Politics Ukraine warns against Iranian missile deliveries to Russia

The Ukrainian leadership has urged Iran not to provide Russia with ballistic missiles for its war of aggression under any circumstances. If international media reports confirm that Iran is supplying Russia with such missiles for attacks on Ukraine, this would severely damage bilateral relations between Kiev and Tehran, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced. According to the rules of the United Nations and international law, Russia is an aggressor state.

A deepening of military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow would not only threaten the security of Ukraine, but also the whole of Europe, the Middle East and the world, the ministry added. The Iranian leadership must prove through action that it does not support Russia's war machine. Kiev has long accused Tehran of supporting Moscow's war - initially by providing Iranian drones and construction plans for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The international community must increase pressure on Tehran and Moscow in order to protect international peace and security, demanded the Foreign Ministry in Kiev. The Ukrainian population has been suffering for more than two years from daily Russian terrorist attacks with all kinds of weapons, including those produced in Iran.

Iran, meanwhile, denied a report in the US newspaper "Wall Street Journal" about the delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia. "Iran considers the supply of military aid to warring parties to be inhumane and will therefore not take any action in this regard," announced Tehran's UN mission in New York in a press release. Such cooperation would also weaken the peace process and lead to a further escalation of the conflict - something Tehran also does not want, the news portal Mashregh quoted from the press release.

New Ukrainian foreign minister thanks Baerbock

Meanwhile, the new Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha thanked his German colleague Annalena Baerbock and other Western allies for supporting the country in its fight against Russian aggression. Ukraine is "grateful for Germany's strong and consistent support" and continues to "focus on cooperation in strengthening Ukrainian defense," Sybiha wrote in German on the social network X. Both had also coordinated their positions for the United Nations General Assembly next week.

The minister also reported on a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, during which the strategic partnership between Washington and Kiev was reaffirmed. They also discussed how military aid for Ukraine could be accelerated and how sanctions against Russia could be tightened. Sybiha did not provide any details.

Criticism of elections on annexed Crimean peninsula

In a further statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also criticized the elections scheduled by Russia this Sunday on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. The ballot was a farce and a violation of international law. It had nothing to do with the will of the voters and was therefore null and void, the ministry announced. The politicians standing for election were in no way legitimized by the Ukrainian side.

In Russia, local and regional elections held in many places in the wake of the war of aggression against Ukraine will end this Sunday. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who himself voted online for the new Moscow City Council, spoke of important elections. The polls always have "great significance for political stability in the country, and today this is particularly important", he said in a video published by the Kremlin.

A total of around 4,000 different votes have been held since Friday in the world's largest country by area. More than 57 million people have been called to vote.

No real opposition is permitted in the elections for new governors, regional parliaments and mayors. Independent observers from the "Golos" organization, which is outlawed in Russia as a "foreign agent", complained in advance of manipulation by the authorities to help the candidates of the Kremlin party United Russia in particular to victory.

Mood test for the Kremlin in times of war

Nevertheless, the vote is seen as an important mood test for the Kremlin, which is under particular pressure due to the Ukrainian offensive on Russian territory in the Kursk region and the shelling of border areas. Governor elections are scheduled in 21 regions, including St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown, where politician Alexander Beglov, who is controversial for mismanagement, is expecting a new term in office thanks to the Kremlin's support. "Golos" registered numerous complaints about violations of election laws and suspected falsification of ballot papers.

Fighting and drone attacks continue

Meanwhile, the fighting on the front continued unabated. According to official reports, new Russian artillery fire killed at least three people in the town of Kostyantynivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Three men aged between 24 and 69 succumbed to their injuries, the Ukrainian military administration announced. It once again called on residents to follow the evacuation orders. The strategically important town of Kostyantynivka is repeatedly the target of Russian attacks.

In the Russian region of Voronezh, the authorities reported explosions in the Ostrogoshsk district and declared a state of emergency there. Governor Alexander Gusev announced on Telegram that several villages in the district had been evacuated. Hundreds of people had been brought to safety. Ukrainian media reported that the ammunition depot in the village of Soldatskoye in western Russia had been hit. The Russian troops in Ukraine had been supplied from there, according to the Ukrainian military intelligence service SBU.

Governor Gusev also announced that a 54-kilometer stretch of the freeway had been closed for security reasons. This refers to the highway from Voronezh towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which has not been under Kiev's control since 2014. According to the governor, areas along the route were on fire and there were problems extinguishing the fire due to the ongoing explosions.