Russia Ukraine war, live: Russia says it has breached Ukrainian defenses in Lugansk

The two hundred young Ukrainians who have received military training by the Spanish Army at the Toledo Infantry Academy are finishing their five weeks of basic instruction this Thursday, ready to join the armed forces of their country and with high morale, convinced that victory will be yours. The EFE Agency has witnessed a few hours of the training that these young Ukrainians receive, with an average age of 24 years, although most of them are in their twenties, all of them without previous military training and who have signed a three-year contract with the Ukrainian army, regardless of when the war ends. EFE

Russian troops have broken through the defenses of Ukrainian forces in part of the Luhansk region, as reported by the Russian Defense Ministry this Wednesday morning. “During the offensive… Ukrainian troops randomly withdrew up to three kilometers (1.9 miles) away from the previously occupied lines,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. “Even the most heavily fortified second line of defense of the enemy could not contain the advance of the Russian army,” he added. Reuters

The Government of New Zealand has announced this Wednesday the imposition of new sanctions against Iran due to its supply of drones to Russia, which are reportedly being used in the war in Ukraine, as well as for the use of force in the social protests that took place. momentum after the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has indicated that her cabinet has sanctioned eight other Iranian individuals and entities “to put pressure on Russia’s war machine,” including the Defense Ministry’s Head of Supply and Industrial Affairs, the Commander of the Iranian Air Force and companies responsible for the manufacture of unmanned aircraft, according to a statement from the Executive.

Two F-35 fighters from the Netherlands intercepted three Russian military aircraft that approached Polish airspace last Sunday, the Dutch Defense Ministry has now reported. The Dutch quick reaction alert (QRA) was activated in Poland after detecting that three aircraft were approaching Polish airspace without identifying themselves, which is why two Dutch fighters immediately went to intercept it.

After identifying a Russian IL-20M Coot-A that was accompanied by two SU-27 Flankers, the Dutch fighters gave way to Polish fighter jets which continued the interception. Russian fighters were heading to Kaliningrad. NATO fighter jets are in Poland for surveillance of NATO airspace over Eastern Europe, security heightened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. PS