UK claims Russia has ramped up air activity in east Ukraine after losing control of Kyiv

Russia has increased air activity in south-eastern Ukraine, UK Defence Ministry said, as the battle for Kyiv's sovereignty entered day 39 on Sunday. In its latest update, British authorities said that the concentration of Russian warplanes and combat drones in eastern regions was likely due to Russia focusing its military operations in this area. Notably, a warning about the same has come from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said that Russia aimed to capture the Donbas region. 

Furthermore, they said that Ukraine continues to provide a significant challenge to Russian Air and Missile Operations. Therefore, Russian aircraft are still vulnerable to Ukrainian Air Defence System. "Russia’s inability to find and destroy air defence systems has seriously hampered their efforts to gain broad control of the air, which in turn has significantly affected their ability to support the advancement of their ground forces on several fronts," they said.

Ukraine recaptures Kyiv 

It has been 39 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he said was a “special military operation to denazify” Ukraine. The war that followed, has now left thousands dead, cities pulverized and turned the ex-soviet state into a macabre trap. The gruesome conflict has not only affected Ukraine, which was once the world’s third-largest nuclear power, but also neighbouring countries. More recently, its repercussions were felt in the Bosphorus strait, which links Red to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the most recent development, Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel and the 'whole of Kyiv region' were recaptured by Ukrainian troops, as Russians shifted their focus to the southeastern part of the war-torn country. On Saturday, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine Ganna Maliar said that Zelenskyy's army has gained control over “the whole Kyiv region”. Now, the UK has announced that it will collect evidence for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. 

It is pertinent to note that Russians had occupied these regions following a massive military blitz, in a bid to isolate the Ukrainian capital. However, last week, the Kremlin agreed to retreat from the region, in the aftermath of negotiations with Kyiv officials in Istanbul.

Image: AP