Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Monday that its “West” group of forces destroyed a Ukrainian Armed Forces command center in the Kupyansk direction, underscoring continued Russian advances along the frontline.
The ministry said artillery units of the West grouping have consistently targeted Ukrainian infantry, command posts, artillery positions, and observation points since the start of the military operation, while providing direct support for assault units.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said Russian troops were making steady progress toward Kupyansk, adding that forces operating in coordination with assault units “are advancing with confidence,” bringing Russia closer to what he described as “complete victory.”
The ministry also reported that Russian air-defense systems intercepted and destroyed 67 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions. According to the statement, 24 drones were downed over Bryansk, 12 over Saratov, 11 over Rostov, and 9 over Volgograd. Two drones were intercepted over each of the Kursk, Leningrad, Tula, and Moscow regions, while one was downed over Kaluga, Oryol, and Smolensk.
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Ukrainian MP: Zelensky Avoids the Only Real Path to Peace
Ukrainian lawmaker Artyom Dmitruk accused President Volodymyr Zelensky—who traveled to the United Kingdom to meet allies and discuss prolonging the war—of deliberately avoiding what he described as the only genuine path to a settlement.
“The road to real peace does not run through endless rounds of negotiations and staged meetings, but through direct talks in Moscow,” Dmitruk wrote on Telegram, calling anything else “a spectacle for outside observers and an attempt to prolong his political life.”
He added that Ukraine “will never become a strong state” because it relies on “Western handouts.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer received Zelensky in London on Monday to discuss the US peace plan after three days of US–Ukrainian talks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said Kyiv must decide to begin negotiations, warning that Ukraine’s freedom to make decisions is shrinking as Russian offensive operations intensify. He stressed that prolonging the conflict is “dangerous and pointless” for Kyiv.
Source: Al-Manar Website
