Kharkiv’s mayor reported a “calmer” situation since Ukraine targeted Russian missile launchers that had been shelling the city. Ihor Terekhov made these comments nearly two weeks after the US and other Western countries permitted Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia near Kharkiv. He spoke at a German conference attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky, aimed at rallying European support and investment in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia announced the capture of Tymkivka in Kharkiv and Miasozharivka in Luhansk, although Ukraine has not commented on these claims. President Zelensky asserted ongoing “counter-strike activities” in Kharkiv and denied reports by pro-Russian Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov about capturing a village in Sumy, stating no Russian presence existed there.
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Addressing the German parliament for the first time, Zelensky called for future reparations from Russia and stressed the importance of preventing division in Ukraine, likening it to the Berlin Wall. He also warned of pro-Russian rhetoric’s threat to the EU, following gains by far-right parties in recent elections. His speech received a standing ovation, except from the far-right AfD and far-left BSW parties, which boycotted the address.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced additional air defenses for Ukraine, including a third Patriot system. This support follows the US’s decision to allow Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia near Kharkiv, a policy previously restricted to avoid escalating the conflict.
Ukrainian officials reported five deaths from Russian bombardments in the last 24 hours, four of which were in the Kharkiv region. Terekhov noted that while shelling had increased recently, the situation had generally calmed since Ukrainian forces hit the equipment used for shelling Kharkiv. German Chancellor Scholz, speaking alongside Zelensky, affirmed Germany’s commitment to sending more air defenses to aid Ukraine.
