Russia’s ally, Belarus, began military exercises this Wednesday (4), raising fears in Ukraine that it may be called to action in its invasion of the country, which has now completed 70 days.
“We do not exclude that the Russian Federation may at some point use the territory of Belarus, which is the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, against Ukraine,” said Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine.
Before the invasion, Russian soldiers conducted military exercises in Belarus and even used the country as a corridor to attack certain parts of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities, on the other hand, consider themselves “ready” for attacks from other neighbors.
There are also concerns about Moldova, where the Russian separatist-dominated Transnistria region is experiencing tense moments amid clashes and attacks. The fear of Ukraine and Western countries such as the USA is that the country will also be dragged into war.
official war
Yesterday (3), American CNN had already reported that Russia has plans to declare a formal war against Ukraine next week. It depicts the defeat of the Nazis in the Soviet Union on the chosen date of May 9, 1945. The “denazification of Ukraine” was one of the arguments Russian President Vladimir Putin used to initiate the conflict.
Putin has so far avoided using the term “war”, describing the conflict as a “special operation”.
70 days of war: see today’s images of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
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oil imports
In the sixth package of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the conflict, the European Union proposed today to ban the import of Russian oil. The recommendation is that the veto be made gradually over a six-month period.
“To maximize the pressure on Russia while minimizing the impact on our economies,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Azovstal and the offensive in the east
Ukraine said Russia continued airstrikes on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the last stronghold of Russian resistance in the city.
The Russian government denies attacking the complex; At least 100 civilians were evacuated over the weekend.
Check out other recordings made on day 70 of the conflict:
- In Borodianka, 20 civilian bodies were found after the partial occupation by Russian forces;
- The UK Ministry of Defense stated that 22 Russian tactical groups have moved towards Donbass in Izium (Kharkiv region) today;
- Russia said it used submarines to fire two missiles at Ukrainian targets in the Black Sea;
- The Russian Ministry of Defense also claims that it has closed six Ukrainian train stations used to transport weapons from Western countries.
With information from AFP, ANSA and Reuters.
source: Noticias
