LIVE War in Ukraine – day 797: The remains of a North Korean missile were found in Kharkiv / The first visit to Kiev by a member of the British royal family

Russian forces are pressing in at several points along the front line to take advantage of the window of opportunity they have before US military aid flows into Ukraine. “Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield,” NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said Monday during a surprise visit to Kiev. Ukrainian officials say Russia is massing its forces for a major summer offensive, even though its troops are making only minor progress at the moment.

All information about the war in Ukraine – day 797 – LIVE on HotNews.ro:

08:19 A 98-year-old Ukrainian woman said she walked 10km under shelling, using sticks as walking sticks and sleeping on the ground, after leaving Ocheretyne (Donetsk), now occupied by Russia, to reach areas controlled by Kiev.

In a video posted by Ukrainian police on social media, the woman, identified as Lidia Stepanivna, said she walked without food or water and fell several times, but her “character” made it will go on.

“I survived that war (World War II) and I am surviving this war,” Stepanivna said.

The Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior stated in a statement that the woman was discovered by the Ukrainian military during the evening and they handed her over to the police, who took her to a shelter for evacuees. “Law enforcement officers are looking for the woman’s relatives,” the ministry said. (Reuters)

08:01 Russian forces made marginal tactical gains northwest and southwest of Avdiivka, but did not make significant progress toward Avdiivka on Monday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes.

Russian forces have a choice between several tactical directions for future offensive actions near Avdiivka, but it remains unclear where they will focus their efforts in the near future, ISW added in its latest assessment.

The remains of a North Korean missile were found in Kharkiv

07:42 Debris from a missile that fell in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on January 2 came from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, UN sanctions inspectors said in a report for a Security Council committee consulted by Reuters.

In the 32-page report, UN sanctions monitors concluded that “debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 2, 2024 is from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile” and violates the embargo on the armament imposed on North Korea.

06:58 USA: A former employee of the NSA, sentenced to 22 years in prison for espionage. He tried to pass classified information to someone he thought was a Russian agent, but turned out to be an undercover FBI employee

00:40 Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, visited Kiev on Monday, marking the first visit by a member of the British royal family to Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

Brief recap of recent events:

• Moscow’s recent advances in eastern Ukraine reflect the Kremlin’s desire to exploit a window of opportunity to continue attacks before the first batch of new US military aid arrives in Ukraine.
• Jens Stoltenberg made a surprise visit to Kiev: “I will be very honest, I did not deliver what I promised. Things will change from now on.” He invited Zelensky to attend the Alliance summit to be held in July in Washington, but warned that at the current stage he does not expect an agreement between the member states that would allow Ukraine to be invited to join.
• A missile attack launched by the Russians on Monday hit an educational facility in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, killing at least four people and injuring 28 others.
• A former member of the German army admitted on Monday, on the first day of his trial, that he spied for Russia, justifying his actions by wanting to avoid an escalation of the war in Ukraine.
• The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has ordered industrial companies involved in the manufacture of Aster anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missiles to give priority in their production for these orders in relation to others.
• The Czech Republic ranks the case of the explosions at two ammunition depots, in which Russian spies were involved. “Russia refused to cooperate.”
• Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says there is no unity among Ukraine’s leading politicians even now, something he says is illustrated by the fact that Zelenskiy has not received him in an audience since the start of the war.
• The EC will open an investigation into how Facebook and Instagram handled disinformation coming from Russia.
• Polish farmers on Monday lifted the blockade on the border with Ukraine, which began due to dissatisfaction with cheaper agricultural products from the neighboring country.
• “Putin doesn’t care much about corruption. But there is a limit.” How to explain the fall of Timur Ivanov, the “opulent” Deputy Minister of Defense.
• Chinese companies selling to Russia have a big problem: the banks. The solutions are “underground” and very risky. Other companies have withdrawn from the Russian market altogether.

—————