Japanese Prime Minister visits kyiv and Russia flies over bombers near Japanese territory

First modification: 03/21/2023 – 19:13

The Russian government declared that the exercise was in accordance with international regulations and was carried out in neutral international waters. The bombers were escorted by fighter jets in a “planned flight”, according to the Defense Ministry.

The “Tupolev Tu-95MS” aircraft have nuclear capabilities and have been used by Moscow to fly over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

However, some voices highlight that this military maneuver could be a response to the unexpected visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Ukrainian soil.

The Japanese leader arrived in kyiv to meet with President Volodimir Zelenski, in order to “Show respect for the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people, who rise up to defend their homeland under the leadership of President Zelensky,” he stressed.

The Ukrainian president published images of his meeting with Kishida, whom he called “a truly powerful defender of the international order and a long-time friend of Ukraine.”

Before his meeting with Zelensky, Kishida went to the town of Bucha, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, whose inhabitants suffered some of the worst harassment at the hands of Russian troops in the first months of the invasion, before they the place was liberated by the local Army.

“I would like to offer my condolences to all the victims and injured on behalf of the Japanese citizens. Japan will continue to help Ukraine with the best effort to restore peace,” said the premier after laying a wreath in front of a church, just before participate in a minute of silence as a tribute to the deceased.

More than 400 people were killed in Bucha, according to figures from local authorities, making the place synonymous with Kremlin brutality.

The Japanese prime minister was the only leader of the Group of Seven (G7), the world’s richest countries, who had not visited Ukraine since the conflict began.

The Japanese prime minister’s visit to the nation invaded by Moscow also coincides with the meeting between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Moscow, at the height of the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

Destroyed Russian cruise missiles in Crimea

The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Agency reported, through a statement on its website, the destruction of multiple Kalibr cruise missiles in the city of Dzhankoi, in northern Crimea.

While the statement did not explicitly attribute responsibility for the attack to Ukrainian forces, it did mention that the destruction of the artifacts “continues the process of Russian demilitarization and prepares the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula for evacuation.”

Local authorities on the peninsula reported an explosion in the area, however they made no mention of a possible Ukrainian attack targeting cruise missiles.

Various reports claim that the missiles were being transported on a train and were intended to be used in Russian submarines for military use.

If Ukrainian responsibility for the attack is confirmed, it would mean a major military advance for kyiv, which seems to be strengthened by the help it is receiving from allied nations.

US to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the fall

“We are working on it,” White House spokesman John Kirby responded to the question of whether the Joe Biden Administration is planning to speed up the shipment of tanks to kyiv.

The Government promised to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, despite the difficulties that their transfer and maintenance would mean.

Various reports indicate that the power plans to expedite military assistance as much as possible, accelerating the delivery of tanks approximately a year earlier than initially thought.

The company that produces these military vehicles has a production line that takes about a month to build 12 tanks, which could mean rapid progress in the arrival of this weaponry that Kiev urgently requests to stop the advance of Moscow troops in his attempt to seize more Ukrainian territories.

With Reuters and AP