Rocket attack on a bridge in the Kherson region

1 Ukraine

The deputy head of the administration of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, reported about a new Ukrainian attack on the Antonovsky bridge across the Dnieper. According to him — the bridge deck, and the construction equipment nearby, were damaged. The Ukrainian troops used the MLRS ’HIMARS’. Most of the incoming missiles were intercepted by the air defense troops. “Last night there was a missile attack on the Antonovsky bridge. There was one salvo. A construction booth and a concrete mixer caught fire. The bridge deck got some damage, and now it needs even more fixing. There was no critical damage to the bridge. The load-bearing elements of the transport crossing part were not damaged» — he reported.

2 Donbass

Over the past day, the Ukrainian forces attacked the DPR 62 times by firing 425 shells and rockets — the Ceasefire Center reported. «They used MLRS «Uragan» and «Grad», as well as artillery guns. The cities and towns of Donetsk, Gorlovka, Golmovsky, Metalist, Zaitsevo, Novobakhmutovka, Novoselovka, Panteleymonovka, Yasinovataya, Makeevka, and Yelenovka were under fire. 25 houses in the Kirovsky, Kuibyshevsky, Kievsky, and Petrovsky districts of the city of Donetsk, as well as in the towns of Makeevka and Golmovsky were damaged. 3 civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged as well’’ — the report stated. The Ceasefire Center and the DPR’s Territorial Defense HQ reported that over the past day, 4 people died, and 17 were wounded. The Ukrainian troops launched a missile attack on the LPR’s city of Alchevsk as well. 1 person died. 19 people, including 5 children, were wounded. 13 apartment buildings, 4 kindergartens, and a school were damaged.

3 Ukraine

The Ukrainian forces began using the US-made anti-radar missiles ’AGM-88 HARM’. Pieces of one such missile were found at the positions of the Russian forces. Neither the US nor the Ukrainian authorities have officially announced the transfer of the missiles to Ukraine. It is impossible to guess how many such missiles could be in the service of the Ukrainian forces. The US-made missiles ’’AGM-88 HARM’’ are high-speed anti-radar missiles. They were adopted by the US forces in 1983. They can be launched from air and from ground.

4 Ukraine

The head of the Zaporozhye region, Evgeny Balitsky, has signed an order to hold a referendum on the reunification of the region with Russia — the RIA NEWS reported. The document was signed at the forum of the public movement «We are with Russia», which took place in Melitopol. More than 700 representatives from all over the region were present at the event. A member of the main council of the regional administration, Vladimir Rogov, have read an appeal from the forum participants. «Based on the principle of free choice, and while taking the opinion of every inhabitant of our region as the main value, we declare our intention to hold a referendum on the joining of Zaporozhye region with Russia as a full-fledged region. We are one people, and we will be together» — the document stated. Recently Vladymyr Zelenskiy stated that holding referendums will close any possibility of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

5 The EU

The EU Council has unanimously approved a resolution to reduce the gas consumption by the residents of European countries, and the industrial companies. The document provides a 15% reduction in the use of gas in the upcoming heating season. The decree was published on the website of the Council. The document stated the following: ’’The EU members have agreed to reduce the gas consumption by 15% compared to the average consumption rate, over the past 5 years, between 1st of August 2022, and 31st of March, 2023. They will use their own methods» — end of quote. Brussels continues to insist on a complete rejection of the Russian energy imports. The adopted document contains a voluntary approach of the EU countries to the implementation of these new recommendations to reduce the gas consumption. If there is a serious threat of a disruption in the gas supplies from Russia — the measure automatically becomes mandatory.

6 China

The Taiwan island spokesman in France, (Франсуа) François Chin-Chung Wu, stated to the ’BFM Business’ TV that the tensions over Taiwan could lead to the semiconductor shortages. “The semiconductor production chain is a very complex process. If any conflict affects the production of even one component of this technologically complex system — the entire system will cease to function. This will be a big problem for the entire world market» — he explained, and reminded that the semiconductors are installed in almost all devices of daily use. Constantine Reztsov, specially for the ANNA NEWS