Space Industry and Business News
MILTECH
US tells Ukraine 'aid on its way' as Russia claims advances
US tells Ukraine 'aid on its way' as Russia claims advances
By Barbara WOJAZER and Leon BRUNEAU
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) May 14, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Ukraine on Tuesday that US military aid was "on its way", as Russia claimed a "deep" advance into Ukrainian defensive lines in a new offensive.

Blinken's trip comes just weeks after the US Congress finally approved a $61-billion financial aid package for Ukraine after months of political wrangling, unlocking much-needed arms for the country's stretched troops.

"The assistance is now on its way. Some of it has already arrived. More will be arriving," Blinken told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"That's going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield," he said.

Zelensky thanked Washington for the aid, saying it was "crucial" and added that it was "important to get it as quickly as possible".

Zelensky said air defence was the "biggest problem" for Ukraine and requested two Patriot batteries for the Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding villages all along the border since Friday.

Blinken was on his fourth visit to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

After meeting Zelensky, he met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Veterano, a pizzeria set up by a military veteran in the city centre.

- 'Minimal human losses' -

Russia's surprise ground offensive in the Kharkiv region has forced thousands to evacuate and pushed Kyiv to mobilise troop reinforcements.

Ukraine said several civilians have been killed by Russian fire in the region, including on Tuesday two aged 80 and 83.

The governor of the Kharkiv region said 15 people were wounded by Russian strikes in the border territory's largest city, also called Kharkiv.

One civilian, a 47-year-old man, was also reported killed in the city of Nikopol in southern Ukraine.

In a call to Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "intensification of Russian strikes" and the Kharkiv offensive.

In Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday its forces had captured another village in the Kharkiv region.

"Units of the North group of troops liberated the village of Bugruvatka in the Kharkiv region and advanced deep into the enemy defence," the ministry said in a statement.

The advance is the latest in a string of tactical successes for Russia on the battlefield this year after initial setbacks in a conflict that Russia hoped would be wrapped up in a matter of days.

Russia's incoming defence minister, economist Andrei Belousov, said that Moscow's priority was to secure victory on the battlefield against Ukraine while minimising human losses.

"The key task, of course, remains achieving victory and ensuring the military-political goals of the special military operation, set by the president, are achieved," Belousov told a session of the Russian parliament on Tuesday.

"In this respect, I want to especially emphasise 'with minimal human losses'."

The Ukrainian army has acknowledged Russian successes in Kharkiv but Zelensky has stressed that reinforcements have been sent there and Ukrainian "counterattacks are ongoing".

At a checkpoint outside the city of Kharkiv, a Ukrainian official said Russian forces had entered Ukraine through "villages on the very border that were complicated for us to defend".

Russian forces "are on high ground and are shelling us from there", added Volodymyr Usov, head of the Kharkiv district military administration.

The head of Ukraine's security council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, said Moscow had massively upped its troop deployment for the new offensive in the Kharkiv region.

In an interview this week with AFP, he said Russia had sent more than 30,000 troops over Russia's border.

But he added that there was no threat of an assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

- Bombs falling 'like rain' -

Usov, the Kharkiv district head, estimated there were still around 300 residents left in Lyptsi, a border village under Russian bombardment.

"They are shelling the villages, firing on everything they can," Sergiy Kryvetchenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian military administration in Lyptsi, told AFP.

Guided aerial bombs are falling "like rain" said one serviceman, who was resting after fending off Russian assaults in Lyptsi.

Related Links
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MILTECH
US report criticizes Israel but does not block arms
Washington (AFP) May 10, 2024
A long-awaited State Department report on Friday said that Israel likely violated norms on international law in its use of US weapons but it did not find enough evidence to block shipments. The report said it was "reasonable to assess" that Israel, which receives some $3 billion in US weapons a year, has used the arms in ways inconsistent with standards on humanitarian rights but that the United States could not reach "conclusive findings." The report had been held up for several days amid debat ... read more

MILTECH
SWISSto12 provides RF products to Northrop Grumman for GEOStar-3 satellite program

Energy transition risks critical mineral shortage: IEA

Microbial Enzyme Could Make Plastics Biodegradable

SwRI investigates boiling processes in partial gravity

MILTECH
EchoStar secures contract to provide 5G to US Navy and agencies

China launches communication test satellites into medium-Earth orbit

CesiumAstro provides multi-beam Ka-band payloads for Rocket Lab under Tranche 2 contract

Rocket Lab Advances SDA Satellite Program with New Subcontractor Partnerships

MILTECH
MILTECH
Space Tech Firm Xona Secures $19M for Enhanced Satellite Navigation Network

China Encourages BeiDou System Integration in Electric Bicycles

Estonia summons Russian envoy over GPS jamming

OneNav introduces new L5-direct GNSS receiver in response to increased GPS jamming

MILTECH
US imposes trade curbs on Chinese firms over balloon incident

Fighter jet crashes at Singapore airbase

Australian PM calls China warplane conduct 'unacceptable'

Health body recommends Brussels night flight ban

MILTECH
Rapidus 'last opportunity' to put Japan back on global chip map

3D Printed Glass Sensors on Optical Fiber for Enhanced Connectivity

Experiment Allows for Potential Millions of Qubits on Single Chip

Biden sharply hikes US tariffs on Chinese EVs and chips

MILTECH
New air-breathing spacecraft enhances Earth observation and communication capabilities

Understanding Earth's Atmosphere: A Detailed Overview

ICEYE launches new APIs for direct satellite tasking and data access

Enabled Intelligence partners with Pixxel for advanced hyperspectral data solutions

MILTECH
New strategy for removing persistent PFAS contaminants unveiled

Panama president-elect proposes 'calm' talks on contested mine

Judge tosses California children's pollution suit against US govt

Nepal's nature threatened by new development push: conservationists

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.