Ukraine War | Russia intensifies its offensive to take control of Donbas

The battle for control of donbasregion in the east of Ukraineworsens and the Russian forces narrow their siege from this Sunday on the towns of Severodonetskrelentlessly attacked, and Lyssychansk. The situation in Lyssychansk “clearly aggravated”, according to the governor of the Lugansk region, Serguii Gaidai, this Sunday through the Telegram messaging application. Meanwhile, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, also travels to the east of the country, specifically to the city of Kharkov (the second largest in Ukraine). It is the first displacement that the leader of the Executive makes since the war began towards the eastern regions.

Lyssychansk and Severodonetsk are key cities that Russian forces and pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists want to encircle as part of their strategy to control the entire Donbas mining basin. “A Russian shell fell on a residential building, a girl died and there are four injured people in hospital,” said the governor of the Lugansk region. Saturday was also a difficult day in the town, according to this person in charge, in which 22 buildings were damaged by the attacks. In Severodonetsk, the situation is just as complicated, according to Gaidai, and the Russian assault continues on the city, with fighting in the streets.

The Russian army intensifies its offensive on the east of the country one day after the president of France, Emmanuel Macronand the German chancellor, Olaf Scholzdemanded the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to start “serious direct negotiations” with Zelensky. Putin replied that Russia remains “open to resume dialogue” with kyiv to resolve the conflict, although peace negotiations with Ukraine have been stalled since March, according to the Kremlin.

While the fighting rages in the southeast of Ukraine, they move away from the northwest, a circumstance that Zelensky has taken advantage of to visit the second most important city in the country. “There are 2,229 houses destroyed in Kharkov and the entire region. We are going to restore them, we are going to rebuild and we are going to bring life back. In Kharkov and in all the other cities and villages where the evil came,” he declared through a message on Telegram.

“Constant Bombing”

“Next week will be very hard,” the Ukrainian governor predicted in Lugansk. In turn, the mayor of Severodonetsk, Olexander Stryuk, assured that “the Russians have used many means to take the city but they have not succeeded (…) We think that the city will resist”. However, the “constant bombardments” make supply, especially drinking water, very difficult, and the city has been without electricity for more than two weeks, the official said via Telegram.

In a statement published this Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense has assured that the army destroyed “with precision and long-range missiles an important arsenal of the Ukrainian forces” in the Dnipropetrovsk region (southeast). These missiles also targeted a Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense system in the Donetsk region, a radar station in Kharkov and five ammunition depots near Severodonetsk in the last 24 hours, according to the same sources.

A little further west, the Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed the capture of the key city of limen, which paves the way to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in Donbas. The Ukrainian army has also reported that Russian troops were massively regrouping in this area. Even Zelensky acknowledged that “the situation in this region of Donbas (was) very, very difficult,” with heavy shelling from artillery and missiles.

Export cereals “without obstacles”

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine, a great agricultural power, has not been able to export its grains due to the blockade of its ports. In his conversation with Macron and Scholz, Putin said that his country is “ready” to help “unhindered” export of Ukrainian grain. “Russia is ready to help find options for unhindered grain export, including Ukrainian grain, from Black Sea ports,” according to a Kremlin statement.

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According to Putin, the difficulties with the food supply have been caused by “a mistaken economic and financial policy of Western countries, as well as anti-Russian sanctions.” During the call with the two leaders, Putin also considered “dangerous to continue flooding Ukraine with Western weapons”, and warned of the risk of future “destabilization”, according to the Kremlin.

At the same time, US media reported that Washington is preparing to supply multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), something that Ukraine has claimed in order to counter Russian military power. Pentagon spokesman, John Kirbydid not confirm the shipment of the M270 MLRS, a very mobile weapon, capable of shooting up to 300km away, mentioned by the press.