Russia pressed its offensive in the eastern city of Bakhmut despite suffering heavy losses, the Ukrainian military said on April 21, while the Kyiv and Poltava regions sustained more drone attacks that caused damage to infrastructure as allies prepared to discuss additional military support for Ukrainian forces.
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Ukrainian air defense detected and shot down eight Iranian-made Shahed drones above Kyiv overnight, the capital’s military administration said early on April 21.
“After a 25-day lull, the capital of Ukraine suffered another air attack from the enemy…. About eight enemy drones were detected and shot down,” Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, said on Telegram, adding that according to initial reports there were no casualties or major damage.
In the eastern region of Poltava, a Russian drone attack damaged civilian infrastructure, Dmytro Lunin, the region’s military governor, said on Telegram.
“There is destruction of civilian infrastructure. Rescuers are working to control the fire. Preliminarily, there are no victims,” Lunin said.
In the eastern region of Donetsk, fighting raged on the Bakhmut-Avdiyivka-Maryinka front, which Russian forces have been unsuccessfully attempting to break through for several months, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily bulletin.
“The enemy, at the cost of heavy losses, continues to concentrate its main efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka directions,” the military said, adding that the fiercest battle continues to be fought for Bakhmut.
Over the past day, more than 60 enemy attacks were repulsed by Ukrainian defenders, it said.
Meanwhile, the United States is hosting a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, consisting of representative of some 50 countries, at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany on April 21 to discuss providing more weapons to Kyiv.
The meeting will also be attended by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who on April 20 visited Kyiv for the first time since Russia’s invasion last year, telling Ukrainians their country’s future belongs in the alliance.
Stoltenberg reaffirmed the alliance’s position that Ukraine’s future lies in NATO but stopped short of offering a clear timeline.
He reiterated that the 31-member bloc will continue to support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion for as long as necessary.
“Let me be clear: Ukraine’s rightful place is in the euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help you to make this possible,” Stoltenberg said.
“NATO stands with you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the alliance had trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and gave 65 billion euros ($71.31 billion) in military aid alone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Stoltenberg that “it is time” an invitation was extended to join the alliance.
“There isn’t a single objective barrier to the political decision to invite Ukraine into the alliance,” Zelenskiy told a news conference with Stoltenberg in Kyiv, adding, “It is time for the corresponding decisions.”
Zelenskiy also appealed to Stoltenberg to help overcome the hesitancy of some members to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine.
