Russia-Ukraine War Latest: Putin praises ‘unstoppable’ hypersonic missile as Russia increases threat to West

Russia has fired a senior Ukrainian general for misleading reporting on the progress of the war, Russian media reported, as Defense Minister Andrei Belosov tries to weed out bad commanders.

Russian media cited sources as saying that the commander of the southern units, Colonel Gennady Anashkin, had been removed from command, but there was no official confirmation.

Russian war bloggers have long complained about the operational command around Siversk in eastern Donetsk, where poorly supported Russian troops fought deadly battles with little apparent tactical advantage. He claims that he is being thrown into the

“Only lazy people wouldn’t write about the issues there. All in all, it took about two months for the system to react properly,” Leiber, a respected pro-Russian blogger, said on Telegram.

“Mr. Anashkin was dismissed for false reports to the Seversk direction,” Leiber said. A war correspondent for Russian state television also said Anashkin had been removed from command.

Prominent pro-Russian war blogger Yuri Podlyaka, in a report on the change of command, quoted Belosov as saying, “You can make mistakes, but you cannot lie.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during a visit to Ankara on Monday, Reuters reported, citing Turkish officials.

Turkey, a NATO member, condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also opposes Western sanctions against Russia, with which it shares defense and energy ties.

It also expressed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provided military support to Kiev.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the country’s air defense systems destroyed 34 Ukrainian drones overnight, 27 of which were destroyed over the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

However, the ministry did not provide details about the Kursk governor’s earlier statement that two “Ukrainian missiles” were also destroyed by defense forces over the region.

Meanwhile, explosions were reportedly heard in Kiev early Sunday.

Reuters reported, citing witnesses and local Ukrainian media, that the explosions sounded like air defense forces in action.

Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched overnight, including more than 10 that were targeting Kiev, the Ukrainian military announced.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the attack, according to the Kiev military junta.

“The UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were flying in different directions towards Kiev,” Kiev Military Administration Chief Serhiy Popko said. “The air raid warning in the city lasted for more than three hours.”

Reuters witnesses heard explosions that sounded like air defense forces operating in Kiev.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday that he supports measures to reduce bureaucracy within the Ukrainian military in order to “reduce the disparity between generals and soldiers.”

“An officer must see his soldiers. For me personally, a general who has never stepped into the trenches is not a general, despite their experience,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.

“The generals are supposed to be in the trenches. This is that kind of war,” he said.

Zelenskiy said he believed Russia’s main mission now was to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region by January 20, referring to the inauguration day of US President-elect Donald Trump. .

“Soldier morale is of the utmost importance,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy criticized the “limited support” for Ukraine from the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) countries.

Ukraine’s president criticized the “weak position” toward Russia of the countries participating in the latest G20 summit held in Brazil last week.

Zelenskiy particularly criticized host country Brazil’s President Lula da Silva for having a “weak stance on war.”

“If we want good and normal relations between countries and peoples, we should first support the people, not the aggressors and the leaders of the world’s aggression, such as President Putin and today’s modern Russia.” said the President of Ukraine on Saturday. .

“Unless major powers such as the United States, Brazil, and other countries in Asia and Africa take a clear stand, an agreement with President Putin will simply result in a delay in strategy and further blackmail by Russia,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suspects that the Russian president’s main objective is to occupy the entire Donbass region and drive Ukrainian forces out of Kursk.

Most of Donbass is currently occupied by Russia.

“The most important thing for President Putin is to get us out of the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian president said.

“I’m sure he wants to get us out by January 20th,” Zelenskiy said, referring to President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in date.

“It is very important for him (Putin) to show that he is in control of the situation,” he said.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said the United States was using Taiwan to provoke a crisis in Asia.

China considers the island to be part of its territory.

Rudenko said the United States is strengthening military and political contacts with Taipei under the “slogan” of maintaining the status quo, adding that this violates the “one China” principle.

“The purpose of such clear US intervention in regional affairs is to provoke the People’s Republic of China to suit its own selfish interests and provoke a crisis in Asia,” he told Russia’s Tass news agency. spoke.

The risk of the conflict in Ukraine spilling over into other parts of the world, including Africa, is “real,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in a post on X.

He claimed that Russian forces, like the Wagner mercenaries, were already destabilizing parts of Africa, “exploiting resources and escalating tensions.”

“Africa, with its vast resources and strategic importance, remains a prime target for Russian exploitation,” the president said on the sidelines of an international summit on food security. “If Russia escapes this war without a fair and just outcome, it will repeat its actions elsewhere.”

“The continent’s size and large number of states make it a key focus of Russia’s destabilization agenda, whether through natural resources, economic interests or political influence,” Zelenskiy said. “There is,” he said.