In the east, Ukrainians claim to have inflicted massive losses on Russian forces trying to encircle an embattled city.
At a time when US funding for Ukraine remains precarious, the arrival of the ATACMS was a welcome development both on the battlefield and for public morale. For Ukrainians, the move was seen as a strong message of support from the US. “Ukrainians are greatly encouraged by the delivery of ATACMS, and our warriors are putting them to good use on the battlefield,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a tweet after a call with US President Joe Biden.
Analysts say the Russian aim is to encircle the city and take over an area of high ground near an industrial facility which would give Russia effective fire control over Ukrainian supply routes. Earlier in the week, Russian bloggers claimed Ukrainian military units had crossed the river, breaking through some Russian defenses and pushing into the villages of Poyma and Pishchanivka on the eastern bank.Ukraine has previously carried out raids on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson. Ukrainian forces first established a bridgehead on the Russian-controlled bank of the river near the Antonivsky Bridge in June and have carried out other raids over the summer.
A UOC cleric called the draft bill “scandalous” and accused lawmakers of exploiting religion for “political intrigues.”