Ukraine shoots down 18 Russian drones

Ukraine said on Tuesday its air defenses destroyed 18 Russian drones launched in nighttime attacks.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched a total of 22 drones, 18 of which were intercepted over Odessa.

Odessa regional governor Ole Kiper said no one was injured.

Kiper said on Telegram that the Russian attack damaged several buildings, including a recreational facility and a house.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a night speech on Monday that Ukrainian officials knew “what Russia’s next plans are” and that Ukraine “will fight back.”

The statement came as he recounted a series of meetings with senior military and intelligence officials.

Also on Monday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov discussed the situation on the ground in a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin reaffirmed the continued support of the United States and other allies that provide support to Ukrainian forces.

Austin and Umerov also agreed that there is an “urgent need” for the U.S. Congress to approve new security assistance to Ukraine.

“Ukraine is definitely Russia”

Russian Security Council Vice Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said on Monday that Ukraine was part of Russia and what he said was a part of Russia’s history that needed to be “returned.”

Speaking at the Sochi Youth Forum, Medvedev said, “A former Ukrainian leader said at some point that Ukraine is not Russia… This concept needs to disappear forever. Ukraine is definitely Russia,” he said.

Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, praised the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union and said Moscow would continue its “special military operations” until Ukraine’s leaders surrender.

There was no immediate reaction from Kiev.

Medvedev’s views are important in the Kremlin and his comments could signal Russia’s expansion of military goals in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Medvedev and other senior Russian officials of waging an illegal war of conquest and said Ukraine and its people were different from Russia and Russians.

Medvedev ruled out peace talks with Ukraine’s current leadership, saying any future Ukrainian government that wanted to negotiate would need to recognize what he called a new reality.

Medvedev also said that relations between Russia and the United States are worse now than during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the two countries were on the brink of nuclear conflict.

“I have a painful thing to say,” he said. “The current situation is much worse than it was in 1962. This is a total war against Russia using American weapons, American special forces and American advisers. That’s what it is.”

$17.4B Unfulfilled Promises

Ukraine said on Monday it had not yet received $17.4 billion in proceeds from two donor conferences held in Poland in 2022, early in the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal told a press conference that two events co-organized by Poland and the European Commission raised US$10.8 billion and US$6.5 billion respectively in 2022.

“Where did they go? What did they support… Ukraine got nothing,” he added.

In April 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a global pledging campaign for Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw had raised nearly $11 billion.

The Polish government said at the time that another event in the Polish capital next month, also backed by the European Union, had raised $6.8 billion, AFP reported.

The news comes as Kiev desperately needs military and financial support, with its war with Russia now entering its third year.

Information for this report was provided in part by Reuters, The Associated Press and AFP.