"It's not too late" to provide new military aid to Ukraine

War information

Russia takes control of village near Chasov Yar . Russian forces have captured the village of Bogdanovka near Chasov Yar in Donetsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

“ Units of the Yug wing have taken full control of the village of Bogdanovka in Donetsk, improved their positions along the front line, and also attacked the equipment of the 53rd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Krasnogorovka ,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces stopped two counterattacks by the Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade in the area of the city of Chasov Yar and west of the village of Krasnoye, causing the enemy to lose a maximum of 440 soldiers, 3 vehicles and 1 Osa-AKM air defense system.

The Russia-Ukraine war continues to heat up as both sides claim to have damaged many of each other's weapons. Photo: RIA Novosti

Ukraine attacks Russian rescue ship. Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said that Ukrainian forces attacked and damaged an old Russian rescue ship in Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean peninsula.

According to Mr. Pletenchuk, the Russian military ship Kommuna was attacked in Sevastopol Bay on the morning of April 21 and it is clear that the ship is no longer ready to carry out its mission.

Some related developments

“It is not too late” to provide new military aid to Ukraine . NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that the US and NATO “are not too late” to provide new weapons to Ukraine, but “this delay has had real consequences”.

“ It is not too late, but the delay has had real consequences, the Russian army has had more ammunition for months, while the Ukrainian army is seriously short of artillery shells ,” Mr. Stoltenberg stressed.

“The US support package will help Ukraine defend against Russian missiles, hold the front line and carry out deep strikes against enemy military targets,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.

The NATO Secretary General also reiterated that NATO countries will soon announce new sources of weapons for Ukraine, especially air defense systems. According to him, NATO countries are discussing the possibility of transferring Patriot, SAMP/T and IRIS-T systems to Ukraine.

President Zelensky calls on the US to send weapons quickly . The day after the US House of Representatives approved a more than $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country's military could only repel a planned Russian attack if US weapons arrived quickly.

According to Mr. Zelensky, the country's army is seriously lacking in weapons to respond to Russian attacks.

“ We have losses in many directions on the Eastern front. Things are very difficult and we have lost the initiative there. Now we have every chance to stabilize the situation and take the initiative and that is why we really need weapons systems ,” Zelensky stressed.

NATO has no plans to send combat units to Ukraine . NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance has no plans to send combat units to Ukraine, but has military advisers there.

“ We have no plans for the presence of NATO combat forces in Ukraine. But of course, some NATO countries have people in uniform in their embassies in Kiev ,” Stoltenberg said, stressing that providing weapons to Ukraine from the US and NATO “is not charity but an investment in one’s own security.”

The US could begin transferring ATACMS missiles to Ukraine next week , Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the US Select Committee on Intelligence, said. The US could begin transferring weapons, including ATACMS tactical missiles, to Ukraine next week.

“ We were told that as soon as President Joe Biden signs the bill ensuring Congress does its job, these weapons will be shipped by the end of the week ,” Warner said.

According to the Senator, the aid package will include long-range weapons, including ATACMS. “I believe that the administration has been preparing in recent months to provide ATACMS, which is clearly stated in the bill,” the Chairman of the US Special Committee on Intelligence emphasized.

Conditions for NATO countries to provide new weapons to Ukraine . A diplomatic source in Brussels (Belgium) said that Ukraine's adoption of a tough law on mobilization to replace losses of its armed forces is a condition for NATO countries to provide new weapons to Kiev.

“ The adoption of a new strict mobilization law in Ukraine is a condition for NATO countries to provide new weapons only if there is a significant number of trained servicemen who can use these weapons in defensive or offensive operations ,” the source said.

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