Russian troops swallow the last remainingUkrainianfortress I was trying. The eastern part of Luhansk gained momentum on Saturday after completely controlling the burnt ruins of Sieviero Donetsk and a chemical plant in which hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were trapped.
Russia has also launched dozens of missiles in several parts of the country far from the center of the eastern battle. According to Ukrainian Air Force Command, some of the missiles were launched from Russia's long-range Tu-22 bomber, which was first deployed from Belarus.
The bombing preceded a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukaschenko, during which Putin announced plans for Russia to supply Belarus with the Iskandar M missile system.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov late Saturday, with Russian-Moscow-backed separatists now in Sieviero Donetsk and its. He said he controls the surrounding villages. He said Ukrainian troops' attempts to turn the Azoth factory into a "center of stubborn resistance" were thwarted.
Occupation of Lysychans'k will allow Russian troops to control all major settlements in the state, an important step towards Russia's goal of occupying the entire Donbus. Russians and separatists dominate about half of Donetsk, the second state of Donbas.
Russian Interfax news agency, a separatist spokesman, said Russian troops and separatist fighters had entered Lysychans'k and the fighting was taking place in the heart of the city. I quoted Andrey Marochiko. There was no immediate comment on the allegations from the Ukrainian side.
Lysychans'k and Sievierodonetsk were the focus of Russia's attacks aimed at occupying all of Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian troops that defended it. This is the most capable and combat-enhanced segment of the country's army.
Russian bombardment has destroyed most of Severodonetsk and reduced its population from 100,000 to 10,000. The last remaining Ukrainian army, along with hundreds of civilians, was trapped in an underground shelter at a huge Azoth chemical plant. Separatist representative Ivan Filiponenko said earlier Saturday that his army had evacuated 800 civilians from the factory at night, Interfax reported.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zudanov said some troops are heading for Lysychans'k. But Russia's move to cut off Lysychans'k will give the retreating troops a little rest.
About 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) west, four Russian cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea hit Lviv's "military objects," said Maksym Kozytskyy, Governor of Lviv. He did not reveal the details of the target, but Jarobib volunteered to fight for Ukrainehas a considerable military base used to train fighters, including foreigners
Russian missiles attacked the Yarovib base in March, killing 35 people. Although far from the front lines, the Lviv region was set on fire at various points in the war as Russian troops worked to destroy fuel depots.
On Saturday morning, about 30 Russian missiles were launched in the Zhytomyr region of central Ukraine, killing a Ukrainian soldier, said regional governor Vitaliy Buchenko. He said all strikes were aimed at military targets.
In the northwest, two missiles attacked Sarny's service station and car repair center, killing three and injuring four, said Vitaliy Koval, Governor of Rivne. He posted a photo of the destruction. Thirney is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the Belarusian border.
On the Black Sea coast in southern Ukraine, nine missiles launched from the Crimean Peninsula attacked the port city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian troops said.
In the north, about 20 missiles were launched from Belarus into the Chernihiv region, Ukrainian troops said.
Ukrainian military intelligence said that the Russian bomber's first use of Belarus' airspace in a Saturday attack was "directly related to the Kremlin's attempt to drag Belarus into the war. I have. "
Belarus hosts Russian troops and was used as a stage before Russia invaded Ukraine, but its troops do not cross the border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly video speech that Russia would "stage such a missile show as the war, which Moscow expected to last for five days, moved into the fifth month. I was forced to do that. "
He said the war was in a difficult stage. There are more attacks, losses and efforts before the victory turns out to be already on our horizon.
During a meeting with Lukaschenko in St. Petersburg, Putin told him that the Iskander-M missile system would arrive in the coming months. He said they could launch either ballistic missiles or cruise missiles and carry nuclear and conventional warheads. Russia launched several Iskandar missiles into Ukraine during the war.
In the early stages of the invasion, which began on February 24, after a failed attempt to occupy the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Russian troops were separatists whose Ukrainian troops were backed by Moscow. Focused on Donbus, who fought against.
A senior U.S. defense official who spoke in Washington on condition of anonymity called the Ukrainian withdrawal from Sieviero Donetsk a "tactical retrograde" and integrated the army into a better position to defend. did. Officials said the move would strengthen Ukraine's efforts to secure Russian troops in smaller areas.
After repeating the demands on Ukraine's western allies
, in search of heavier weapons to counter Russia's thermal dominance, out of four this week Distance American Rocket Launcher has arrived. in the middle.The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine released a video on Saturday showing the first use of the high mobile artillery rocket systemor HIMARS in Ukraine. The video did not provide a target location or display. The rocket can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers).
U.S. senior defense officials expect more Ukrainian troops to train outside Ukraine to use HIMARS and return home with weapons by mid-July on Friday. Said that it has been. Eighteen US coastal and river patrol boats will also be sent.
Officials said there was no evidence that Russia had blocked the steady influx of weapons from the United States and other countries into Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly threatened to strike or actually strike such cargo.
- In:
- Belarus
- War
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Civil Rights
- Vladimir Lukatin
- Kyiv
- Alexander Lukashenko
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