Ukraine wants the US to 'green light' a long-range attack on Russia?

According to information from the Kursk front, the Russian army is preparing a bridgehead to begin the battle to retake the town of Sudzha. Currently, Russian reconnaissance units are only about 2km from the town center.

According to the Mash Telegram channel, Russian units are gathering in the area of ​​the old airport, while soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are in the area of ​​the town's brick factory.

The two villages closest to Sudzha, Kolmkov and Dmitryukov, have been taken by Russian troops. The Russian advance is now towards the village of Bondarevka.

Could Russia liberate AFU-occupied areas in Kursk region before US presidential election? Photo: Getty

Russian army speeds up liberation of settlements in Kursk

On October 21, the Shot Telegram channel reported the liberation of four settlements in the Kursk region: the villages of Vereteno, Matveevka, Durovka and Zheblovka. Currently, fighting is taking place in the area of ​​the village of Kruglenkoye.

“ Russian soldiers were surrounded by more than 1,800 enemy gunmen, in the Sudzhansky and Korenevsky districts. During the day, the enemy suffered significant losses; about 1 AFU soldier was forced to surrender due to lack of ammunition and equipment. There were also successes in Kolmkovo; 7km to Sudzha” - Shot wrote.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the military is attacking 12 Ukrainian brigades in the area of ​​the settlements of Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, Cherkasskaya Konopelka, Novoivanovka, Novy Put, Kolmkov, Nizhny Klin and Plekhovo in the Kursk region.

In addition, the Russian side also repelled a counterattack by AFU attack aircraft near the village of Novoivanovka with significant losses.

Akhmat commando confirms control of Sudzha is just a matter of time

Earlier, the commander of the special forces detachment Akhmat, nicknamed Hades, said that taking control of Sudzha was just a matter of time.

“ Our mission is not to quickly enter residential areas, but to stop and crush the advancing enemy forces. They have a large number of troops and a lot of mechanized equipment,” said the officer nicknamed Hades.

Accordingly, on the first day of the Ukrainian army's offensive in the Kursk region, the Akhmat special forces destroyed 39 units of combat vehicles, on the second day - 20 units. After suffering heavy losses, the AFU unit withdrew to Sudzha.

AFU occupied Sudzha in August 2024 after a cross-border attack on the Kursk region. Sudzha became the largest settlement in Russia currently under Ukrainian military control.

US Defense Secretary makes surprise visit to Kiev

On October 21, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit. British news agency Reuters reported that the Pentagon leader wanted to demonstrate Washington's commitment to helping Kiev ahead of the US presidential election in early November.

The Wall Street Journal, citing a source with the delegation, reported that the US Secretary of Defense “arrived in Kiev without making any major announcements.” This visit to Ukraine could be Mr. Austin’s last as US Secretary of Defense.

“Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Monday with a message of a strong U.S. commitment to Ukraine’s war effort, but no new military aid or permission for Ukrainian forces to use long-range missiles inside Russian territory,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ukraine and the US discuss the possibility of attacking Russian territory with long-range weapons

Regarding the visit of the US Secretary of Defense, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky said that he discussed with the Pentagon leadership the possibility of conducting long-range weapons attacks on military targets deep inside Russian territory.

“We discussed Ukraine's air defense capabilities, winter preparations and the expansion of the use of long-range weapons against Russian military targets,” the Ukrainian president said.

The politician expressed gratitude to Washington for the new military aid package for Ukraine worth $400 million.

For his part, Mr. Austin announced that the new aid money will be used to provide the AFU with ammunition, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

The US is assessing Ukraine's "survival" ability.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kiev to assess the adequacy of Ukrainian President Zelensky following a request for military assistance, said Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik.

“ It seems that Mr. Austin came to assess Mr. Zelensky's readiness; explain the groundlessness of his repeated requests for weapons and avoid new contingencies ,” Mr. Rodion Miroshnik assessed.

The Russian diplomat suggested that, after Mr. Austin’s trip to Kiev, the Ukrainian and Western media would probably say that Washington had sent Kiev “a huge helping hand” to create an image of an “unbreakable and strategic friendship between allies.”

Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs Alexey Chepa believes that Austin's visit to Kiev is related to the current dire situation of the AFU: “ The situation on the front is very difficult for Ukraine. Obviously, before the upcoming elections, Austin wanted to get some more reliable information. This is probably how we can explain his unexpected visit to Kiev .”

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chien-su-nga-ukraine-hom-nay-ngay-22102024-ukraine-muon-my-bat-den-xanh-tan-cong-tam-xa-vao-nga-353957.html