The conflict is bogged down, five months after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. kyiv, which still benefits from significant military support from the West, is resisting Russian attacks, most of which are concentrated in the east of the country. On the Moscow side, the main objective is to take over the Donbass region, although the center of the country is not spared either.
Russian forces concentrated in eastern Ukraine
Russian forces continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine. The fighting is concentrated around Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, and Mikolaiv, the target of numerous attacks. A battle for control of the Black Sea is also being waged in the southeast of the country.
After having conquered Severodonetsk and Lysychansk and took control of Lugansk Oblast, Russia wants to seize the Donetsk oblast in order to seize the Donbass region. Despite numerous attacks, Ukrainian forces have so far managed to “repel attempted assaults on the Vuhlehirsk power plant” in the region, according to the British Ministry of Defence.
The Kremlin forces “should not be able to gain significant ground in the coming weeks”, estimates the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), for which “the current Russian operational pace is not very different from the pace of operations” . during the official operational pause” between July 7 and 16.
If the front hasn’t changed much in recent weeks, the war of attrition between the two belligerents is raging.
At least 5,000 civilians killed
The number of victims in this conflict is unknown, as no official number has been established. According to the UN, there are at least 5,000 civilian deaths, including more than 300 children, but the figure is undoubtedly much higher in reality. Kyiv speaks of at least 20,000 deaths for the city of Mariupol alone, particularly affected by the Russian fire.
As for military casualties, US and UK intelligence agencies estimate that 15,000 Russian soldiers were killed in action in Ukraine. The figure rises to 50,000 men, including the wounded, according to calculations by the head of the British Armed Forces, Admiral Tony Radakin. Ukraine speaks for its part of the 10,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers.
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) for its part accused the Russian army on Friday of perpetrating torture, illegal detentions and kidnappings of civilians in the southern part of Ukraine under its control.
More than 5.5 million Ukrainians have also taken refuge abroad since the start of the conflict, to which must be added 6 million displaced within Ukraine itself.
A simmering conflict
As part of the assault on Ukraine on February 24, Russia quickly reached the gates of Kyiv, failing to take the capital. Since late March, he has said he wanted to focus on the Donbass Basin, an eastern mining region partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
While Russian forces thought they could take control of their neighbor within a few weeks, five months later the conflict still appears far from over. Ukraine benefits from significant military support from the West, in particular, Washington voted on Friday in favor of a new allocation of 270 million dollars.
If the front is concentrated mainly in the east of the country, affected daily by strikes, certain localities further away from the front, such as Kramatorsk, the main administrative center of the Donetsk region, live under the threat of deadly strikes.
Kyiv remains on the offensive, Moscow aims beyond Donbass
Despite the losses and difficulties, Kyiv maintains an offensive discourse towards the Russian forces and continues to demand more support from the West.
“The Russians want blood, not negotiations. I ask all partners to strengthen sanctions against Russia and speed up arms deliveries to Ukraine,” said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba.
Russia, for its part, refuses to give up in the face of difficulties encountered on the ground. The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, for his part, said on Wednesday that Moscow’s objectives are no longer limited only to Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, but also affect “other territories” and could still be extended.
Although Moscow and Kyiv recently signed an agreement with the UN and Turkey to unblock grain exports due to the risk of famine in the world, there is no trust between the two belligerents. President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the UN to ensure compliance with the agreement, expecting “provocations, attempts to discredit Ukrainian and international efforts” by Russia.
Less than 24 hours after the signing of the contract, Russian missiles hit the strategic port of Odessa, crucial for the export of cereals, arousing the exasperation of the international community.
Source: BFM TV
