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Russia on Sunday thwarted Ukraine’s aerial assault on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, reported Reuters citing a Russia-installed official. Russian air defence forces shot down nine Ukrainian drones near the Black Sea region.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-appointed Governor of Sevastopol, wrote on Telegram that no object, either in the city or on the water, was damaged in the attack.
“Two aerial drones were shot down over the sea, five were intercepted by Russia’s electronic warfare forces and two water surface drones were destroyed on the outer shore,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The attacks were over the harbour of Sevastopol and the city’s Balaklava, Khersones districts, Razvozhayev said earlier.
The drone attack prompted the authorities to shut down the passenger ferry service along with all other modes of maritime transport in the area.
Conflict intensifies in the South
CNN reported heavy fighting from the southern front, where Kyiv is hoping to break Russia’s land bridge to Crimea. However, military analysts were unable to confirm whether or not Ukraine had an upper edge against invading Russian forces.
Military analyst Rob Lee was quoted by CNN as saying, “Both sides are taking attrition right now … but it is not clear which side can sustain it better.”
“On the Russian side, if they take enough losses and Ukraine can isolate parts of the front, (then Ukrainian forces) may be able to achieve a breakthrough. On the flip side, if Ukraine keeps taking losses and more attrition, the offensive might culminate too soon,” he added.
Ukraine has so far failed to get a significant number of towns and villages liberated from Russian control in the South under its so-called counteroffensive operation.
Western partners not impatient: Kyiv
Meanwhile, Kyiv has said its Western partners were not pressing its defence forces for immediate positive results. The Ukrainian counteroffensive began in June but has failed to yield the expected results.
Watch: Russia-Ukraine War: Budget drones in Ukraine are redefining warfare
Andriy Yermak, a key adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, told journalists Friday he accepted the counteroffensive is “not going that fast; it is slow.”
NATO promises more support to Ukraine
NATO nations last week in Lithuania agreed to further bolster Ukraine’s defences. The United States has provided cluster munitions to Ukrainian forces and is currently contemplating the dispatch of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMs), guided missiles capable of reaching distances up to 300 kilometres (approximately 186 miles).
Additionally, France and the United Kingdom have either already delivered or committed to supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles.
During a press conference on July 14, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced that Germany will offer Ukraine a total of $19 billion or 17 billion euros in arms shipments until 2027.
