LAST UPDATE: 08.55
As fighting in the Donbas region escalates, the Ukrainian military says Russian forces are trying to encircle its troops in Lisichansk and Sheverodonetsk.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow’s “absolute priority” is “the liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.” Lavrov, speaking in an interview with French broadcaster TFI, said the two regions were now recognized by the Russian Federation as independent states. “Our obvious goal is, of course, to repel the Ukrainian army and Ukrainian battalions from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” he said.
The Ukrainian military has said that Russian bombardment of northern Sumy and Chernihiv has resumed. “The main goal of the enemy is to encircle our troops in the Lisichansk and Severodonetsk regions and to block the main supply routes,” the Ukrainian General Staff said. He added that Russian forces were “trying to make progress in the northeastern suburbs of Sheverodonetsk, carrying out offensive operations in the city center.”
Two civilians were killed and five wounded in the bombing, which was carried out by Russian troops on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Sheverodonetsk, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Monday. Gaidai said Russian troops were attacking the city with all their weapons and air support and had entered its southeastern and northeastern regions.
The Ukrainian army has also said it has launched a counterattack against Russian forces in the south and claims to have made significant progress towards Kherson. Serhii Hlan, an official with the Kherson region council, said Ukrainian forces “continued their offensive and repelled the enemy 9km in the Beryslav region”. Hlan also claimed that the Ukrainian units “broke the enemy group into two parts and effectively surrounded the enemy in Davidiv Brid”.
Zelensky in Kharkov
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the “front line positions” of the Ukrainian army and met with soldiers during a trip to the Kharkiv region on Sunday. “I want to thank each and every one of you for your services. You risk your life for all of us and our state. Thank you for defending Ukraine’s independence. Take care of yourself,” he said. During the visit, Zelensky received operational information and visited damaged buildings in the city. Zelensky praised the authorities in Kharkov, but said he had fired the head of the SBU regional security service, who “did not work to protect the city from the first days of a full-scale invasion and only thought of himself personally”.
Poland sends 18 self-propelled guns
Poland has sent 18 AHS Krab self-propelled guns to Ukraine, Polish state radio reported on Sunday, citing a government source as Kyiv tries to repel an ongoing attack by Russian forces on Donbas.
Faced with the pounding of its forces by Russian artillery in the eastern regions of the country, the Ukrainian government is asking the West to send it more long-range weapons to reverse the situation on the ground.
AHS Krab self-propelled guns have a maximum effective range of 40 km.
According to Polish media, Poland has trained about 100 members of the Ukrainian Artillery in their handling.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said at the weekend that his country had begun receiving Harpoon missiles against surface ships from Denmark and self-propelled guns from the United States.
The Czech Republic is sending more military equipment
The Czech Republic will supply Ukraine with weapons worth 24 to 28 million euros directly, the country’s Defense Minister Yana Chernohova said on Sunday on the public television network ČT.
“It is crucial that (military) aid is provided at a steady pace,” Chernokhova said, noting that Prague had already sent 140 million euros worth of military equipment to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
The minister confirmed that heavy weapons would be sent, but declined to go into details about their types and quantities “for security reasons”.
However, Czech media report that, among other things, T-72 tanks, BMP-1 armored personnel carriers, DANA self-propelled guns and Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters will be sent.
The Czech Republic – a member of NATO since 1999 – is less than 400 km from Ukraine.
Source: Capital
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