STOCKHOLM — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Sweden on Saturday — his first go to to the nation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine final yr, the Swedish authorities mentioned.
It mentioned Zelenskyy will meet Swedish authorities officers in Harpsund, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Stockholm. He may also meet Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace within the space.
Sweden deserted its longstanding coverage of navy nonalignment to help Ukraine with weapons and different help within the struggle in opposition to Russia. It additionally utilized for NATO membership however continues to be ready to hitch the alliance.
In the meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited prime navy officers within the Russian metropolis of Rostov-on-Don close to the Ukrainian border.
The Kremlin mentioned that Putin listened to experiences from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in control of Moscow’s operations in Ukraine, and different prime navy brass on the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Navy District.
The precise timings of his go to weren’t confirmed, however state media revealed video footage that seemed to be filmed at evening, displaying Gerasimov greeting Putin and main him right into a constructing. The assembly itself was held behind closed doorways.
Putin’s go to was the primary because the Wagner mercenary group ’s tried mutiny in June, which noticed the group’s fighters briefly take management of Rostov-on-Don.
Throughout June’s short-lived revolt, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin repeatedly denounced Gerasimov, who serves as chief of the final employees of the Russian armed forces, and Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying provides to his fighters in Ukraine.
Prigozhin claimed that the rebellion was not geared toward Putin however at eradicating Gerasimov and different prime brass who he claimed had been mismanaging the struggle in Ukraine.
Ukraine this week has claimed counteroffensive positive aspects on the southeastern entrance, regaining management of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine’s jap Donetsk area on Wednesday.
The chief of the Russian battalion combating to take care of management of Urozhaine referred to as for “freezing the entrance” on Thursday, claiming his troops “can not win” in opposition to Ukraine.
“Can we carry down Ukraine militarily? Now and within the close to future, no,” Alexander Khodakovsky mentioned in a video posted to Telegram.
In a single day into Saturday, Ukraine’s air drive mentioned, it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones concentrating on Ukraine’s northern, central and western areas.
The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi area, Serhii Tiurin, mentioned two individuals had been wounded and dozens of buildings broken by an assault.
Within the northwestern Zhytomyr area, a Russian drone assault focused an infrastructure facility and induced a hearth, however no casualties had been reported, mentioned Gov. Vitalii Bunechko.
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Observe AP’s protection of the struggle in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine