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00:00Next, Ukraine says it shot down more than 10 Russian drones over Kiev Thursday morning
00:04as Russia launched its third attack on the capital in four days.
00:08Meanwhile, Russian ground troops continue to advance on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk
00:13in the eastern Donetsk region.
00:16President Volodymyr Zelensky saying the situation for Ukrainian troops near the key logistics
00:20hub is extremely difficult.
00:23Here's Zelensky on Wednesday.
00:25A report has been drawn up by the commander-in-chief.
00:28The situation in Pokrovsk and other areas of the Donetsk region is extremely difficult.
00:34The main Russian efforts and a great number of the armed forces are concentrated there.
00:39The stability of each of our divisions and our ability to destroy the occupier are very
00:44important.
00:45And for more on the story, I'm joined here in the studio by France 24's chief international
00:49affairs editor Rob Parsons.
00:51Rob, Russia putting enormous effort, lives and equipment into taking this relatively
00:56small city in Donetsk.
00:58Yeah, I mean, it is relatively small, 60,000 people before the start of the war, probably
01:02down to about half of that at the moment and thousands leaving because they're being told
01:07to by their own government, by their own authorities.
01:10The reason why it's so important for the Russians is they see it as being key to taking control
01:19over the Donbass region, Donetsk and Luhansk.
01:22If they take control of Pokrovsk, they cut the roads that link Pokrovsk with the south,
01:30Vuklada and Konstantinovka in the north.
01:33If they manage to do that, they completely disrupt the Ukrainians' frontline positions.
01:38That's why it's so important.
01:39They will force the Ukrainians to retreat further with the possibility that besides
01:47breaking up Ukraine's frontline positions, Russia will have easier access to big cities
01:53like Zaporizhia and Dnipro further west.
01:56That would be truly alarming for the Ukrainians.
01:58Those are bigger cities, thus the key logistics hub there for Pokrovsk.
02:03President Zelensky meanwhile alluding to a plan for victory in recent days, saying he'll
02:07be presenting that plan to Joe Biden as well as the candidates to replace him, Kamala Harris,
02:11Donald Trump.
02:12What do we know about this plan?
02:13Not an awful lot, it has to be said.
02:15He's talking about it and his defense minister and the representative of his own office both
02:22in the United States at the moment, they'll be meeting the U.S. Secretary of Defense and
02:28other senior U.S. leaders, not clear who at the moment.
02:31But they will be primarily at this stage presenting a plan for targeting Russia way beyond the
02:39frontline moment, deep into Russia itself.
02:41They're going to try to persuade the Americans to let them strike using American weaponry
02:48deep inside Russia.
02:49So far we know there's been a lot of resistance to that idea from the Americans, although
02:52there is pressure certainly from other allies to allow it to happen.
02:58There is a feeling in Ukraine that things may be beginning to change in the United States,
03:03that they might get a more sympathetic hearing than in the past.
03:06In addition, they're going to explain the Kursk operation, which is being presented
03:11by Zelensky as a part of this so-called victory plan.
03:15We don't know precisely how it fits into the architecture of that.
03:20He himself is going to be going to the United States for the U.N. General Assembly meeting
03:24in September, where it's understood he will be presenting this plan for victory as well,
03:30including its economic and diplomatic elements.