As Ukraine said its forces had retaken the region around Kyiv, the scale of the devastation left by Russian forces became clear in the towns they had seized in the opening days of the war.
In Bucha, a town neighboring Irpin, just 23 miles northwest of the capital, photographs and video showed destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, along with dead bodies. Major Anatoliy Fedoruk told reporters more than 300 residents had been killed.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was building up forces in the east of his country. Calling on Western nations to provide more anti-missile systems, in a late night video posted to his Telegram channel he said Russia wanted “to capture both the Donbas and the south of Ukraine.”
Britain’s defense ministry said in an intelligence briefing Sunday that Russian naval forces continued to blockade Ukraine’s southern coast on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, preventing resupply by sea.
Two loud explosions were also heard early Sunday in the southern city of Odessa on the Black Sea. Black smoke was seen rising above Ukraine’s largest port where its navy is headquartered.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said Saturday that draft peace treaty documents between Ukraine and Russia were at an advanced enough stage to allow for direct talks between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He indicated there was a high probability that such a meeting could take place in Turkey.
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Human Rights Watch documents apparent war crimes in Ukraine
Russian forces were accused of “apparent war crimes” in a report by Human Rights Watch Sunday, which said its investigators had documented “summary executions” and “other serious abuses” in several regions they controlled in Ukraine.
The group said in a report that it had been told about two cases of summary execution, the repeated rape of a mother and other cases of unlawful violence and threats against civilians. These offenses were committed between Feb. 27 and March 14, it said.
Russian soldiers were also implicated in looting civilian property, including food, clothing and firewood, it said.
“The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Rape, murder, and other violent acts against people in the Russian forces’ custody should be investigated as war crimes.”
Southern port city Odessa hit by missile strikes
Russian missiles struck “critical infrastructure” in Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa early Sunday, its mayor said in a Facebook post.
There were no initial reports of casualties, said Gennadiy Trukhanov. He did not clarify what critical infrastructure was hit in the key strategic port on the Black Sea which serves as the main base for Ukraine’s navy,
In a later TV interview, Trukhanov said the strikes had led to fires and smoke. I have added that some residential houses had been damaged.
Russia’s military said a missile attack from ships and aircraft had struck an oil refinery and fuel and lubricants storage facilities near the city, the Interfax news agency reported.
Odessa has not seen a lot of military action since the invasion, but if Russian forces were to gain control of the city, they could cut off Ukraine’s access to the sea and Moscow would be able to build a land corridor all the way to the border with Moldova.
Zelenskyy: Troops shell retreating Russians
LVIV, Ukraine – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian troops retaking areas around Kyiv and Chernihiv are not allowing Russians to retreat without a fight, but are “shelling them. They are destroying everyone they can.”
Zelenskyy, in his Saturday night video address to the nation, said Ukraine knows Russia has the forces to put even more pressure on the east and south of Ukraine.
“What is the goal of the Russian troops? They want to seize the Donbas and the south of Ukraine,” he said. “What is our goal? To defend ourselves, our freedom, our land and our people.”
He said a significant portion of the Russian forces are tied up around Mariupol, where the city’s defenders continue to fight.
“Thanks to this resistance, thanks to the courage and resilience of our other cities, Ukraine has gained invaluable time, time that is allowing us to foil the enemy’s tactics and weaken its capabilities,” Zelenskyy said.
Lithuania says it’s the first European country to fully nix Russian natural gas
10h Aug / 12:33 AM UTC
Lithuania on Saturday declared it has completely cut off Russian natural gas imports, becoming the first European Union nation to fully nix supplies from Russia’s state-owned fuel supplier, Gazprom, its Ministry of Energy said in a statement.
The country has been headed toward freedom from Russian natural gas since before the February invasion of Ukraine, the ministry said. Citing data from a transmission system operator, the ministry said it had no traces of the Russian fuel in its pipelines.
“We are the first EU country among Gazprom’s supply countries to gain independence from Russian gas supplies, and this is the result of a multi-year coherent energy policy and timely infrastructure decisions,” said Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys said in the statement.
Lithuanians are dependent on liquified natural gas imported through the Klaipėda Oil Terminal, the ministry said, and other imports are “enough” to satisfy its heating and cooking needs. If necessary, the country could also open gas delivery through Latvia and, starting in May, Poland, the ministry said.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism