Zelenskiy Orders Ukraine to Strengthen Northern Defenses

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023. (Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Orders Ukraine to Strengthen Northern Defenses

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023. (Reuters)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ordered top military commanders on Friday to strengthen Ukraine's northern military sector following the arrival of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus.

He said Ukrainian intelligence and security forces had reported on the situation in Belarus, Ukraine's northern neighbor, at a meeting of top military and political leaders.

"The decision...is for Commander-in-Chief (General Valeriy) Zaluzhnyi and 'North' commander (General Serhiy) Naev to implement a set of measures to strengthen this direction," Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.

He did not mention Wagner Group boss Prigozhin in the brief post on Telegram.

Prigozhin flew from Russia into exile in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended his mercenaries' mutiny in Russia on Saturday.

Media have reported that Wagner could set up a new base at a vacant military facility near the town of Asipovichi, about 90 km (50 miles) from the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

"Right now, there is no direct threat of offensive actions from Belarus and Russia in the zone that is the responsibility of the Northern Group of Forces," Naev said.

But he said moves to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities were needed in the event of a growing threat, and added: "Our intelligence does not stop work to obtain information."

Zelenskiy said the situation in other frontline areas, supplies of artillery and shells, and advances by Ukrainian troops against Russia's occupying forces were also discussed at Friday's meeting.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said earlier on Friday that Ukrainian troops were advancing in all directions of the counteroffensive they began against Russian forces this month.

"If we talk about the entire frontline, both east and south, we have seized the strategic initiative and are advancing in all directions," she told Ukrainian television.

"In the south, we are moving with varying success, sometimes there are days when it is more than a kilometer, sometimes less than a kilometer, sometimes up to 2 kilometers," she said.

Reuters was unable to verify the situation on the battlefield. Russia, which began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, has not acknowledged the Ukrainian gains and has said Ukraine's military are suffering heavy casualties.



14 Die in Central Nigeria Road Crash

A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
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14 Die in Central Nigeria Road Crash

A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
A man drives a Danfo, a mini-bus, in Lagos, on February 21, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

Fourteen people were killed on Saturday when a bus collided with a petrol tanker in central Nigerian Niger state, a road safety official told AFP Sunday.

The passenger bus rammed into the on-coming petrol tanker as the driver tried to overtake another bus outside Kusobogi village, 80 kms from the state capital Minna, Kumar Tsukwan, head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger state, said.

"Fourteen people died in the head-on collision while six others were injured and taken to hospital for medical attention," Tsukwan said.

He blamed "speeding and wrongful overtaking" by the bus driver for the accident.

The bus was heading to the northern city of Kaduna from the Nigerian economic capital Lagos, Tsukwan said.

Road accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads due largely to speeding and disregard to traffic rules.

Last week, 23 people died when a truck laden with goods and passengers overturned in northern city of Kano.