Russian missiles fell on the Ukraine this Saturday (25), hitting military installations in the west and north of the country, as well as a city in the south, with the biggest conflict land in Europe since World War II continuing for the fifth month.
Russian artillery and air strikes hit the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, in the eastern region of luhansk on Friday (24), including a chemical factory where hundreds of civilians were trapped, a Ukrainian official said on Saturday.
Ukraine said on Friday that its troops had been ordered to withdraw from Severodonetsk as there was little to defend after weeks of intense fighting, marking the biggest reversal for Ukraine since losing its port of Mariupol in may.
News of the withdrawal came four months after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops across the border, sparking a conflict that killed thousands, uprooted millions and disrupted the global economy.
“48 cruise missiles. In the evening. All over Ukraine,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “Russia is still trying to intimidate Ukraine, cause panic and make people afraid.”
The latest Russian advances appear to bring Moscow closer to taking full control of Luhansk, one of Putin’s goals, and set the stage for Lysychansk to become the next major focus.
Vitaly Kiselev, an Interior Ministry official for the breakaway People’s Republic of Luhansk – recognized only by Russia – told Russian news agency TASS that it would take another week and a half to secure full control of Lysychansk.
Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said Russian forces attacked the industrial zone of Severodonetsk and also tried to enter and blockade Lysychansk on Saturday.
“There was an air raid on Lysychansk. Severodonetsk was hit by artillery,” Gaidai said on the messaging app Telegram, adding that the Azot chemical factory in Severodonetsk, and the villages of Synetsky and Pavlograd were bombed.
He did not mention casualties at the Azot plant and Reuters could not immediately verify the information. Gaidai said 17 people were evacuated on Friday from Lysychansk by police, rescue workers and volunteers.
military installations
Kharatin Starskyi, a press officer for a Ukrainian National Guard brigade, said on television on Saturday that the flow of information about the Severodonetsk withdrawal had been delayed to protect troops on the ground.
“During the last few days, an operation has been carried out to withdraw our troops,” Starskyi said.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a “special military operation” but abandoned an initial advance on the capital Kiev in the face of fierce resistance from Ukrainian fighters with the help of Western weapons.
Since then, Moscow and its representatives have focused on the south and Donbass an eastern territory formed by the provinces of Luhansk and neighboring donetsk mobilizing overwhelming artillery.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson , said on Saturday that he feared Ukraine could face pressure to reach a peace deal with Russia. Johnson reckoned the consequences of Putin reaching a deal with Ukraine would be dangerous for international security and a long-term economic disaster.
On Saturday, Russia again fired missiles at military and civilian infrastructure in the north, near Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, as far as Severodonetsk in the east, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Several regional governors reported bombing attacks on cities across Ukraine on Saturday.
Russia denies attacking civilians. Already Kiev and the West say Russian forces committed war crimes against civilians.
The governor of the Lviv region of western Ukraine, Maxim Kozytskyi, said in a video posted online that six missiles were fired from the Black Sea at the Yavoriv base near the Polish border. Four hit the target, but two were destroyed.
Vitaliy Buechko, governor of the Zhytomyr region in the north of the country, reported that attacks on a military target had killed at least one soldier.
“About 30 missiles were launched at a military infrastructure facility very close to the city of Zhytomyr,” Buechko said, adding that nearly 10 missiles were intercepted and destroyed.
In the south, Oleksandr Senkevych, the mayor of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, said five cruise missiles hit the city and nearby areas on Saturday. The number of victims is being clarified.
“Ordered Withdrawals”
Ukraine again pushed for more Western weapons on Friday, with its top general, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, telling his American counterpart in a phone call that Kiev needed “parity of fire” with Moscow to stabilize the situation in Luhansk.
South of Severodonetsk, Ukrainian soldiers also withdrew from the towns of Hirske and Zoloth in the face of overwhelming Russian forces, said Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky .
Ukraine’s foreign minister played down the importance of the possible loss of further territory in the Donbass.
“Putin wanted to occupy Donbass until May 9. We were [lá] on June 24th and still fighting. Retreating from some battles does not mean losing the war,” said Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The British Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Russia had likely removed several generals from key command roles in the Ukraine conflict this month.
The war had a huge impact on the global economy and European security arrangements, pushing up prices for natural gas, oil and food, and prompting the European Union to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian energy. already the Finland and Sweden seek NATO membership with the conflict.
The West has imposed an unprecedented package of sanctions on Russia, its top companies and its business and political elite in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a big sign of support, EU leaders this week approved Ukraine’s formal candidacy to join the bloc – a decision Russia said on Friday amounted to the “enslavement” of neighboring countries.
Source: CNN Brasil
