Russian aggression in Ukraine, which the House of Commons of Canada unanimously voted to recognize as an act of genocide, has re-focused on Donbass following its withdrawal from the Kiev region following fierce Ukrainian resistance. Donbass is a predominantly Russian-speaking eastern region that has been partly occupied by Kremlin-backed rebels since 2014. In a reminder of the horrific end of the war since it began on February 24, Guterres visited cities including Buha, where evidence of mass killings was found. “Civilians are always paying the highest price,” Guterres said as he visited the bombed-out suburb of Irpin. “And this is something that everyone should remember, everywhere in the world. Where there is war, the highest price is paid by civilians.” Men wearing protective equipment bury the bodies of civilians killed during the Russian occupation of Bucha, on the outskirts of Kiev, Ukraine, on April 13. (Efrem Lukatsky / The Associated Press)
Russia’s attack is intensifying
Ukrainian officials said Thursday that Russia’s offensive was gaining momentum in the east, with several cities under heavy attack as Moscow forces tried to encircle Ukrainian troops.
Fighting has escalated after Russia abruptly cut off gas to two NATO nations on Wednesday in what was seen as an attempt to punish and divide the West over its support for Ukraine in the wake of a potentially pivotal battle in its eastern industrial area. Donbass. .
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said that the Russian forces were “firing heavily” in many places as they proceeded to the second phase of their invasion. The most intense action was around Donetsk and near Kharkiv, which is outside Donbass but is considered key to Russia’s apparent attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops there.
A wounded man is waiting for the emergency workers after the Russian bombing in Kharkov, Ukraine, on Wednesday. (Felipe Dana / The Associated Press)
Tatiana Pirogova spoke about the intense fear of living under constant bombardment.
“It’s not just scary. It ‘s when your stomach contracts in pain,” said the Kharkiv resident. “When they shoot during the day, it’s still okay, but when night comes, I can not describe how scary it is.”
The General Staff said that in the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces had repulsed six attacks in Donbas, which has now been the main focus of Moscow since its initial offensive faltered and failed to occupy the Ukrainian capital.
Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said the Russian army had bombed the area “29 times with aircraft, multiple rocket launchers, artillery shells and mortars”.
The images reveal attacks on the Mariupol steel plant
In the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press showed signs of intensifying Russian fire targeting a steel plant in recent days.
The images show how the concentrated attacks have caused extensive damage to a central facility at the Azovstal steelworks, the last stronghold of Ukrainian fighters on the city-battlefield hub.
Satellite images taken on April 27 and analyzed by the Associated Press show Russian fire intensifying at a steel plant, the last Ukrainian-controlled area in the city of Mariupol. Images from Planet Labs PBC show the concentrated attacks causing extensive damage to a central plant at the Azovstal steel plant. (Planet Labs PBC / The Associated Press)
An estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltered along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters at the steel plant, a huge Soviet-era complex with a number of underground facilities built to withstand air raids.
The United Nations said on Wednesday that its humanitarian office was mobilizing a team to coordinate the complicated evacuation of civilians from the besieged steel plant with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle on the involvement of the UN and the ICRC in the evacuation of the plant during talks earlier this week.
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Huck said the United Nations was trying to translate the Guterres-Putin agreement in principle “into a detailed agreement and an agreement on the ground”.
The blasts signal a possible Ukrainian counterattack
Meanwhile, in a further Ukrainian counterattack, a series of explosions erupted near a television tower late Wednesday in Kherson, southern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the beginning of the war.
The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a crowd of protesters, according to Ukrainian and Russian news agencies.
Ukraine has urged its allies to send even more military equipment so it can continue its fight.
Tetyana Boikiv (right) meets and hugs Svitlana Pryimachenko’s neighbor during a funeral for her husband in the village of Ozera, near Bucha, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Her husband, Mykola Moroz, was arrested by the Russian army at his home on March 13 and taken to an unknown location, only to be shot to death about 15 kilometers from his home. (Emilio Morenatti / The Associated Press)
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that “to date, NATO allies have committed and provided at least $ 8 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. And we see the importance of further strengthening our support for Ukraine.”
While Russia’s initial blitz was stagnant – and suffered the humiliating loss of a huge warship – the British Ministry of Defense said the Russian navy still had the ability to hit offshore targets in Ukraine.
In a briefing released Thursday morning, the ministry said about 20 Russian naval vessels, including submarines, were currently operating in the Black Sea zone.
However, the ministry said Russia was unable to replace the Moskva cruiser with guided missiles, which sank in the Black Sea earlier this month because the Bosphorus Strait remains closed to all non-Turkish warships. Russia also lost the Saratov disembarkation ship, which was destroyed by explosions and fire on March 24.
