke about the collapse of the front line.

Pokrovsk has long been under artillery fire. City chief Dobrjak said access to the threatened city has not yet been completely closed. But individual streets will be blocked off to build fortifications. The Ukrainians recently lost the town of Selidov near Pokrovsk. This means that an attack on Pokrovsk could also come from the south.

According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops are exerting equally great pressure on the front lines in the city of Kulakhov. There were also 28 attacks there, the military said. It still reports on fighting around the remote town of Kurachivka. Ukrainian military blogs believe the region is already under Russian control.

What is the situation in North Korea?

Meanwhile, Washington, New York and Brussels are discussing how to respond to support for Russia's armed forces from around 10,000 North Korean soldiers. The U.S. Department of Defense is “increasingly concerned” about the possible use of these soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Some North Koreans sent to Russia have been moved closer to Ukraine. At the U.N. Security Council, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya defended military cooperation with North Korea. This is not directed at third parties.

The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called on North Korea to stop supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. “The presence of thousands of soldiers cooperating with Russian troops is a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Borrell said in Brussels. “This is a unilateral hostile act by North Korea that is detrimental to peace in Europe and the world.” serious consequences for safety. Borrell declared an “appropriate response”. He will travel to Japan and South Korea this week for consultations.

EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell.Image: trapezoid

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Washington that he was increasingly concerned that the Kremlin wanted to use North Koreans to support its troops in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine. “We saw them wearing Russian uniforms and equipped with Russian equipment,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not deny the presence of North Korean soldiers. He noted that Ukraine also relies on personnel from NATO countries. Nebensja, the UN ambassador in New York, said Moscow intends to further develop cooperation with North Korea in the future and no one can stop us from doing so.

What about new weapons?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed a New York Times report that he had requested the United States for Tomahawk cruise missiles to deter Russia in the future. He told reporters in Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital, that this was what was included in a secret addendum to the “Victory Plan” he recently presented in Washington. His plan includes arming Ukraine to deter Russian aggression.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.Image: trapezoid

Zelensky was disappointed and viewed the leak as a breach of trust. «How should this information be understood? “This means there is no confidential information between partners,” he noted. The Tomahawk has a maximum range of 2,400 kilometers, and can theoretically reach major Russian cities such as St. Petersburg, Moscow, and even Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains from Ukraine itself.

Zelensky said in an evening video address that Ukraine expected to hold another meeting of military-backing countries in the so-called Ramstein group soon. He gave no details or dates. In fact, a summit with the US president was originally scheduled to be held in mid-October at the US military base in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate. Joe Biden canceled due to US hurricane. He later made up for a visit to Germany but did not attend Ramstein's meeting. (Sudanese Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)

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