The joy of the Ukrainians over the liberation of Kherson is still great. President Zelenskyi immediately promises to expel the Russians from other areas, but has to admit that "it's pure hell" in Donetsk. In Russia, President Putin is under increasing pressure. The 262nd day of the war at a glance.
After the recapture of the southern Ukrainian regional capital Cherson, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj announced that he would liberate other areas still occupied by Russia. "We will not forget anyone, we will not leave anyone behind," promised Zelenskyj in a video message. Russia had previously withdrawn its troops from all parts of the Chersonese region it had annexed, including the region's capital, on the north-west bank of the Dnipro.
There, one of the main tasks of the returned Ukrainian forces is to clear the region of mines. According to Selenskyj, 2,000 explosive devices have already been defused. At the same time, the Ukrainian police are warning residents about the explosive devices. A police officer was injured during a mine clearance in an administrative building in Kherson, it said.
Night curfew in Kherson
Meanwhile, utilities in Kherson are working to restore critical infrastructure. Most households in the southern Ukrainian city are still without electricity and water, regional officials said. The authorities also decided to maintain the curfew from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. and ban people from leaving or entering the city to ensure safety.
Ukrainian Railway sells tickets to cities that are still occupied
On the occasion of the recapture of the city of Cherson, the Ukrainian railways are already offering tickets in advance for journeys to cities occupied by Russia. These tickets could be used after the expected liberation of these cities, the rail operator announced on Telegram. They applied to the first three trains from Kyiv to liberated Cherson, as well as to Mariupol, Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and Simferopol in Crimea. It is a symbol of trust in the Ukrainian armed forces and the liberation of Ukraine from the occupiers. Advance booking prices start at the equivalent of around 26.50 euros.
Heavy fighting in Donetsk
However, fierce fighting is still going on in Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia's Defense Ministry reported a minor success in the eastern Ukrainian region. Russian soldiers have conquered the town of Majorsk near the town of Horliwka, said ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. There was no information on this from the Ukrainian side. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already spoke in his video address on Saturday evening about the currently particularly violent Russian attacks in Donetsk. "It's pure hell there," he said. The General Staff also said that heavy fighting would continue in the east in Luhansk and Donetsk. In both regions, several Russian attacks have been repelled in the past 24 hours.
Think tank: Dissatisfaction with Putin is growing
However, the small successes in Donetsk are unlikely to help Russian President Vladimir Putin and satisfy his critics. According to the US think tank "Institute for the Study of War" (ISW), dissatisfaction with Putin is growing among Russia's war supporters after the withdrawal from Cherson. Extreme Russian nationalists are therefore increasingly doubting its commitment to ideological goals. Channels close to the Wagner group also turned against the Kremlin. Military bloggers had previously advocated the withdrawal.
According to the institute, Ukraine has liberated a good 74,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory since the beginning of the war. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said that 179 towns and 4,500 square kilometers along the Dnipro River coast in the south of the country had been recaptured since the beginning of the week.
London: Military education in schools to increase military readiness
According to British estimates, the planned mandatory military training in Russian schools should increase the willingness of young people to mobilize and do military service. The Ministry of Defense in London said the training aims to equip students approaching conscription age with military skills, citing intelligence findings. "This initiative is also likely part of a broader project to instill in the Russian people an ideology of patriotism and trust in public institutions."
At the same time, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned of the cruelty of the Russian regime. "History teaches that Russia can be very brutal against its own people," Wallace said. "If they need more cannon fodder, they will get it," said the minister, referring to the recent mobilization in Russia.
Scholz regrets Putin's absence from the summit
Chancellor Olaf Scholz regrets Putin's decision not to attend the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali. "It would have been good if President Putin had gone to the G20 summit," said Scholz. "But then he would have had to face all the questions and all the criticism that has been formulated by many countries around the world. That's probably why he's not there." The G20 are convening for a two-day summit in Bali on Tuesday. Putin canceled his participation a few days ago and is now being represented by his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who has already arrived in Bali.
Lavrov again made serious accusations against the US and NATO: According to him, they want to gain supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region by militarizing it. "The United States and its allies, as well as NATO, are now trying to swallow up this region," Lavrov said on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. A joint final declaration of the summit failed due to disputes over the wording of the situation in Ukraine, Lavrov said. "No collective decisions were made today because the US and its Western allies insisted on absolutely unacceptable language regarding the situation in and around Ukraine."
Altar: "Wir werden Putins Regime zur Rede stellen"
Ahead of the G20 summit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sharply attacked President Putin. "Putin's war has wreaked havoc around the world, destroying lives and throwing the international economy into turmoil," Sunak said. The summit meeting on the island of Bali will not be "business as usual". "We will confront Putin's regime and expose his utter contempt for international cooperation and respect for forums like the G20." Unlike Russia, Britain and its allies would work together to make progress on solving economic problems and improving the lot of their own peoples.
BBC reports on another US aid package
Western support for Kyiv is apparently not waning either. As the BBC reports, the US, which has already provided billions of dollars to Ukraine, promises further aid to the country. According to President Joe Biden's National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, the United States will announce another package of military assistance to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Relief operations for Ukraine
Not only the governments are helping Ukraine. At an auction in New York for the victims of the Ukraine war, several custom-made guitars played by musicians such as Paul McCartney, Slash and the Rolling Stones were auctioned off. Guitar maker Gibson's instruments were made in the colors of the Ukrainian flag - blue and yellow. A Gibson Les Paul guitar alone, which ex-Beatle Paul McCartney performed with in the summer, brought in almost $77,000.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Bahn relies on reactivated coal wagons to help rebuild Ukraine. "I'm assuming that we will convert the coal wagons that are now in use so that we can use them differently," said the boss of the rail freight subsidiary, Sigrid Nikutta, T-Online. Anything that needs to be poured can be transported with the wagons, for example building materials such as sand or gravel. "My hope is that we will soon be able to use the old coal wagons to rebuild Ukraine."
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