Mykolaiv, Ukraine, June 10, 2022 (AFP) – Ukrainian troops on Friday tried to push back Russian forces in areas in the east and south of the country that had been the scene of fierce fighting for weeks, in a battle that had hit hard. world grain supply.
France has offered to help secure access to Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa to ease the pressure that has fueled inflation and threatens to cause food shortages on every continent.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian army stated on Facebook that it had hit “Russian positions” at five points in Kherson (south), one of the first areas to come under Moscow’s control after the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.
Russia’s offensive, repulsed in other parts of Ukraine, is now focused on the south and east of the country, particularly Donbass, which is formed by the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces and has been partially controlled by pro-Russian rebels since 2014.
Especially in Severodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk, clashes are intense, which is very important for the conquest of the region.
Russian troops already control part of the former industrial zone. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haiday announced that the Russians destroyed the Severodonetsk Ice Palace, one of the symbols of the region.
But on Thursday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that “Severodonetsk, Lysychansk and other Donbas cities, which the invaders consider targets, are resisting.”
On Friday, Zelensky added: “For 107 days, Ukraine and our people heroically resisted Russian aggression. Our resilience is a mystery and almost a miracle. We are passing the test of survival.”
– ‘Ukrainian victory’ – Russia and Ukraine are responsible for 30% of world wheat exports and accuse each other of destroying grain reserves. In addition, Ukraine is blocking millions of tons of grain as it cannot export it due to the siege at its ports.
On the other hand, Western sanctions prevent Russia from exporting most of its agricultural and fertilizer production.
An aide to French President Emmanuel Macron said France is keen to help with safe access to Ukraine’s port of Odessa.
Kyiv refuses to remove the mines from the port, fearing that Moscow will take advantage of this to attack the city.
“We are at the disposal of the parties to implement an operation that provides safe access to the port of Odessa, that is, allows the passage of boats despite being mined at sea,” the French consultant said.
The French leader will travel next week to Romania and Moldova, which share their borders with Ukraine. However, no date has yet been set for Macron’s visit to Kiev, according to the Elysee Palace.
The French president, unlike most of his European colleagues, has not yet been to the Ukrainian capital.
Zelensky on Friday praised the British leadership and support for Russia during an unannounced visit by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
“Words become reality. That’s the difference between Ukraine’s relationship with Britain and other countries,” Zelensky said in a video.
The French presidency says it wants “Ukraine to win” after Macron came under criticism for calling on Kiev to “avoid humiliating Russia”.
The Russian invasion took control of European countries, with nine of them on Friday urging NATO to strengthen its eastern flank.
The leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia met in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, less than three weeks before the transatlantic alliance summit in Madrid.
“Given the increasing security risks in Romania and the Black Sea, NATO’s consolidation on its eastern flank […] It is even more urgent and important,” said Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
– ‘War crime’ – Ukrainian troops, in addition to weapons, received reinforcements from thousands of foreign volunteers enlisted to fight the invasion of Russia. One of them was Brazilian André Hack, 44, a nurse who was apparently confirmed by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday during the fighting in the Severodonetsk region.
Separatist officials in the Donetsk region sentenced three other volunteers, two British and one Moroccan, to death on Thursday, accused of acting as “mercenaries” from Ukraine, Russian media reported.
The prisoners are British Aiden Aislan and Shaun Pinner, who surrendered in the port city of Mariupol (southeast) in April, and Saadun Brahim from Morocco, who was captured in the city of Volnovakha in March.
The German Foreign Ministry described the sentences as “shocking” and lamented “Russia’s complete disregard for international humanitarian law”.
In response, Liz Truss, head of British diplomacy, said the case was “nonsense” with “absolutely no legitimacy”. A British government spokesman demanded that the detained fighters be treated as “prisoners of war”.
The UN also expressed its concerns. “Since 2015, we have observed that the so-called judicial system of the self-declared republics has deteriorated. [de Donetsk e Luhansk, no leste da Ucrânia] does not meet basic due process guarantees […] Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), said that these trials against prisoners of war constitute a war crime.
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source: Noticias
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