The drone war still rages. Russia says it destroyed devices coming from Ukraine last night, near Moscow. No damage or casualties have been reported, assured the mayor of the Russian capital. Several Moscow airports saw their traffic temporarily disrupted.
Furthermore, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left Russia this Sunday, September 17 aboard his armored train, after receiving a gift of five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest from the governor of the region of Primorye, in the Russian Far East.
Russia says it shot down seven Ukrainian drones near Moscow
Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region and six others heading towards the annexed Crimean peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday. One of the drones was intercepted at 1:45 a.m. (2245 GMT) in the Istrinsky district of the Moscow region, the ministry said on Telegram. “According to preliminary information, there is no damage or casualties at the site where the debris fell,” said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, also on Telegram.
Two Ukrainian drones were also destroyed around 1:15 a.m. Moscow time (10:15 p.m. GMT) on the west coast of Crimea, then four others 30 minutes later over the east and northwest coasts of the peninsula, according to the Ministry of Defense. Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian territory and Crimea, annexed in 2014, have increased in recent months against the backdrop of a counter-offensive by kyiv that began at the beginning of June.
The Russian army claims not to have been “dislodged” from Andriïvka
The Russian army claimed on Saturday that it had not been “dislodged” from the village of Andriïvka in Ukraine, south of the devastated town of Bakhmut on the eastern front, contradicting an announcement made the day before by the Ukrainian general staff. . “In the Donetsk sector, the enemy […] continued to conduct assault operations […]trying in vain to dislodge Russian troops from the localities of Klichtchiïvka and Andriïvka”, indicated the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily bulletin.
However, on Friday, the Ukrainian army said it had “liberated Andriïvka, in the Donetsk region”. According to this source, kyiv’s troops had inflicted, during “offensive operations”, “significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment”. The Russian denial sows a little more confusion about the real situation in this very small village, populated by around fifty inhabitants before the war, after Kiev announced its capture this week.
Kim Jong Un leaves Russia aboard his armored train
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left the Russian Far East this Sunday aboard his armored train towards the North Korean border, Russian news agencies reported, after a notable visit to Russia that began on Tuesday. . “The departure ceremony of the leader of the DPRK took place at the Artiom-Primorsky-1 station, where Kim Jong-un’s armored train was already located,” the Ria Novosti agency reported using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, and publishing a video of the leader’s departure.
In these images, we see the leader, on his train, waving goodbye to the Russian delegation accompanying him, led by the Minister of Ecology Alexander Kozlov. Then “Farewell from Slavyanka”, a Russian patriotic march, sounds as the train leaves, under a cloudy sky. “Kim Jong-un’s train headed towards the Khassan border crossing. The distance […] is approximately 250 kilometers,” the TASS agency indicated. Earlier this Sunday, Kim Jong Un received a gift of five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest from the governor of the region of Primorye, in the Russian Far East, according to TASS. Highly symbolic military gifts in a context of Western fears over a possible agreement for deliveries of North Korean arms and ammunition, which Moscow needs to his offensive in Ukraine.
“We must prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” says Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that we should not expect a rapid end to the war in Ukraine, in an interview published this Sunday, at a time when the Ukrainian army is engaged in a counter- offensive to repel Russian forces. “Most wars last longer than expected when they started,” Jens Stoltenberg told the German media group. Funke. “Therefore we must prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” he added. The Ukrainian army has been carrying out a counter-offensive since June to push back Russian forces in the south and east, but this operation has only made it possible to recapture a limited number of localities. “We all want a quick peace,” he continued.
“But at the same time we must recognize (this): if President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist.” “If President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their arms, we will have peace,” he said. As for Ukraine’s wish to join NATO, Jens Stoltenberg assured: “There is no doubt that sooner or later Ukraine will be in NATO.”