Zelenskyy to address US senators – DW – 12/05/2023

Ukraine’s military shot down 10 of 17 attack drones launched by Russia overnight, Ukrainian officials said.

The governor of Ukraine’s western Lviv region said three drones hit an unspecified infrastructure target, but damage was minimal and no casualties were reported.

The Ukrainian air force said the drones were shot down over “various regions” of the country. It also said six S-300 missiles had been fired at civilian targets in the eastern Donetsk and southern Kherson regions.

Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, said at least two people were killed and one wounded after Russian forces attacked the city of Kherson.

Russia says it has neutralized dozens of Ukrainian drones over the annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Sea of Azov. 

“Twenty-two Ukrainian drones were destroyed and 13 others were intercepted over the Sea of Azov and Crimea,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the ministry said that four Ukrainian drones were shot down and two intercepted over the Sea of Azov.

Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, hosts the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and is a key supply route for Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine. It is regularly targeted by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to address US senators by video during a classified briefing on Tuesday.

It comes as the Biden administration urges Congress to approve the White House’s nearly $106 billion (around €98 billion) request for funds for the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Zelenskyy’s appearance after the administration Monday sent an urgent warning about the need to approve the military and economic assistance to Ukraine, saying Kyiv’s war effort to defend itself from Russia’s invasion may grind to a halt without it.

Schumer said the administration had invited Zelenskyy to address the senators so they “could hear directly from him precisely what’s at stake.” They will also be hearing from the secretaries of defense, state and other top national security officials.

In a public letter to House and Senate leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the US will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, saying that would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield.

dh/nm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)