Moscow's Defense Ministry announced that the "nationalists" who had infiltrated from Ukraine into Russia's Belgorod region had been "blocked and defeated" and added that "more than 70 terrorists had been eliminated" and the rest had been driven back into Ukrainian territory. In addition to the attacks carried out by the raiders, the Russian region had been bombed with the use of drones, and residents of some population centers had been evacuated due to fighting between Russian forces and saboteurs.
According to Moscow, whose forces resorted to "air strikes" and "artillery fire", the incursion into the Russian region of Belgorod was carried out by "a Ukrainian nationalist formation" as a "terrorist action" in response to the defeat suffered at Bakhmut. But according to Kiev, the situation in the Belgorod region "is a predictable internal Russian crisis that was being prepared even before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia," and these are "Russian patriots rebelling against Putin's regime."
Those responsible for the cross-border raid in Belgorod, Kiev insists, are Russians who want to "face darkness" in their country. "There are some
Russians who are on the side of the light and who have gone to face the darkness that now exists in Russia," said the secretary of Ukraine's Security and National Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, once again denying any involvement of Kiev in the incursions into Russia.
A civilian was killed in the incursion from Ukrainian territory into the Russian region. This was reported by the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, on his Telegram channel, specifying that the civilian died in the border village of Kozinka and that his wife was injured. According to the authorities of the region, 13 civilians were injured in the operation.
The more weapons the West supplies Ukraine with and the more destructive these weapons are, "the more likely" a "nuclear apocalypse" scenario becomes. This was said by the former Russian president and current deputy head of the National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, commenting on the possibility that F-16 jets will be supplied to Kiev. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, "this supply will not fundamentally change the situation on the ground" in the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow's statements come on the day that EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell announced that pilot training has begun, defined by the NATO secretary general as "an important step" that will allow allies to deliver jets "at some point" and send "a message: we will support Ukraine as much as needed and Moscow does not think of wearing us down by exploiting the time factor". But Poland says that it has not yet begun pilot training, but that it is ready to do so, and from the spokesman of the Kiev air force we learn that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters in European countries has not yet begun in practice, but the preparation of specialists continues before it begins.
So far, through the first pillar of the ammunition plan proposed by the European Commission, "1300 missiles and 220,<> artillery ammunition of various calibers" have been delivered to Ukraine, said EU foreign policy High Representative Josep Borrell at the end of the Defense Council.
ANSA Agency
Orban, Kiev cannot win the war against Moscow
Ukraine "cannot win the war" against Russia. This was stated in an interview with Bloomberg by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has given the green light to a new tranche of aid of 1.5 billion euros for Ukraine. This is the fourth tranche disbursed by Brussels as part of the €18 billion macro-financial assistance package put in place for Kiev. "Since the beginning of this year, we have provided €7.5 billion in macro-financial assistance. This funding is contributing significantly to covering Ukraine's immediate financial needs. And more help will come," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
ANSA Agency
EU green light to €1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine
The EU Commission has given the green light to a new tranche of aid of 1.5 billion euros for Ukraine. This is the fourth tranche disbursed by Brussels as part of the €18 billion macro-financial assistance package put in place for Kiev.
ANSA Agency
Kiev: 'Russia blocks the arrival of ships in the port in Pivdenny' - World
'Despite the wheat deal. Odessa and Chornomorsk' also limited (ANSA)
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, entering the Defense Council, explained that after Washington's "green light for the training of Ukrainian pilots in the use of F-16s" we can now "complete the plans we were making with Denmark and other allies", including Belgium and Great Britain "to start training. This is the first step to be taken", which will be followed by further discussions with the states that have the F-16 equipped ". Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, said that "the Netherlands is in a position to be the first" country to donate F-16s to Ukraine. Politico reports. The Netherlands currently has 24 F-16s in use that are "operationally deployable" and "will remain in use until mid-2024," a spokesman for the Dutch Defense Ministry was quoted by the newspaper as saying. "After that, they will be available for another destination, such as sale." The Netherlands also has another 18 F-16s "that are no longer operationally used" and "may also receive a different destination." Twelve of those 18 were originally planned to be transferred to a private company, but the transfer was delayed, the spokesman noted. According to a European official, quoted by Politico, "it is realistic" to think that the delivery can take place by autumn.
ANSA Agency
Ukraine, Russian territory under attack. Kiev: 'They are anti-Putin Russian militiamen'
In the province of Belgorod. The Kremlin: 'A raid to divert attention' from the defeat suffered in Bakhmut. Ukrainian media, row of cars leaving Belgorod. Prigozhin attacks Russian General Staff again: 'The military does not reinforce borders'
