Attacks intensify in Kharkiv and Donbass – The Russians are repulsed in the north

LAST UPDATE: 11:45

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for the spring mobilization, as reported by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti. According to the report, 134,500 people will be added to the Russian armed forces. Shoigu said the mobilization this spring will be shorter than a year ago.

Jeremy Fleming, head of the British cyber-intelligence service GCHQ, believes that Russia has “misjudged the situation” in Ukraine and that the truth of the situation is being kept secret by President Vladimir Putin. He added that the Russian troops had sabotaged their own equipment and even accidentally shot down one of their own aircraft. The United States has said it has information that Putin “felt misled by the Russian military” and that this resulted in “persistent tensions between Putin and his military leadership.” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby expressed concern about how Putin would react to the “bad news.” He said an uninformed Putin could lead to an attempt to end the conflict through peace talks, which would not be conducted in good faith.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the country is preparing to face “new blows” in the eastern breakaway region of Donbass. Zelensky said he did not believe Russia’s statement would limit military operations around the capital, Kyiv, and another major city, Chernihiv, as these cities were raided a day after Russia’s commitments. The UK Department of Defense also confirmed that “significant Russian bombing and rocket fire continued” in Chernihiv.

The BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, Paul Adams, said at the time that the announcement was likely to mean a more coordinated effort to get the Russians across the “contact line” separating Ukrainian-controlled territory in the east of the country. from the Russian-backed separatist “people’s democracies” of Donetsk and Lugansk. Moscow claims that 93% of the Donbass region of Lugansk is now under the control of Russian-backed separatists, with 54% of the other part of Donbass, Donetsk, in their hands. More than a third of the entire region was under separatist control before the start of the war. Up to 10 new regular battalion groups are being set up and deployed in Russian operations, especially in Donbas, the correspondent said.

Vadim Denishenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, told Ukrainian television that “the Russians have started using its airport. Brest (in Belarus) to bomb our lands “.

Reorganization in Belarus

Russian forces may reorganize in Belarus, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement on Thursday. The movement of Russian military equipment was observed in Belarus, “possibly for the reconstruction of units, as well as the creation of a reserve to make up for the losses in manpower, weapons and equipment of groups operating in Ukraine,” the statement said. Ukrainian forces had discovered “frequent cases” of landmines in areas recently recaptured by Russian forces in the Kiev region, the statement added.

What is happening on Ukrainian soil

Chernihiv: The mayor of Chernihiv said the city was “heavily attacked”. Videos on social media seem to show that Ukrainian troops have recaptured territory from Russian forces near the northern city of Chernihiv. The British military intelligence service said on Thursday that Russian bombing and rocket fire on Chernihiv had continued. Russian forces continue to maintain positions east and west of Kiev despite the withdrawal of a limited number of units, the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “Fierce fighting is likely to take place on the outskirts of the city in the coming days.”

Chernobyl: Some Russian forces have withdrawn from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to a senior US defense official, as reported by CNN.

Irpin: Half the city of Irpin, near Kyiv, has been destroyed, according to Alexander Markusin, the city’s mayor, as reported by CNN. Satellite imagery of the besieged southern city of Mariupol shows entire building blocks missing and a Red Cross depot hit by military strikes.

Kharkiv: Russian forces continue to “blockade Kharkiv in the east, bombarding the city with artillery,” the Ukrainian army’s general staff said. In eastern Ukraine, however, the Ukrainian army has recaptured a strategically important road connecting Kharkiv with Chuguiv. A Russian airstrike in the village of Sloboyanske (northeast) has killed a woman and her 11-year-old son, the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Trostianets: Russian forces also withdrew from the city of Trostanyets a month later.

Lugansk: Ukrainian authorities have accused the Russian armed forces of using phosphorous shells to bomb the small town of Marinka in eastern Ukraine. “The Russians used phosphorus shells (…) in Marinka,” a city of tens of thousands of people, before the Russian invasion began on February 24, the head of the military administration of the Donetsk region, Pavel Kirilenko, said via Telegram.

Donetsk: In the direction of Donetsk the enemy is trying to take control of Popasna, Rubinze and capture Mariupol “.

Mariupol: Heavy fighting continued in Mariupol, a key target of Russian forces, the British Defense Ministry said, adding that Ukrainian forces were still in control of the city center, according to Reuters. The mayor of Mariupol He said Russian forces had intensified bombing of the Ukrainian city, according to the BBC. Vadim Boichenko said the port city was in a “very, very difficult state of siege”. Satellite imagery of the besieged Mariupol shows entire building blocks missing and a Red Cross depot hit by military strikes, according to CNN.

Dnipro: Oil tanker destroyed in rocket attack on Ukrainian city of Dnipro (southeast), local official Mykola Lukasuk announced via Telegram late Wednesday night. A factory in Novomoskovsk, northeast of Dnipro, was also hit by a rocket on Wednesday, with no reported deaths, according to Valentin Reznichenko, a local government official in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Until yesterday, Dnipro had not been systematically bombed since the outbreak of war on February 24. But Ukrainian sources note that a few days ago, Russian forces fired rockets at a military unit near the city, causing extensive damage to the facilities.

Mykolaiv: At least 15 people have been killed in a Russian missile strike on a government building in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. (southern) the day before yesterday Tuesday, according to a post by Governor Vitaly Kim on the Telegram platform. The rocket destroyed part of the middle of the building. Mr Kim said his office was in the wreckage, adding that he was not in the building when it was hit. Initially, rescue teams were able to retrieve three bodies. Yesterday, however, the death toll reached 15 dead and 34 injured, always according to Mr. Kim.

Hersonissos: Satellite images from Maxar show that Russian forces have set up a camp in Ukraine at Tsaplinka Airport in the Kherson region. Helicopters and vehicles have been deployed at the camp and fortifications have been dug.

Zelensky: We do not believe anyone

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he did not believe the Russian side’s promise to reduce its military activity, adding that his army was preparing for new hostilities in the eastern part of the country.

“We do not believe anyone, not a single beautiful phrase,” Zelensky said during a recorded sermon to his countrymen Wednesday night through Thursday. “We will not cede anything. We will fight for every measure of our territory,” he insisted.

“We are also observing a gathering of Russian troops for new strikes in the Donbas region and we are preparing for that,” he said.

Kuleba-Lavrov may meet in 1-2 weeks, says Cavusoglu, praising Abramovich

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu praised Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich on Thursday morning.

In a statement to A Haber television, Abramovich said he was “sincerely trying to end the war from the beginning” and that the Russian oligarch was not on the list of people sanctioned by the EU and the United States. Abramovich, Cavusoglu continued, “plays a useful role in mediating between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine.”

Turkey is working to bring the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers back to the negotiating table for talks following peace talks in Istanbul this week, Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu said, adding that the meeting could take place within two weeks.

Vehicle convoy of 45 buses to Mariupol

A convoy of Ukrainian buses set off today for Mariupol in southern Ukraine to try to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate trapped residents of the city, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Verestsuk. She said 45 buses were on their way to Mariupol after the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that Russia had agreed to open a safe corridor.

The city mayor said this week that up to 170,000 residents are trapped in Mariupol without electricity and with supplies running low. “There are 45 buses on their way to Mariupol,” Verestsuk said in a statement.