Ukraine’s military said Tuesday its air defenses destroyed 18 drones that Russia launched in overnight attacks, while Ukrainian naval drones struck a Russian military patrol ship near the Crimean Peninsula.
Ukraine’s military intelligence identified the Russian ship as the Sergey Kotov, and said the Ukrainian drones struck it near the Kerch Strait causing "damage to the stern, starboard and port sides.”
The attack is the latest by Ukraine targeting Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched a total of 22 aerial drones overnight, with the 18 intercepts taking place above Odesa.
Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, said no one was hurt.
Kiper said on Telegram several buildings were damaged as a result of the Russian attacks, including a recreational facility and a house.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday that Ukrainian officials know what Russia’s “next plan is” and that Ukraine “will counteract.”
The statement came as he recounted a series of meetings with top military and intelligence officials.
Also Monday, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov discussed the situation on the ground in a telephone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin reiterated the ongoing support of the United States and other allies that have contributed support for Ukraine’s military.
Austin and Umerov also agreed on the “urgent need” for the U.S. Congress to approve new security aid for Ukraine.
‘Ukraine is definitely Russia’
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Monday that Ukraine is part of Russia and that what he called historical parts of Russia needed to "come home."
During a speech at a youth forum in Sochi, Medvedev said, "One of Ukraine's former leaders said at some point that Ukraine is not Russia … that concept needs to disappear forever. Ukraine is definitely Russia,” he said.
Medvedev, who was Russia's president from 2008-2012, praised the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union and said Moscow would continue its "special military operation" until the Ukrainian leadership capitulated.
There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv.
Medvedev’s opinions carry weight in the Kremlin and his comments could be indicative of Russia’s expansive military goals in Ukraine, according to the Reuters news agency.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Medvedev and other top Russian officials of waging an illegal war of conquest and say Ukraine and its people are distinct from Russia and Russians.
Medvedev ruled out peace talks with the current Ukrainian leadership, saying that any future Ukrainian government that wanted talks would need to recognize what he called the new reality.
Medvedev also said ties between Russia and the United States were now worse than during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when the two countries came to the brink of nuclear conflict.
"I will say one bitter thing," he said. "The current situation is much worse than the one in 1962. This is a fully fledged war against Russia with American weapons and with the participation of American special forces and American advisers. That's how it is."
$17.4B in unfulfilled pledges
Ukraine said Monday that it had not received $17.4 billion in proceeds from two donor conferences held in Poland in 2022, early in Russia's invasion.
The two events in 2022, organized by Poland together with the European Commission, had raised $10.8 billion and $6.5 billion, respectively, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a press conference.
"Where did they go? What did they support ... Ukraine has received nothing," he added.
In April 2022, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced that a global pledging event for Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw had raised nearly $11 billion.
A separate event held in the Polish capital the following month raised $6.8 billion, also with the European Union's backing, the Polish government said at the time, AFP reports.
The announcement comes amid Kyiv’s desperate need for military and financial support, with the war with Russia now in its third year.
Some information for this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
