Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj assumes that Russia will not have much to do in its war against Ukraine. Arms deliveries and other aid "are particularly important now, when you feel that Russian aggression is approaching the moment when it can break," the 45-year-old said in his daily video address on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Moscow rejected US accusations after the crash of a military drone in the Black Sea and made accusations against the government in Washington itself. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin received moral support in Moscow from Syria's ruler Bashar al-Assad, who is positioning himself on Russia's side in the war.

Zelenskyj: Constant pressure on Russia needed

Thanks to Western help, Russia's attack is on the verge of failure, according to Zelenskyi. But constant pressure on Russia is necessary, he demanded. In his video address, Zelenskyj also addressed the decisions made on Wednesday at another meeting of the so-called Ramstein format. This format – named after the US air force base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate as the site of several Ukraine meetings – coordinates arms deliveries to Kiev. It had been decided to supply ammunition and anti-aircraft means, he said. Reports of ammunition shortages on both sides had accumulated recently.

Meanwhile, the crash of the US military drone over the Black Sea is making bigger and bigger waves. On Wednesday evening, the Kremlin also spoke out in the affair and blamed the government in Washington for the crash. "Maybe those who are not entitled to it should not have flown there, then everything would have been clean," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Russian state television. Previously, the US had raised, among other things, allegations that Russian fighter jets had dumped fuel on the drone. According to the Pentagon, the drone was traveling in international airspace.

The military incident heightened worldwide concerns about an escalation of the war and the involvement of other states in the conflict. "All incidents that provoke a clash between the two superpowers, the two largest nuclear powers, lead to great risks," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on these fears on state television. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that at Washington's request, Defense Ministers Sergei Shoigu and Lloyd Austin had spoken on the phone. Shoigu spoke of a provocation by the US military.

US Chief of Staff Mark Milley stressed that the United States did not want an escalation after the incident over the Black Sea. "Incidents do happen. And we clearly don't want armed conflict with Russia," Milley said Wednesday in Washington. He was responding to the question of whether the incident was an act of war.

Ukraine: Zelenskyj dismisses three regional governors

Zelenskyi dismissed the governors of the Luhansk, Odessa and Khmelnytskyi regions. The dismissals of Serhiy Hajdaj, Maxym Marchenko and Serhiy Hamalij were made at their own request, according to the decrees published on Wednesday. According to rumors, Hajdaj will soon become ambassador to Kazakhstan. The 47-year-old had been head of administration of the difficult eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk since October 2019. After the Russian invasion just over a year ago, it largely came under Moscow's control. Marchenko, meanwhile, wants to return to the army, where he led a brigade as a colonel before his appointment as governor.

On his first visit to Moscow since the beginning of the war, Syria's ruler Assad expressed support for Putin. He wanted to use the moment to repeat the Syrian position in support of the "special operation," Assad said on Wednesday in the Kremlin, according to the Interfax news agency. In Russia, the war against Ukraine is called a "special military operation".

Assad arrived in the Russian capital on Tuesday evening for an unannounced visit. After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Kremlin wall, he also met Putin for talks on Wednesday. Among other things, he expressed his gratitude for Russia's help after the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey in February. Previously, Putin and Assad had met in September 2021, when the Syrian also traveled to Moscow.

What will be important on Thursday

Putin attends the annual meeting of the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists. At the meeting, the impact of the war and sanctions on the Russian economy will play a significant role. There is also speculation about whether Putin is hinting at the country's orientation towards a war and command economy.