Ukrainian forces continue to gain ground with the counter-offensive in recent weeks in the territories occupied by the Russians.

To the south, in the Kherson region, the General Staff confirms the first strategic successes, with about 500 square kilometers of territory taken up. Defeats that convinced Vladimir Putin to oust the commander of the Western Military District , Roman Berdnikov, who had been appointed for just a couple of weeks.

As Ukrainians regain control of the eastern Kharkiv region, traces of months of abuse and devastation emerge: a chamber of horrors in Balakliya (a dismal basement where a chair with a hammer, duct tape and used gloves was abandoned) , the bodies of four civilians with signs of torture in Zaliznychne, grossly buried and found only thanks to the neighbors, at least a thousand victims of bombs and hardships in Izyum, where 80% of the buildings are destroyed.

The privileged target of what for the Ukrainians is a "cowardly revenge" seems to be Kharkiv itself, which has become the symbol of the Russian defeat . After the raid on the largest thermoelectric plant in the city, which left tens of thousands of people in the dark on Sunday evening, other blackouts continued throughout the day.

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12.20 pm - Kremlin warning to critics on the operation in Ukraine

The Kremlin today issued a warning to critics of the military operation in Ukraine. "As long as the critical points of view remain within the scope of the law they are pluralism, but the border is very blurred and we must be very careful here," said spokesman Dmitry Peskov quoted by Interfax.

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11 am - Draghi-Zelensky phone call: "Italy's full support is confirmed"

Prime Minister Mario Draghi had a new telephone conversation today with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The discussion focused on the latest positive developments in the Ukrainian counter-offensive and the situation on the ground, including with regard to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Draghi confirmed the Italian government's continued support for the Ukrainian authorities and population in all areas.

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10.30 - Moscow, manager of an aeronautical plant arrested: "Kiev spy"

The Russian Security Service (FSB) reported that a quality manager at an aircraft plant was arrested in the Moscow region on suspicion of passing photos of blueprints of aircraft components to Ukraine. The man was accused of high treason, reports Interfax, and faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. "It was found that a resident of the Moscow region, while holding the position of quality director of an aviation facility and had access to top secret technical documents, photographed fragments of blueprints of fighter aircraft components with his mobile phone, and then he passed these materials to a Ukrainian citizen, an employee of the Odessa aviation plant, using electronic communication channels ", the FSB press center reported.

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8 am - Kiev: "9 attacks against Russian forces in the last 24 hours"

The Ukrainian army has launched nine attacks against Russian forces in the last 24 hours and the latter have launched 38: the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced this morning in its daily update, according to Ukrinform. In particular, the Russians launched two missile strikes, 25 air strikes and 11 attacks with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) against military and civilian targets in Ukrainian territory.

(Unioneonline)

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