Zelenskyy says ‘counteroffensive, defensive actions’ taking place in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Saturday that counteroffensive and defensive actions are underway towards Russian forces, asserting that his prime commanders are in a “constructive” mindset as their troops engaged in intense preventing alongside the entrance line.

The Ukrainian chief, at a Kyiv information convention alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, responded to a query about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remark a day earlier that Ukraine’s counteroffensive had began — and Ukrainian forces had been taking “vital losses.”

Zelenskyy mentioned that “counteroffensive, defensive actions are happening in Ukraine. I can’t discuss which stage or part they’re in.”

High Ukrainian authorities have stopped in need of asserting a full-blown counteroffensive was underway, although some Western analysts have mentioned fiercer preventing and reported use of reserve troops suggests it was.

“I’m in contact with our commanders of various instructions every single day,” he added, citing the names of 5 of Ukraine’s prime navy leaders. “Everyone seems to be constructive. Cross this on to Putin.”

Trudeau, the primary overseas chief to go to Ukraine since devastating floods brought on by a breach in a Dnieper River dam, provided up financial, navy and ethical assist. He pledged 500 million Canadian {dollars} ($375 million) in new navy support, on prime of greater than 8 billion Canadian {dollars} ($6 billion) that Canada has already offered for the reason that conflict started in February 2022, and introduced 10 million Canadian {dollars} ($7.5 million) for humanitarian help for the flood response.

Trudeau mentioned the dam’s collapse was “a direct consequence of Russia’s conflict,” however he didn’t blame Moscow straight.

Ukraine’s Basic Employees mentioned Saturday that “heavy battles” had been ongoing, with 34 clashes over the day before today within the nation’s industrial east. It gave no particulars however mentioned Russian forces had been “defending themselves” and launching air and artillery strikes in Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas.

Current Western injections of billions of {dollars}’ value of navy gear — a few of it high-tech and top-of-the-line — to Ukraine has raised expectations about when it could be used, and to what impact towards dug-in Russian strains.

For months, Ukrainian commanders within the japanese metropolis of Bakhmut — which was largely devastated in a months-long battle that has been one of many bloodiest battles of the conflict — have used the language of counteroffensive and defensive operations to explain the exercise there.

Ukrainian Deputy Protection Minister Hanna Maliar mentioned Friday that the epicenter of the preventing has been within the east, significantly within the Donetsk area, and cited “heavy battles” in Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka.

Valerii Shershen, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s armed forces in Zaporizhzhia, instructed Radio Liberty that they had been looking for weaknesses in Russia’s protection in that area, to the west.

Ukraine’s nuclear power company Energoatom mentioned the final working reactor on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant, Europe’s largest, had been positioned in “chilly shutdown” mode. That’s a course of wherein all management rods are inserted into the reactor core to cease the nuclear fission response and era of warmth and strain.

The plant’s different 5 reactors already had been in chilly shutdown amid issues concerning the plant’s publicity to the preventing.

Energoatom mentioned in a press release late Friday that there was “no direct menace” to the Zaporizhzhia plant due to the breach of the Kakhovka dam additional down the Dnieper River, which has compelled 1000’s of individuals to flee flooding and likewise sharply diminished water ranges in a reservoir used to assist cool the ability.

Water ranges within the Kakhovka reservoir, which feed the Zaporizhzhia plant, remained steady on Saturday, Energoatom mentioned.

The location’s energy items haven’t been working since September final yr. The top of the Worldwide Atomic Power Company is because of go to Ukraine within the coming days.

Ukrainian authorities reported Saturday that at the very least six civilians have died throughout the nation as Russian forces launched Iranian-made Shahed drones, missiles, and artillery and mortar strikes.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that three individuals had been killed and greater than two dozen wounded in a single day in an assault concentrating on the Black Sea port of Odesa. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern operational command, Natalia Humeniuk, mentioned two youngsters and a pregnant lady had been amongst these wounded.

Two individuals had been killed in a Russian assault in town of Orekhova within the Zaporizhzhia area, based on governor Yuriy Malashko.

In Ukraine’s northeast, a 29-year-old man was killed as greater than 10 drones focused the Kharkiv area, its governor, Oleh Syniehubov, reported Saturday. He added that at the very least three different civilians had been wounded.

The Ukrainian air drive mentioned that throughout the evening, it had shot down 20 out of 35 Shahed drones and two out of eight missiles “of varied sorts” launched by Russian forces.

The preventing and civilian casualties took renewed consideration as authorities in southern Ukraine mentioned water ranges have been declining in an unlimited space beneath the ruptured dam.

Almost one-third of protected pure areas within the Kherson area might be obliterated by flooding following the breach of the Kakhovka dam, the Ukrainian setting minister warned Saturday.

The U.N.’s humanitarian support chief, Martin Griffiths, mentioned in an Related Press interview Friday that an “extraordinary” 700,000 individuals had been in want of ingesting water.

In different developments:

On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he desires to proceed talking with Putin — whose order for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been criticized by many Western leaders — and plans to take action once more “quickly.” Scholz has spoken a number of occasions by telephone with Putin for the reason that invasion.

The chancellor mentioned the premise for a “honest peace” between Russia and Ukraine is the withdrawal of Russian troops. “That’s must be understood,” he mentioned.

The U.Ok. authorities mentioned it’s going to give 16 million kilos ($20 million) in humanitarian support to these affected by the flooding. A lot of the cash is being channelled by way of worldwide organizations such because the Purple Cross and the United Nations, and the U.Ok. can be sending boats, group water filters, water pumps and waders to Ukraine.

The U.Ok. has already given Ukraine 1.5 billion kilos in financial and humanitarian assist for the reason that conflict started, the federal government mentioned, and has dedicated 4.6 billion kilos in navy support.

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Jon Gambrell in Kyiv, Joanna Kozlowska and Jill Lawless in London, and Frank Jordans in Bonn, Germany, contributed to this story.

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Comply with AP’s protection of the conflict in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine