#War #Ukraine #Developments
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Dozens of Polish fighters killed: Russia –
The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops killed “up to 80” Polish militants in “precision strikes” on the Megatex zinc factory in Konstantinovka (Ukrainian: Kostyantynivka) in the eastern Donetsk region.
The region claimed by Russia has been the scene of fighting since Moscow began its offensive in Ukraine in late February.
– Russia tries to drag Belarus to war: Kyiv –
Ukrainian intelligence says Russia is aiming to drag Belarus into the war after missiles were fired from Belarusian territory into a northern border region.
“Today’s strike is directly related to the Kremlin’s efforts to draw Belarus into an ally in the war in Ukraine,” Ukrainian intelligence said on Telegram.
Ukraine said it suffered “massive bombardment” from neighboring Belarus, a Russian ally not officially involved in the conflict.
– Ukrainian forces withdraw from Severodonetsk –
Ukrainian forces are preparing to withdraw from the strategic city of Severodonetsk after weeks of bitter fighting, a setback that could pave the way for Russia to seize more of eastern Ukraine.
Sergiy Gaiday, the governor of the Lugansk region, also says Russian forces are advancing on the twin city of Lysychansk, which is facing increasingly heavy Russian bombardment, while Moscow continues its offensive on eastern Ukraine.
“It just doesn’t make sense to stay in positions that have been under constant shelling for months,” says Gaiday after 90 percent of the city has been destroyed.
The capture of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk would give the Russians control of Lugansk and allow them to advance further into Ukraine’s industrial heartland, the Donbass.
– US sees Severodonetsk as “small win” for Russia –
The United States is downplaying the importance of Ukraine’s withdrawal from Severodonetsk, with the Pentagon saying it represents a “very small, very incremental gain” for Russia.
“What[Ukrainian troops]are doing is putting themselves in a position where they can better defend themselves,” a senior Pentagon official told reporters.
– Russia’s stance on EU candidacy shows “weakness”-
Russia’s protests against the EU granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova show Moscow’s weakness, says Ukraine’s top diplomat.
“After decades of lost policies based on aggression, coercion and disrespect, all Russia can do now is spit out threats against other states,” tweeted Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. “It only shows the weakness of Russia.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed a “historic” decision by European Union leaders to grant candidate status to Ukraine, a decision the Kremlin dismissed as an “internal European matter”.
– Reconstruction of Black Sea ports will take a decade: Kyiv –
It will take Ukraine a decade to build infrastructure to replace its Black Sea ports, whose blockade by Russia is preventing grain exports around the world, says Ukraine’s Deputy Agriculture Minister.
Millions of tons of wheat and other grains have been stuck in Ukrainian ports since February’s Russian invasion, sparking global concerns over hunger and food prices.
“For alternative routes, it would take 10 years of investment to try to build the necessary infrastructure to replace this Black Sea port infrastructure, which we have been building for about 20 years since 2000,” Taras Vysotskiy tells AFP.
– BRICS calls for talks between Ukraine and Russia –
The BRICS group of states supports talks between Moscow and Kyiv after a virtual summit against the background of the Ukraine conflict.
The group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa accounts for more than 40 percent of the world’s population and almost a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product.
Three members – China, India and South Africa – abstained from voting on a UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged the group to snub Western countries that have imposed drastic sanctions on Moscow.
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