Day 646 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Zelensky Calls For Rapid Construction of Fortifications in Key Areas

Day 646 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Zaluzhnyi's predecessor, Gen. Muzhenko: We have to go on the defensive
• Ukraine announced that it had destroyed 18 of 25 drones sent by Russia overnight
• Zelensky calls for the rapid construction of fortifications in key areas
• A railway line in Siberia used by Russia for military supplies has been blown up
• The Slovak prime minister demanded "standardization" of relations with Russia after the war
• The Ukrainian parliament ruled out elections before the end of the war
• Russia announced that it had destroyed a Ukrainian unmanned boat headed for Crimea
• Orban said that the EU must first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine
• Scholz said in a telephone conversation with Zelensky that he supports the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU

Zaluzhnyi's predecessor, Gen. Muzhenko: We have to go on the defensive

Army General and former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko announced that Ukraine needs to reformat its strategy on the front.

He told the BBC that he did not think the war had reached a stalemate. According to him, there are not only victories at the front, but sometimes there are also defeats.

"There is not only a successful offensive, but also containment by the enemy. There is not only an offensive, but also a defensive. I think that the current issue today is the transition to defense. Strategically active...