- At least four people killed and dozens wounded in twin Russian missile strikes on Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s interior minister says.
- A Ukrainian drone hit a police station overnight in the frontier Russian region of Bryansk but there were no casualties, regional governor says.
- Ukrainian forces “gradually advanced” their counteroffensive over the past week, says Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar.
- Moscow says it has intensified strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure in response to attacks on Russian-controlled territory.
In photos: Aftermath of attacks in Kryvyi Rih, Donetsk
Western arms prolonging conflict, counteroffensive failing: Russia
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu says Western weapons are only prolonging the conflict and not leading to success on the battlefield, Russian TASS news agency reports.
In a conference call with leaders of the Russian army, Shoigu said, “Obviously, the supplied Western weapons do not lead to success on the battlefield, but only prolong the military conflict”.
Shoigu added that over the past month, Ukraine has lost more than 20,000 forces and more than 2,000 weapons units, including 10 Leopard tanks.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, also said Ukraine’s efforts were not going as planned and said: “The multi-billion-dollar resources that were transferred by NATO countries to the Kyiv regime are actually being spent inefficiently and aimlessly.”
He added that this was why Kyiv was resorting to “acts of desperation”, such as a drone attack against Moscow’s business district on Sunday.
Four people killed, 43 injured in Kryvyi Rih: Official
Oleksiy Kuleba, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, says at least four people were killed and 43 others injured, including a 10-year-old child, in an attack on Kryvyi Rih.
“All necessary services, local and regional authorities work on the spot. The aid operational headquarters has been deployed,” Kuleba wrote on Telegram.
“Every day, Ukrainian cities are under fire from Russian terrorists. Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv. This is only for the last few days.”
He added that one person was killed and four others were injured in Kherson.
Ukrainian forces recapture 12sq km near Bakhmut
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister says Ukrainian forces have steadily recaptured land from Russian troops in the east and the south over the past week.
On Telegram, Hanna Maliar said, “In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy tried with all their might to stop our advance during the week, but our defenders gradually advanced.
“The vacated area in the Bakhmut direction is 37 square kilometres in total, two sq. km were released in a week.
“The vacated area is 204.7 square kilometres. Increased in a week by 12.6 square kilometres.”
Ukrainian officials have reported slow progress in the anticipated counteroffensive, retaking a string of villages and advancing on the flanks of Bakhmut, which Russian forces captured in May.
Kremlin says it needs to know aims of Saudi Arabia talks
The Kremlin says it needs to find out the purpose of upcoming talks and what would be discussed in Saudi Arabia about the war in Ukraine.
On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia would invite Western states, Ukraine and major developing countries to the planned talks.
The report said Kyiv and Western countries hope the talks, which exclude Russia, could lead to international backing for peace terms favouring Ukraine.
Belgorod governor records several Ukrainian attacks in 24 hours
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said over the past 24 hours, Ukraine has fired at settlements multiple times. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram that in the Belgorod region, 12 artillery shells were fired at the village of Shchetinovka.
“In the village of Zhuravlevka, nine grenades were dropped from the UAV…in the Borisovsky district, the outskirts of the villages of Bogun-Gorodok and Lozovaya Rudka came under mortar fire – nine and seven arrivals were recorded, respectively. There were no consequences.”
Attacks were also recorded in the village of Novopetrovka, the Stary farm in the Volokonovsky district, the outskirts of the village of Dronovka, the Krasnoyaruzhsky district, the outskirts of the village of Vyazovoe, the village of Staroselye, the village of Terebreno, and between the village of Kolotilovka and the village of Prilesye.
The governor added that “18 mortar shells” were fired in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, and the village of Krasnoe and the village of Leninsky were also hit.
At least two people killed in Kryvyi Rih: Minister
At least two people have been killed following Russian missile strikes on Kryvyi Rih, the Ukrainian interior minister said.
“Two are dead and around five-seven people are under the rubble,” Ihor Klymenko said on television.
He added that 25 people had been wounded, including four children.
The interior ministry said one missile struck a nine-storey residential building, and another struck a four-storey building that was part of an educational institution.
Separately, in the city of Kherson, one person was killed early on Monday, and two more were wounded, regional Ukrainian Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.
At least two people killed in Donetsk: Russia
At least two people have been killed due to Ukrainian shelling of the city of Donetsk, the Russian-installed head of the region said.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Denis Pushilin said, “This morning, the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] shelled the centre of Donetsk. Hits were recorded in the Voroshilovsky and Kuibyshev regions.
“As a result of the shelling, a passenger bus was destroyed. According to preliminary data, two people were killed and six injured. The injured are receiving medical assistance.
“In addition, VFU attacked a water utility in Yasinovataya with the help of a drone. The infrastructure of the enterprise is damaged.”
Since 2014, the city of Donetsk has been under Russian control, but Ukrainian troops continue to hold positions on its outskirts, and the city regularly comes under fire.
Zelenskyy pays his respects and denounces ‘Russian terror’
Following Russia’s attack on Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted footage of the aftermath to the X messaging platform.
Zelenskyy wrote: “Regions of Ukraine are being shelled by the occupiers, who continue to terrorize peaceful cities and people. Kryvyi Rih, Kherson. Residential buildings, a university building, a crossroads were hit. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. There may be people under the rubble. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones because of Russian terror.”
Explainer | Wagner Group: A rising mercenary force in Africa
The Wagner Group is the latest mercenary company to operate in Africa as the continent looks to new partners for security and stability.
Al Jazeera’s defence editor Alex Gatopoulos looks at where the group is most active.
Ukraine calls its offensives against Russia ‘successful’
Ukraine says it carried out “successful” offensives against Russia in the southern Zaporizhia region over the past week.
“In the south, the Defence Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions. In the direction of Mala Tokmachka-Robotyne of the Zaporizhzhia region, they were successful,” Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram.
Maliar claimed that the Ukrainian forces have retaken control of a total of 204.7sq km (79sq miles) of land in the south, including 12.6sq km (4.8sq miles) over the last week.
On the eastern front, she said Russian forces continued to focus their main efforts in the directions of Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka, adding that more than 170 battles took place in these directions during the past week. According to Maliar, Russian forces tried to advance in the directions of Kupiansk, Lyman, Avddivka and Marinka, but they were “unsuccessful”.
What can Russia offer to Africa?
African leaders visited Russia this week for an economic forum hosted by President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow says it wants to bring Africa closer, but in a polarised world after the war in Ukraine, that is not an easy task.
The collapse of the Black Sea deal on Ukrainian grain exports is causing concern in Africa about rising food prices and shortages.
So can Putin reassure Africans he is a reliable partner? And do African countries risk being caught in the middle of the crisis between Russia and the West?
Ukraine says Russian missile strike hits Kryvyi Rih
Ukraine’s interior ministry says a Russian missile strike hit the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.
An unconfirmed video from the city that was circulated on social networks showed a gaping hole in the side of a nine-storey building and a fire inside.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Russia to continue Ukraine crisis talks with China, Brazil, Africa: RIA
The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow will continue dialogue on prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis with China, Brazil and African partners, state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.
The statement followed a Russia-African summit last week at which some African leaders pressed President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian drone hit police station in Russia’s Briansk region: Governor
The governor of Russia’s Briansk region says a Ukrainian drone hit a police station overnight but there were no casualties.
“Ukrainian forces attacked the district of Trubchevsky at night,” Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram. “A drone hit the police station in this district. No victims” but the windows and roof were damaged, he added.
Russia on Sunday said it had downed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and the Crimea peninsula in attacks that damaged two office towers in the capital and briefly shut an international airport.
One drone targeting Moscow was shot down on the city’s outskirts and two others were “suppressed by electronic warfare” and smashed into an office complex, the Russian defence ministry said, adding that there were no injuries.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
