Long live Ukraine. Lukashenko: “The demand to expel Wagner’s army from Belarus is unreasonable and foolish” | Main

the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has it on Thursday He criticized critics who questioned the counter-attack strategy Or the Slow progress in liberating Russian-occupied territories In the east of the country. This is tantamount to “spitting in the face of the Ukrainian soldier,” says Kuileba.

“Criticizing the slow pace of the counterattack is like spitting in the face of the Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, advancing and liberating Ukrainian lands mile after mile,” Kuyliba said. “I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to free one centimeter of themselves.”

Coeliba was speaking during a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albaris Bueno, on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo. There is a verb New call for Member States to supply armsEspecially tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems.

Quileba also urged again that Countries that own F16 aircraftlike belgium, Not just training For Ukrainian pilots, but similar to the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway Real fighter planes He was To reach.

Finally, Germany was specifically asked to send long-range missiles. “There is no objective argument against this decision,” Quileba said. “This makes sense in every way because it helps us counterattack and helps end the war faster.”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has rejected calls from Poland and the Baltic states to expel Wagner’s army. “Unreasonable and foolish”. “They are fueling the hysteria themselves,” he said during his meeting with the Security Council.

Lukashenko also thinks the timing is odd. “They formulate their demands in the time they have them Increase military budgets And sending large military formations to the borders. “No foreign soldier should be allowed to be in Poland, Lithuania or other Baltic countries.” With this, the Belarusian President referred to NATO’s presence in those countries.

Lukashenko, a close ally of Moscow, said he was ready to restore relations with neighboring countries. “But my suggestions are welcome Accusations and threats“.

Thousands of Wagner fighters took refuge in Belarus after their aborted rebellion against Moscow. They are responsible, among other things, for training local soldiers. Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania called on Belarus on Monday to “immediately expel Wagner.”

The Ukrainian military says it did New successes During operations against Russian defense lines in the southern Zaporizhia region. Ukrainian units advanced south of the village of Robotin towards the neighboring settlement of Novoprokopivka. He added that the soldiers also took control of the newly accessed sites Kiev General Staff.

In the east, unconfirmed reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have made territorial gains in the direction of the village Werbeu. The General Staff described Russian counterattacks near this village as “absurd.” Video footage shows that Ukrainian reconnaissance forces have reached the outskirts of Yerbo.

In Robotyn, the Ukrainian army defeated the Russian defenses after weeks of fighting. There is another line of defense on the way to Werbo. The Russian occupation forces protect the cities Tokmak and Melitopol.

The strategic goal of the Ukrainian army is Sea of ​​Azov, another 80 kilometers away. For example, the land route to Crimea could be cut off for Russia.

In the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, it is possible Early voting for the elections of the parliaments of the regions and municipal councils, starting from Thursdayreported the Russian news agency TASS.

Elections are scheduled to be held in the regions on September 10, but the occupation authorities are organizing “early voting” starting Thursday in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, and starting September 2 in the Kherson and Luhansk regions.

Moscow occupies less than 20% of the Ukrainian territory: Crimea, which in 2014 annexed most of the Luhansk region and parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.

Ukraine has already protested vigorously against the elections.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday criticized the medical examinations of the Ukrainian army, which he says falls prey to “systematic” corruption. Civilians widely avoid military service by paying bribes or leaving for foreign countries.

Ukraine has recently intensified its anti-corruption campaign, while the country’s armed forces launch a counter-offensive to reclaim territory controlled by Russia. The fight against corruption is an important factor in Ukraine’s attempts to join the European Union.

According to Zelensky, the National Security and Defense Council is analyzing information about fake medical exemptions, kickbacks and departures of conscripts abroad. Investigations are still ongoing.

“There are examples of regions where the number of exemptions from military service due to the decisions of the Medical Commission has increased tenfold since February of last year,” Zelensky said in his daily evening video address.

The president added, “It is completely clear what kind of decisions these are. Corrupt decisions.”

According to the president, the matter concerns bribes ranging between 2,750 and 13,750 euros, paid to officials in different positions in different regions. There should also be a separate analysis of how many people have left Ukraine thanks to medical exemptions.

“We are talking about at least thousands of individuals,” Zelensky said.

After all, the president said that more than 100 criminal investigations had been opened in the wake of a corruption scandal last month at an army recruitment center in the city of Odessa.

The Russians announced that air defenses in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed, shot down a Ukrainian missile on Wednesday evening. Both local Russian governor Sergei Aksyonov and the Ministry of Defense in Moscow reported the incident.

An aide to Aksyonov said debris from the missile hit a power line near Feodosia on the eastern coast of Crimea.

The Russian military also reported that two military drones were intercepted over Russia, near Bryansk near the border with Ukraine.

Russian statements cannot be independently verified.

Six soldiers were killed after two Ukrainian army helicopters crashed. This was announced by a Ukrainian Air Force spokesman on Wednesday. It remains unclear why the two Mi-8 helicopters crashed near Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

The cause of the accident is being investigated. According to military sources, the helicopters were on a mission on Tuesday, but it was not possible to shoot them down.

Poland’s ruling parties agreed on Wednesday to form a controversial commission to investigate alleged Russian influence. The opposition boycotted the vote and spoke of an “illegitimate” and “unconstitutional” committee.

The law that created this committee was enacted in early August by President Andrzej Duda. The text states that the committee can determine whether someone is acting “under Russian influence.”

But the main goal, according to the opposition, is to discredit political rivals to the conservative right-wing government in Poland, such as former liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk (2007-2014), in light of the parliamentary elections that will be held in Poland. Poland later this year.