Russia's Attacks on Southern and Southeastern Ukraine; Zelensky Visits the Frontline

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, met with a group of Ukrainian soldiers stationed at the frontline in the 'Zaporizhzhia' region in southeastern Ukraine amid intense Russian attacks in these areas. In a video released on Thursday, December 13, Zelensky awarded medals to several soldiers during his visit to this war zone. The Ukrainian President expressed hope that his country's forces, referencing the deployment of the 27th Artillery Brigade in the area, would accurately target enemy units. The exact time and location of Zelensky's meeting with the members of this brigade have not been disclosed. Meanwhile, as the third anniversary of Russia's large-scale military invasion of Ukraine approaches, Russian forces have increased pressure along the 1,000-kilometer front between the two countries. The Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, and they have occupied parts of Ukrainian territory. In this context, the southern and southeastern fronts have recently come under heavy fire from Russian forces, particularly in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk axes. Analysts say that the Russian army has advanced in eastern Ukraine at its fastest pace since the war began. Kyiv has requested more assistance from its Western allies to counter the Russian invasion to create a better position for any potential ceasefire negotiations. Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, who will take office next month, has called for an immediate ceasefire and a swift end to the war. Meanwhile, the head of the Chechen autonomous region of Russia announced on Thursday that at least four people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a police station in the region. Ramzan Kadyrov stated on the messaging app 'Telegram' that the explosion of the drone in the sky and the falling debris caused damage to the police station building and noted that this was the second Ukrainian drone attack on a police center in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that it had shot down a Ukrainian drone over Chechnya, four drones over Kursk, three drones over North Ossetia, and eight drones over the Crimean Peninsula, which is under Russian occupation. In another event, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, stated on Thursday that Russia would respond to Ukraine's recent attack inside Russian territory using American-made missiles. Ukraine targeted a military airport in the city of Takanrog in this missile attack on Wednesday, December 12. Peskov said that Russia would certainly respond appropriately to this attack.