Kyiv [Ukraine], June 27: The Kyiv Independent news site reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 26 visited soldiers on the front line in the Donetsk region , accompanied by Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov, who was recently appointed commander of the Joint Forces Command. fit.
Previously on June 24, the leader said he had appointed Mr. Hnatov to replace Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol amid speculation that Mr. Sodol caused the army to suffer heavy losses.
President Zelensky said he and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi "officially introduced Mr. Andrii Hnatov to all those responsible for defense in the Donetsk region" and visited the 110th and 11th brigades. 47.
In a video filmed in front of the entrance sign to the city of Pokrovsk, Mr. Zelensky thanked soldiers and medical staff in the area, and said he had held a "detailed meeting on security and support". aid for the people".
Pokrovsk is located about 70 km from the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, and is one of the key cities that Russia wants to control.
Mr Zelensky stressed the need for officials to personally visit frontline areas, saying solutions to local problems "are simply not visible from Kyiv".
Russia puts pressure
Mr. Zelensky's visit took place in the context of Russia's relentless attacks on the defense points of the strategic town of Charsiv Yar, making it difficult for Ukraine to rotate soldiers and supplies.
Analysts say the Russian military is looking to take advantage of its advantage in numbers and weapons before Ukrainian forces are reinforced when new Western military aid reaches the front line, according to NBC Radio.
The Russian military attacks targets using powerful glide bombs that can destroy buildings and leave giant craters.
The months-long campaign aimed to cripple Ukraine's electricity supply and reduce morale, as well as block energy supplies to Ukraine's burgeoning arms industry.
Members of the artillery brigade in Chasiv Yar said American ammunition supplies were starting to arrive.
In another development, President Zelensky has just implemented the decision of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to establish the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Army, according to Ukrainska Pravda .
NATO chooses new leader
Reuters reported on June 26 that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has officially selected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next secretary general, replacing Mr. Jens Stoltenberg.
Mr. Rutte was officially appointed Secretary General of NATO after the only rival candidate, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he was withdrawing from the race.
The new Secretary General of NATO will take office in October, in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, in addition to unpredictable forecasts about America's attitude towards this transatlantic alliance.
Speaking after Mr Rutte was officially selected, Mr Stoltenberg praised his successor Mark Rutte as a "true transatlanticist, strong leader and consensus builder".
Mr. Rutte said he looked forward to taking on this job "strongly".
"The Alliance is and will remain the foundation of our collective security. Leading this organization is a responsibility that I do not take lightly," Mr. Rutte wrote on X.
Ukraine and Russia exchange prisoners of war
According to Militanyi website , Ukraine on June 25 received 90 soldiers captured by Russia and returned 90 Russian soldiers.
According to President Zelensky, among the 90 Ukrainian soldiers are people from the National Guard, Navy, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Territorial and Border Defense Forces.
"Defenders of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. People in the Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions," he added. Among them were 52 soldiers who defended Mariupol and were entrenched at the Azovstal steel plant.
This is the 53rd prisoner exchange between the two sides since the war broke out. A total of 3,300 Ukrainian soldiers have returned.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper