Russia said on Wednesday that its troops had controlled the settlement of Novoyelizavetovka in Donetsk, while Ukraine said it repelled several Russian offensives in the Kursk Region in the past day.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russian servicemen raised the Russian flag over the settlement of Novoyelizavetovka in Donetsk in the past day, and attacked Ukrainian troops and equipment on multiple battle lines.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 420 soldiers in the Kursk Region over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Front line commanders said on Wednesday that Russian servicemen had controlled most areas of Ukraine's Chasov Yar city.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported 91 battles at the front lines over the past day, noting that missile and artillery forces hit Russia targets including ammunition depots and personnel. The General Staff said Ukrainian forces repelled several Russian offensives in the Kursk Region.
The Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform reported on Wednesday that Ukrainian drone attacks targeted a warehouse storing missiles, guided bombs and artillery ammunition in Russia's Tver Region, as well as the Andreapol oil pumping station in the village of Erokhino.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has shown obvious changes, with the Russian army claiming progresses in several directions, and the Ukrainian troops taking a defensive posture and withdrawing from several strategic points.
Russia controls Donetsk settlement, Ukraine repels Russian offensives in Kursk
The revolutionary railway projects which are taking shape in Central Asia under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative are helping transform the landlocked region into a major transportation hub along the Eurasian continent, creating huge opportunities for countries along the route, according to the former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Djoomart Otorbaev.
Otorbaev was speaking with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) as leaders from China and five Central Asian countries gathered in the Kazakh capital Astana for the second China-Central Asia Summit from Monday to Wednesday.
Pointing to the importance of cooperation projects brought by the Belt and Road Initiative, Otorbaev said that Eurasian rail infrastructure development is helping Central Asia revitalize its potential along the ancient Silk Road trading routes between China and Europe.
"One of the problems of the past of my region of Central Asia, including my country of Kyrgyzstan, is that they are [in a] landlocked position. In the early days of the Great Silk Road, we were not 'landlocked' but a 'land connected' area, and it looks like now all these good times are coming back because of the so-called Eurasian rail revolution and mainly because of the enormous trade volume which connects China and Europe, and Central Asia is in between," he said.
Among the most significant upcoming developments is the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway -- seen as a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Designed for trains running at speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, the project begins in Kashgar of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, crosses the Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan, then heads west through the Kyrgyz border city of Jalal-Abad, before reaching the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan.
Once operational, the railway will reduce travel times, eliminate the need for multiple loading and unloading procedures, and lower the cost of moving time-sensitive goods like agricultural produce. It will also offer landlocked Central Asian nations a crucial outlet to the sea by connecting to China's extensive rail network, which stretches to major ports along the Pacific Ocean.
Otorbaev emphasized that this groundbreaking project heralds a brighter future for trade and economic cooperation among the countries along the route.
"By building this new railroad, the distance between China and Europe will be shortened by another 900 kilometers. And instead of three weeks of transportation [time] between Europe and China, the distance will be shortened for 10 days [or] 12 days, which is important when you're transporting high-quality and high value goods. And what is important for us is that we will be making profitable trade both with China and Europe being on that way. So in that respect, not only Kyrgyzstan but all Central Asia would be getting more benefits, not only being transit areas, but also to be able to trade cheaper through the railway between our own countries in our region," he said.
Upgraded connectivity brings big boost to Central Asia: former Kyrgyz PM
