War in Ukraine: Fights rage in Donbas, call for rescue of Mariupol defenders

Fighting is fierce in the eastern part of Donbass Ukrainein which Moscow has focused its efforts without making significant progress, while “very difficult” negotiations are being held for the fate of the last defenders of Mariupol.

“Fierce fighting is taking place on the border with the Donetsk region, near Popasna”commented on Friday night on Facebook Sergei Gaidai, the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk, announcing many losses in material and personnel on the Russian side.

“It’s terrible, but they are still trying to achieve their goals. However, based on interceptions (telephone communications), we understand that an entire battalion refused to attack because they see what is happening “, he revealed.

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the most significant Donbass. “And, basically, we continue to see that the Russians are not making significant progress“, He added.

“The Ukrainian artillery repulses Russian attempts to gain ground, including its efforts to cross the Donetsk River (…), which undermines its ability to send significant reinforcements to the northern part of Donbass,” the img said. broadcast by the French News Agency and rebroadcast by the Athenian News Agency.

The British Ministry of Defense clarified yesterday that the Ukrainian forces “successfully” repulsed the attempt of the Russian forces to cross this river near Sheverodonetsk, inflicting heavy losses on the Russian troops.

The operation shows “the pressure on Russian commanders to advance into eastern Ukraine,” the Pentagon said, noting that the Russian military has not been able to make significant progress despite concentrating forces after “abandoned the attempt to impose itself in Kyiv.

In late March, a few weeks after its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia withdrew from the Ukrainian capital, changing its “priority target” to try to take control of eastern Ukraine.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s general staff said this morning that the Russians “have not stopped attacking the eastern part of the country.” “The army continues its missile strikes on industrial infrastructure and its fire on civilian targets throughout Ukraine.”

The general staff said in a daily news release that in the Donetsk and Tavriya regions, the Russian military had used “shells, artillery, rocket launchers and aircraft to inflict maximum damage on the Ukrainian army”, targeting personnel. fortifications and buildings “.

Ten Russian attacks were repulsed in a 24-hour period around Donetsk and Luhansk, he noted.

Upcoming attachment?

According to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably intends to annex southern and eastern Ukraine to the Russian Federation in the coming months.”

“Ukraine and its Western partners probably have a small window of opportunity to support a counterattack on the occupied territories before” their annexation, according to the institute.

The situation seems to have already been reversed in the Kharkiv region, although it is one of the priorities of the Russians.

“The main activity of the enemy in the Kharkiv region was the withdrawal of his units from the city of Kharkiv,” said a spokesman for the Ukrainian army.

“The gradual liberation of the Kharkiv region proves that we are not leaving anyone to the enemy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a daily message on Friday night, announcing that the recapture of territories that had fallen to the Russians was continuing.

“To date, 1,015 sites have been released, or 6 more in the last 24 hours,” he said.

Water, electricity, communications, transportation and public services have been restored there, the Ukrainian president said, noting that he was thinking about cities and territories still under Russian occupation.

Especially the one thousand Ukrainian warriors who are fortified in the vast arcades of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, for whom “very difficult negotiations are underway for the next phase of removal, as far as those who have been seriously injured and the medical staff are concerned.”

The women, children and the elderly who had taken refuge in the galleries of this factory were all evacuated at the end of April thanks to an operation coordinated by the UN and the Red Cross after difficult consultations.

The same statement was made by Zelensky by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Verestsuk, referring to “negotiations with the enemy (which) are very difficult.” “We are now negotiating (the exit) of 38 fighters who have been seriously injured. We proceed step by step. “. At the moment, there are no talks for the release of 500 to 600 people”, he added.

The general staff of the Ukrainian army clarified today in its daily morning announcement that the Russian army continued “the blockade of our units near the Azofstal factory. It inflicted heavy artillery and air strikes. “

Appeal for the rescue of the defenders of Mariupol

Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Order, one of the Ukrainian forces fighting the Azofstal steel industry, called on the United States to “help evacuate our wounded and to make every effort to help us “from this circle.

“There are almost 600 wounded in Azofstal, the Russians continue to bomb the military hospital”, noted from the factory. “We will resist as long as we can (…) if we did not do this horde would go further,” he added.

However, “the power of world leaders should not be overestimated” in the face of Moscow’s determination, Verestsuk reacted.

International efforts have so far proved fruitless to rescue these Ukrainian soldiers defending the strategically important port city, which has been destroyed in 90% of Russian bombing raids.

In this context, the EU pledged yesterday to provide additional aid of half a billion euros to support the struggle of Ukraine, with which the aid amounts to “a total of 2 billion euros”.

The recipe is clear, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on the occasion of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Wangels, northern Germany: “more than the same thing is needed” – more economic sanctions against Russia, more support in Kyiv and also “to continue working to isolate Russia.”

The meeting of the G7 foreign ministers (Germany, France, Italy, Canada, USA, Japan and Britain), which is also attended by their Ukrainian counterparts Dmitro Kuleba and Moldova Nikos Popescu, continues today.

An informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on Ukraine is also scheduled for today in Berlin.

An official Swedish report paved the way for Sweden’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance yesterday, multiplying the positive conclusions that such a possibility would have, before a decision is made in the coming days by the Nordic country and its neighbor, Finland – two countries EU members who remained outside military alliances for decades – much to Moscow’s disappointment.