The battle for control of donbasregion in the east of Ukraine, intensified and the Russian forces narrowed their siege this Sunday over the towns of Severodonetskrelentlessly attacked, and Lyssychansk.
The situation in Lyssychansk has “clearly aggravated”, the governor of the Lugansk region, Serguii Gaidai, said on the Telegram messaging application on Sunday.
“A Russian shell hit a residential building, a girl was killed and there are four injured people in hospital,” he said.
Saturday was also a difficult day in the town, according to this person in charge, in which 22 buildings were damaged by the attacks.
In Severodonetsk, the situation is just as complicated, according to Gaidai, and the Russian assault continues in the city, where there is fighting in the streets.
On Saturday, more than three months after the start of the offensive launched by Moscow on February 24, the French president, Emmanuel Macronand the German chancellor, Olaf ScholzThey demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin initiate “serious direct negotiations” with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky.
Putin assured that Russia remains “open to resume dialogue” with kyiv to resolve the conflict, although peace negotiations with Ukraine have been stalled since March, according to the Kremlin.
“Constant Bombing”
Next week will be very tough,” Gaidai predicted, adding, however, that the Russian forces “will not be able to achieve everything they plan.”
In turn, the mayor of SeverodonetskOlexander Stryuk, assured that “the Russians have used many means to take the city but they have not succeeded (…) We think that the city will resist”.
The “constant bombardments” make supply, especially drinking water, very difficult, and the city has been without electricity for more than two weeks, the official said via Telegram.
In a statement published on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry assured that the army destroyed “with precision and long-range missiles an important arsenal of the Ukrainian forces” in the Dnipropetrovsk region (southeast).
These missiles have also targeted a Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense system in the region of Donetska radar station in Kharkiv and five ammunition warehouses near Severodonetsk, according to the same sources.
Lyssychansk Y Severodonetsk they are key cities that Russian forces and pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists want to surround, as part of their strategy to control the entire Donbas mining basin.
“Very very difficult”
A little further west, on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the seizure of the key city of Lymanwhich paves the way to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in donbas.
The commander of the Russian armed forces of the central district, General Alexandre Lapine, congratulated himself on Sunday for “the courage and heroism” of the Russian soldiers who participated in the taking of Lyman.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian army also reported that Russian troops were massively regrouping in this area.
Even Zelensky acknowledged that “the situation in this region of Donbas (was) very, very difficult,” with heavy shelling from artillery and missiles.
However, he assured that “if the occupiers believe that Lyman and Severodonetsk are theirs, they are wrong.”
After the unsuccessful offensive on kyiv and Kharkov (northeast) at the beginning of the war, Russian forces concentrated in eastern Ukraine with the goal of taking Donbas, partially controlled since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists supported by Moscow.
Export cereals “without obstacles”
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine, a great agricultural power, cannot export its grains due to the blockade of its ports. In his conversation with Macron and Scholz, Putin said that his country is “ready” to help “unhindered” export of Ukrainian grain.
“Russia is ready to help find options for unhindered grain export, including Ukrainian grain, from Black Sea ports,” according to a Kremlin statement.
According to Putin, the difficulties with the food supply have been caused by “a mistaken economic and financial policy of Western countries, as well as anti-Russian sanctions.”
During the call with the two leaders, Putin He also considered “dangerous to continue flooding Ukraine with Western weapons”, and warned of the risk of future “destabilization”, according to the Kremlin.
At the same time, US media reported that Washington is preparing to supply multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), something that Ukraine has claimed in order to counter Russian military power.
Pentagon spokesman, John Kirbydid not confirm the shipment of the M270 MLRS, a very mobile weapon, capable of shooting up to 300km away, mentioned by the press.
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