Liveblog: ++ Ukraine reports recapture of Uroshayne ++

The Ukrainian army says it has taken control of the embattled village of Uroshayne. Russia reports shooting down three Ukrainian drones over the Kaluga region. All developments in the live blog.

Around a year and a half after the start of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Wereshchuk is preparing her compatriots for a long-lasting struggle. “In this war, the road to victory will be long and difficult,” she wrote on her blog on the Telegram network. “We’re gearing up for a marathon, not a sprint, a 12-round fight, not three,” she wrote.

In order to persevere, everyone should only tackle realistic things and concentrate on the most important goals, Wereshchuk advised. “Corruption is treason. If we don’t fight it hard, it won’t work,” wrote the politician responsible for refugees and the Russian-occupied territories. She also called for a time-out for domestic political disputes, which would have to wait until after the war. “We’re doing our best here and now. Calmly. Day after day. And we support each other. That’s also important. That’s why we survived last year. That’s why we will win in the end.”

According to British intelligence services, Russia is now using self-made attack drones in the war against Ukraine. The UAVs are based on Iran’s Shahed Kamikaze drones, which Russia has been importing for months, the British Ministry of Defense said. “Domestic manufacturing will likely allow Russia to build a more reliable supply of kamikaze drones.” However, the weapon’s performance varied, and Ukraine was able to repel the majority.

Moscow’s goal is probably self-sufficiency in the coming months, it said in London. “However, for the time being, Russia is still dependent on components and entire weapons from Iran, which are mainly shipped via the Caspian Sea.” The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow accuses London of disinformation.

According to a Ukrainian MP, a freighter has left the port of Odessa despite Russian threats. “A container ship has just left the port of Odessa,” MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said on Telegram. The freighter had been in the port since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022. “The ship is 300 meters long, 48 meters wide and has a displacement of 110,000 tons.”

Last week Ukraine announced the establishment of a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea. Cargo ships that have been stuck in ports since the beginning of the war should be able to leave the country through this passage. According to the Ukrainian government, grain is also to be transported via the corridor. However, Russia has declared ships en route to and from Ukrainian ports as possible targets. In addition, the Russian military is increasingly attacking Ukrainian ports and grain silos. Last month, the Russian government refused to extend the grain deal with Ukraine.

According to its own statements, the Ukrainian army has taken complete control of the village of Uroshayne, which has been fought over for days, during its counter-offensive in the south. “Uroshayne is liberated,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on the social network Telegram. The Ukrainian soldiers therefore fortified their positions on the outskirts. The general staff in Kiev said in its morning report that Russian counter-attacks on the site had been fended off. Military information about changes at the front can often not be confirmed immediately; However, experts analyze the movements with the help of photos or videos from the combat area.

Uroshayne in the Donetsk region is one of the points where the Ukrainian army has penetrated furthest into the mined Russian defense lines. Russian military bloggers complained that reserves were too weak to hold the village.

The US has asked Iran to stop selling combat drones to Russia, the Financial Times reports. This is part of the bilateral negotiations on a more comprehensive “non-written understanding,” writes the newspaper. According to Ukrainian information, the Russian army uses the comparatively inexpensive Iranian drones on a larger scale.

Russian air defense systems destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the Kaluga region. This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the early morning. The attempted attack, which took place at around 5 a.m. Moscow time, resulted in no injuries and no damage. The Kaluga region borders on the Moscow region in the north.

According to Finnish information, Russia has not yet implemented the announced transfer of troops to the border with Finland. The Finnish Foreign Minister told the AFP news agency that Russia had already announced last December that it wanted to create new units in Russia’s north-west in response to a NATO expansion. “These efforts don’t seem to be progressing very quickly,” she said, adding, referring to the war in Ukraine, “Russian resources appear to be tied up elsewhere at the moment.” Finland and Russia share a 1340 km border.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, several Russian drones entered the area of ​​the Danube estuary during the night. The Air Force said it was a larger group of drones moving in the direction of the Danube river ports of Izmail and Reni. The two port cities near the Romanian border are used for Ukrainian grain exports. Residents reported on social media that air defense systems were deployed near the two ports. The governor of the southern Odessa region, Oleh Kiper, around 01:30, ordered the population of Izmail district to go to safety. The alarm was canceled an hour later.

President of Ukraine Zelenskyy visited troops in the Zaporizhia region. Ukraine threatens to boycott the Olympics if Russia and Belarus are involved. Tuesday’s live blog to read.