Russian and Ukrainian troops clashed this Saturday (4) for control of Severodonetsk, with both sides proclaiming victories in the battle for this strategic city partially controlled by Moscow.
The Ukrainian governor of the region assured that the defenders had liberated part of the city, while Moscow said the Ukrainians had suffered serious losses and retreated.
“The struggle intensified in Severodonetsk, because […] The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Haiday, said that the Russian army concentrated all its forces on this war.
Russian troops “did not completely capture” Severodonetsk, and the governor claimed that the defenders had regained 20% of the land.
“As soon as we have more Western long-range weapons, we will push back their artillery. […] And the infantry will flee,” he said.
On the other hand, the Russian military said today that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from Severodonetsk, in some units, up to 90 percent, after “inflicting critical losses” and settled in neighboring Lysychansk.
According to the mayor Oleksandr Zaika, about 60% of the houses in this city were destroyed and internet, cell phone and gas connections were cut off.
In other news, Ukrainian officials said at least seven civilians were killed in the Luhansk region after a Russian bomb targeted a famous Orthodox monastery.
Ukraine also reported that a missile attack left two victims in the port of Odessa (southwest), without specifying whether they were injured.
It also marked the death of four foreign volunteer fighters who fought with Russian forces.
The Ukraine International Defense Legion, a brigade of volunteers, said four men from Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and France had died, but did not specify where or under what circumstances.
Zelensky promises victory
Despite unexpected resistance, Russian troops currently control one-fifth of Ukraine, a long corridor stretching along the Black Sea coast and the Sea of Azov, connecting the Crimean peninsula (south) with the territory of the Donbass.
However, coinciding with the first 100 days of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defied: “Victory will be ours,” he said on Friday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that these more than three months’ balance was satisfactory, as “specific” goals were achieved.
According to Peskov, Russian troops “liberated countless cities” and allowed their inhabitants to return to “a life in peace.”
As the war progressed, Western countries increased the amount of weapons sent to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia to isolate Ukraine and suffocate its economy.
In its latest package of measures on Friday (the sixth since the conflict began), the European Union accepted an embargo on Russian oil purchases, with exceptions, and included former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, allegedly Putin’s girlfriend, on its sanctions list.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements on Saturday, arguing that Russia “should not be humiliated” to allow a path to peace negotiations.
“Calls to prevent the humiliation of Russia only serve to humiliate France” […] “We would all do better if we focused on putting Russia in its rightful place,” he said.
food crisis
The war raises fears of a global food shortage, with Russia and Ukraine being two of the world’s largest exporters of wheat.
The United Nations reported that secret negotiations were being held to unblock tons of grain stopping in Black Sea ports and stated that its coordinator was in Ukraine.
The UN warned of a “hurricane of hunger” in African countries, which import more than half of their wheat from these countries and where food prices are rising rapidly.
Just as the head of the African Union, Macky Sall from Senegal met with Putin in Sochi, in southern Russia.
According to Sall, the Russian leader is “aware and determined that the crisis and sanctions are creating serious problems for fragile economies”.
In a televised interview, Putin assured that exporting grain from Ukraine is “no problem”.
source: Noticias
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