Ukraine updates: 31,000 Ukrainian troops killed in war

Russian forces were preparing for another offensive in Ukraine in late May or summer,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a news conference in Kyiv that it is believed Russia is preparing for another offensive in late May or the summer.

"We will prepare for their assault. Their assault that began on October 8 has not brought any results, I believe. We, for our part, will prepare our plan and follow it," the Ukrainian leader added.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv had drawn up a clear plan to counter Russian forces, but could not disclose details yet. 

Ukraine's planned counter-offensive last year failed to live up to expectations after previously managing to fend off the first wave of Russia's full-scale invasion two years ago.

Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw fromAvdiivka in the Donetsk region last week.

Zelenskyy also dismissed his most senior military commander recently, saying it was time for change at the top. The Ukrainian leader said Sunday the move was part of his military strategy that will be kept under wraps.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host world leaders in Paris on Monday for a conference designed to bolster Western support for Ukraine as Russia's war against the country passes the two-year mark.

Macron's office on Sunday announced that the conference will give participants the opportunity to, "reaffirm their unity as well as their determination to defeat the war of aggression waged by Russia in Ukraine."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as well as leaders from Scandinavian and Baltic countries will be among the 20 heads of state and government to attend.

The US and Canada will send high-level diplomats to the meeting, as will the UK.

No representatives from India or China will attend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will open the conference with a video address.

A French official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the conference will also seek to dispel the impression that the EU had slumped into "doom and gloom" over the situation in Ukraine and that support for Kyiv is "falling apart."

"We want to send [Russian President Vladimir] Putin a message that he won't win in Ukraine," said the official. "Our goal is to crush this idea he wants us to believe that he will somehow win."

The meeting is also seen as a chance for Macron to reassert his position that Europe must achieve security autonomy as the US can not necessarily be counted on when it comes to defending the continent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine's victory in the war against Russian forces depends on Western military aid.

"Whether Ukraine will lose, whether it will be very difficult for us and whether there will be a large number of casualties depends on you, on our partners, on the Western world," Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv.

He added that "there is hope for Congress, and I am sure that it is going to be positive," referring to a US aid package, which includes over over $60 billion (€55.3 billion) in assistance for Ukraine, that is yet to pass the Republican-majority US House of Representatives.

The approval of the package hinges on negotiations to enact tougher measures at the US-Mexico border to satisfy Republicans who are otherwise hesitant about sending more aid abroad.

At the same time, US Democratic President Joe Biden's administration said it is prepared to send long-range tactical missiles to Ukraine if Congress approves the funding package, according to a US report this week.

Meanwhile, German lawmakers also earlier this week called on the government to deliver further long-range weapons to Ukraine, but the ruling coalition voted down an opposition call explicitly urging it to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is reluctant to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles due to fears of escalating the conflict. Germany is now the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the US.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

“31,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed in this war. Not 300,000, not 150,000, not whatever Putin and his deceitful circle have been lying about. But nevertheless, each of these losses is a great sacrifice for us,” Zelenskyy said at a conference that is being held in Kyiv to coincide with the two year anniversary of the war.

The Ukrainian leader said that he wouldn’t disclose the number of troops that were wounded or missing. 

It is the first time that Kyiv has confirmed the number of its losses since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. 

Ukraine said around 160 tons of Ukrainian grain was destroyed at a railway station in Poland amid large-scale protests over the war-torn country's exports.

"These pictures show 160 tons of destroyed Ukrainian grain. The grain was in transit to the port of Gdansk and then to other countries," Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The photos showed mounds of grain spilled from train wagons.

Kubrakov said it was the fourth case of vandalism at Polish railway stations, adding that it was the "fourth case of impunity and irresponsibility."

A Polish police spokesperson confirmed that the incident took place in the village of Kotomierz, near the northern Polish city of Bydgoszcz.

In recent weeks, Polish farmers have blocked motorways and border crossings with Ukraine and dumped Ukrainian exports

The farmers say cheaper grain from Ukraine is unfair competition and they want to prevent it from reaching the domestic market.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union suspended all import tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products to help the country economically.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited command posts near the front line as Russia's invasion entered its third year.

Syrskyi said Sunday the pair made the trip to analyze the battlefield and see how they could boost the country's defenses.

"We analyzed the current situation in detail and discussed the necessary further steps, primarily the protection of troops from drones and strikes by aerial bombs as well as the strengthening of certain areas of the front," the army chief posted on Telegram along with images of himself and Umerov meeting commanders.

Syrskyi, who did not say when the visit took place, added that "the situation is complex and requires constant monitoring."

Ukraine's military is struggling to stave off Russian forces, who last week captured the strategic eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after a months-long assault.

Moscow's forces are now pressing on several other areas along the front line, Ukrainian authorities say.

Ukraine expects to receive $11.8 billion (€10.89 billion) in economic support this year from the United States, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Kyiv continues to rely on Western allies for critical aid to help plug a $37-billion budget gap in 2024 as it fends off a two-year-old Russian invasion.

Shmyhal said during a televised conference in Kyiv that he was hopeful that US lawmakers would approve long-awaited economic and military assistance.

As the next US presidential election approaches in November, some Republican lawmakers have refused to give their backing to a further $60 billion in US support to Kyiv.

Ukraine also expects to receive €18 billion ($19.51 billion) from the EU's Ukraine Facility approved earlier this year.

Germany is to boost humanitarian aid for Ukraine by another €100 million ($108.3), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday.

Speaking on a visit to the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, Baerbock said that Germany's total humanitarian aid commitment has now reached €1 billion ($1.08 billion).

She said the money would be used to help people rebuild their water supply, hospitals and homes.

"Putin's terror continues here every day," Baerbock said of the Russian president. "But the people here in Ukraine make it clear: No day, no attack will destroy their fight for survival."

She said it was, therefore, necessary to continue to send humanitarian as well as military aid to the war-torn country.

Germany is due to host a fund-raising summit for the reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin in June.

Half of Western military aid to Kyiv is delivered late, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Sunday.

"At the moment, commitment does not constitute delivery," Umerov said during a forum dedicated to the second anniversary of Russia's invasion.

"Fifty percent of commitments are not delivered on time," he added, saying this helped Russia.

Ukraine, which is struggling with an ammunition shortage, has for months said that Western aid is slow to reach the country.

The issue is likely to worsen due to the blocking of further American aid to Kyiv by the US Congress.

Umerov said that delayed aid will mean Kyiv will "lose people, lose territories," especially given Russia's "air superiority."

Meanwhile, Ukraine tripled its weapons production last year and 500 companies are now working in the domestic defense sector, Ukraine's strategic industries minister said.

Oleksandr Kamyshin said during a televised address in Kyiv that the figure included 100 state and 400 private companies and that Ukraine this year plans "to considerably increase ammunition production."

Another minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said 90% of the drones used on the battlefield against Russian forces were produced in Ukraine.

Ukraine destroyed 16 out of 18 attack drones launched overnight by Russia, the Ukrainian military said on Sunday.

The air force said on Telegram that the Iranian-made drones had been shot down over eight regions across central, western and southern Ukraine, including the capital region of Kyiv.

The battlefield claims could not be independently verified.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had taken better positions near Avdiivka and Donetsk.

"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern grouping of troops improved the situation along the front line and defeated formations of the 22nd, 28th and 92nd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Klishchiivka, Dyleyevka and Kurdiumivka," the ministry said.

"In the Avdiivka direction, units of the Centre group of forces occupied more advantageous lines and positions, and also defeated manpower and equipment of the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 107th Air Defence Brigade," it added.

The ministry said Russian troops had repelled seven Ukrainian counterattacks in the area. A total of 77 Ukrainian drones were destroyed, the ministry said.

The claims could not be independently verified.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Russian troops would push further into Ukraine to build on their success on the battlefield after the fall of the town of Avdiivka.

He said Ukrainian troops had been forced to flee the town in chaos.

mm/sri (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)