Day 578 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Kyiv’s forces continue the counteroffensive in southeastern Ukraine
• Lavrov: The peace plan proposed by Ukraine is absolutely unrealistic
• Zelensky went to Poland and thanked for the "invaluable support", but did not meet with the country's leaders
• The former head of Roscosmos became a senator of the upper house of the Russian parliament

Kyiv’s forces continue the counteroffensive in southeastern Ukraine

The commander of the Russian group of the Zaporizhzhia division, General Alexander Romanchuk, was seriously injured in the missile attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Ukrainian military intelligence said.

Ukrainian troops continue their counteroffensive in this direction towards the fortified city of Tokmak and have broken through the Russian lines near Verbove, CNN reported.

At the UN, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the Ukrainian peace plan, which envisages the withdrawal of Russians from the territory of Ukraine, as unrealistic. Lavrov accused Western countries of waging war directly with Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Western countries of waging direct war with Russia in Ukraine.

As examples, Lavrov pointed to Western arms supplies, the training of Ukrainian military personnel not only in European countries, but also on the territory of Ukraine itself, as well as the provision of intelligence data to the Ukrainian army.

"Call it what you want, but they are directly at war with us. We call it a hybrid war, but that doesn't change things," Lavrov said at a press conference in New York, where he participated in the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. He accused Western countries of blocking Russian terms on the so-called grain deal, which Moscow abandoned in July, and added:

"I will remind you one more time. President Putin said that when everything written in the Russian part of the package works, on the same day the Ukrainian part of this initiative of the Secretary General will be resumed."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky briefly visited Poland yesterday, but without meeting with officials. He was in the city of Lublin to present awards to two volunteers - a journalist and a doctor, who helped the Ukrainian cause in the fight against Russian aggression.

Reuters points out that Zelensky has not had meetings with Polish government officials, which has not happened since the beginning of the war.

Relations between the two countries have cooled in recent days after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Warsaw would focus on its own armaments and limit supplies to Kyiv.

Financial Times sources meanwhile confirmed that the US will supply Ukraine with ATACMS ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers. One of the Republican candidates for president of the United States, Ron DeSantis, said that he opposes Ukraine's membership in NATO, which, according to him, is not in the best interests of the United States.

"All of this would create more liabilities for us, so if we add more liabilities, what would our benefits be in return," DeSantis said on Glenn Beck's podcast, Bloomberg reported.

Lavrov: The peace plan proposed by Ukraine is absolutely unrealistic

"The peace plan proposed by Ukraine is absolutely 'unrealistic'," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a press conference after his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.

According to the Russian first diplomat, another UN proposal for a so-called grain deal cannot be accepted either.

"None of the promises that Russia received have been fulfilled," Lavrov said.

Among Moscow's demands are the return of the main agricultural bank to the SWIFT system, free access of Russian ships to ports in the Mediterranean Sea and other European ports, and also a solution to the issue of insurance, which has been increased 4 times.

According to Lavrov, Armenia and Azerbaijan have resolved the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, although uncertainty in the region remains.

"We are guided by the bare truth, and it is: Zelensky and all those who manage him in Washington, London, Brussels, in one voice and firmly explain that there is no other basis for peace than Zelensky's formula. And Zelensky's formula - it can be described in different ways, but it is absolutely impossible to realize. And everyone knows it," said Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Zelensky went to Poland and thanked for the "invaluable support", but did not meet with the country's leaders

On his way back from a visit to Canada, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stopped in Poland and presented awards to two volunteers, but without meeting with official representatives of the country, Reuters reported.

Yesterday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki toughened his tone towards the Ukrainian president on the occasion of his speech before the UN General Assembly. The reason for the tension was the dispute between the two countries, which broke out over the grain trade. "Never insult Poland again," Morawiecki addressed Zelensky.

Zelensky praised the work of Polish citizens and volunteers during a short stop in Lublin on his way back to Ukraine from official visits across the Atlantic.

"On my way to Ukraine, I had the honor to note in Lublin the efforts of Polish citizens and volunteers. Bianka Zalewska is a journalist who has been covering the Russian aggression against Ukraine since 2014 and spreading the truth about what is happening because of the invasion of Russian evil. In July In 2014, she was seriously injured, but she does not stop fighting for good. Her volunteer efforts saved the lives of many Ukrainians, including children who were transported to children's hospitals in Poland for treatment. We thank her for this!" he wrote pn Telegram.

President Zelensky also praised Damian Duda, a doctor from the rescue service, head of a voluntary medical team, who is also part of the teaching staff of the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin.

"He and his team came to Ukraine: in Bakhmut, Soledar, on the front line in the south of the country. He saved our boys, our soldiers, created a foundation that finances the purchase of medicines, and created a training center for combat medics, actively trained journalists and volunteers who are deployed in the combat zone. Thanks to such care, human lives are actually saved. Thank you, Damian," said Zelensky.

"I thank Poland for the invaluable support and solidarity that help protect the freedom of the whole of Europe!" said the Ukrainian president.

His press office specified that Bianka Zalewska was awarded the Order of "Princess Olga" second degree, and Damian Duda - with the Order "For Merit" third degree, for their significant personal contribution to maintaining the state sovereignty of Ukraine, its territorial integrity, as well as for the strengthening of Ukrainian-Polish cooperation.

The former head of Roscosmos became a senator of the upper house of the Russian parliament

The former head of the Russian space agency "Roscosmos" Dmitry Rogozin has been appointed as a senator in the upper house of the Russian parliament from the Moscow-occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine, the Russian-appointed regional governor Yevgeny Balitsky announced today.

Russia is organizing local and regional elections in early September in the four Ukrainian regions it annexed from Ukraine. The elections were condemned as "illegal" by Kyiv and the West and aimed in particular at renewing several local and regional bodies.

"By my decree, Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin is authorized to become a senator of the Russian Federation - a representative of the executive body of the state power of the Zaporizhzhia region," Governor Yevgeny Balitsky said in a statement, highlighting the new senator's "colossal experience and competence."

"I am grateful to the elected governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast for the trust he has placed in me, allowing me to represent this liberated region that once belonged to Russia in the upper house of our federal parliament," Rogozin said in turn. Rogozin's priority will be "the continuation of the liberation of the region", writes TASS.

Last year in July 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin removed Rogozin from the leadership of Roscosmos and appointed him as the leader of a group of military advisers assisting pro-Russian separatist forces in Ukraine. In 2022, he was injured in a Ukrainian strike on Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Rogozin is a critic of the West known for his attacks on "enemies of Russia".

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

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