KYIV, November 16 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia was increasing its attacks across the front line, as Kyiv called for the West to boost weapons supplies ahead of winter. Neither side has made any significant territorial gain for months, but both Zelenskyy and the Kremlin have denied that the conflict has ground to a stalemate. "The military reported an increase in the number of enemy assaults," Zelenskyy said in a social media post, with Russians attacking around the cities of Donetsk, Kupyansk and Avdiivka.
Zelensky has warned Russia is likely to increase air strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter, as it did this time last year. He called the strikes on the city of Kherson a day earlier that killed three people and wounded a dozen — including a newborn baby — "revenge" attacks that were "without any military necessity."
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, met United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Monday as part of a trip to the US to press Ukraine's need for Western weapons. "As winter approaches, we expect the Russian missile terror to intensify," Yermak posted on Telegram after the meeting. "Therefore, we are in dire need of air and missile defence systems that will protect Ukrainian cities, key critical infrastructure facilities, and grain corridor routes," he added. Yermak later said he also met US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as British and European security and foreign policy advisers to discuss the "situation on the battlefield." Yermak said Russia has increased the number of its forces in Ukraine and that Kyiv "needs to maintain international support." With the conflict dragging for almost 21 months, Ukraine fears growing Western fatigue and world attention on the Israel-Hamas war could weaken support for its army. In a separate speech in Washington on Tuesday, Yermak said Ukraine had "gained a foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro," without providing further details. The vast Dnipro river splits the frontline in the south of Ukraine, with Russian forces entrenched on the eastern, or left, bank and Ukraine on the opposite side. Over the last few weeks, Russian military bloggers close to the armed forces have reported Ukrainian forces had made successful amphibious landings on the Russian side. They reported the Ukrainians established positions in the village of Krynky, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) upstream from Kherson. Neither the Russian or Ukrainian Defense Ministry have commented on the reports.
Source: manilatimes.net
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