The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said in its report today that the Russian Armed Forces are “increasing the pace of offensive operations.” “In almost every direction, the Russian occupiers are waging intense fire,” the ministry added, noting the “highest activity” in Slobozhansky with a focus on Kharkiv, the country’s secondlargest city and Donetsk in the east of the country, Russia’s focus today.
The Ukrainian defense also pointed out that the deployment of Russian troops hinders protective movement on the territory. For Ukraine, “Russia is trying to ensure the maintenance of the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the north direction and to prevent their movement to the eastern zone of operations.”
The Russian Defense Ministry reported air strikes on Ukraine’s military infrastructure, hitting 67 facilities. “As a result of the attacks, more than 300 nationalists [militares ucranianos] and up to 40 armored vehicles were destroyed.” Weapons depots were also hit. In all, Russia said it carried out 408 attacks in Ukraine between last night and this morning.
A meeting between the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Secretary General of the UN (United Nations), António Guterres, is scheduled for this Thursday, the 64th day of the Russian war. On Tuesday (26th) Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whom he asked for a ceasefire in a bid to end the war.
UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres (left) today visited Borodianka, Ukraine
Image: Playback/Twitter/OCHA_Ukraine
Unacceptable
Guterres has already visited towns near Kyiv that were occupied by Russian troops until March, such as Borodianka, Irpin and Bucha, which was ravaged by massacres of civilians. “When we see this horrific place, I understand the importance of conducting a thorough investigation and establishing responsibilities,” Guterres said in Bucha. “I ask Russia to agree to cooperate with the ICC [Tribunal Penal Internacional, que abriu investigação sobre os ocorridos].” The Russians deny killing civilians in Bucha.
War is absurd in the 21st century, war is evil. War is by no means acceptable in the 21st century
António Guterres, UN SecretaryGeneral, visits Borodianka
Zelenskyy today had an agenda with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who is visiting Ukraine. Yesterday Russia halted gas supplies to Bulgarians in retaliation for supporting Ukraine in Putin’s conflict. Today Petkov said Europe must find alternatives to Russian gas.
“We have to be stronger, we have to be strong,” Petkov said in Irpin. Petkov said Bulgaria has “alternatives” to replace Russian gas. “If we can do it, everyone in Europe must be able to do it,” he added.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was received in Kyiv by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Image: Presidency of Ukraine
appeal for guns
The Ukrainian Air Force asked the allied countries for “modern medium and longrange antiaircraft missile systems” and “modern fighter jets for combat cover in the sky in the state air defense system”.
“We would very much like to receive (in any conditions) Westernmade, technological and efficient equipment,” said Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Air Force. “The war will not end soon, we need weapons today.”
Oleshchuk stressed that Ukraine is grateful “to the whole world for humanitarian, political and financial support, the pressure of sanctions against the terrorist state, technical and military assistance.” “But these weapons given to us are not enough to win.”
According to the commander, Ukraine received “shortrange manportable systems designed primarily to destroy lowaltitude targets, such as helicopters.” With this equipment one cannot hit Russian planes “which are currently dropping bombs on our cities eight or more kilometers away”.
Today Russia again warned that arms sales to Ukraine could “threaten the security of Europe”.
“This tendency to flood Ukraine with weapons, particularly heavy weapons, is an act that threatens the security of the continent and is causing instability,” Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Yesterday, Putin promised a quick reaction “like lightning” if other countries intervened in Ukraine.
Focus on Izium
For the defense of Ukraine, Russia’s “main efforts” are “focused towards Izium,” a city in the Kharkiv region some 620 kilometers from Kyiv.
“To reinforce the advance group, the occupiers also moved airborne units to Izium City, as well as up to 500 units of equipment,” the report said.
However, Russia said it was Ukrainian forces that attacked Izium and Kherson in residential areas, information that could not be verified with independent sources. The Russian defense said it would amount to a “war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
About Kherson, the only regional capital that Russia has captured since the invasion began, Ukraine said there were powerful explosions on Wednesday night (27th). Russian troops yesterday used tear gas and stun grenades to quell proUkrainian demonstrations and now bombed the entire surrounding region and attacked Mykolayiv and Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown.
Despite the Russian attacks, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it repelled six Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions between yesterday (27) and today, using “five tanks, one artillery system, 22 armored vehicles, one car and one antiaircraft gun.” “.
Air raid destroyed houses in Zaporizhia in eastern Ukraine
Image: Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration
attack
At least three people, including a child, were injured in an airstrike on Zaporizhia in eastern Ukraine.
According to the regional military administration, the attack was carried out with rockets that hit two houses.
Picture: UOL Art.No
Presence in the Black Sea
The British Ministry of Defense intelligence said today that “about 20 Russian Navy ships are currently in the Black Sea operational zone, including submarines”.
But the UK, Ukraine’s ally, recalled that “the Bosphorus Strait remains closed to all nonTurkish warships, leaving Russia unable to replace its lost cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea”. The Moskva sank after an attack from Ukraine.
However, the British said that “despite the embarrassing losses of the landing ship Saratov and the cruiser Moskva, the Russian Black Sea Fleet retains the ability to attack Ukrainian and coastal targets”.
Health hazard in Mariupol
The port city of Mariupol in southeast Ukraine, which is under siege by Russian forces, could face a health risk. The City Council today published a text noting that “about 100,000 residents of Mariupol are in mortal danger not only because of the bombings, but also because of the unbearable and unhealthy living conditions”.
The statement points out that “due to the lack of centralized water and sanitation, the decomposition of thousands of bodies under the rubble, a catastrophic shortage of drinking water and food, such powerful and deadly epidemics could soon break out in the city.”
In a statement, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko stressed the need for an “immediate and complete evacuation” of the city. “The occupiers are unable to provide the existing population with food, water and medicine. Or they’re just not interested. They block all evacuation attempts. And without that, people will die.
The Azovstal complex, a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol, was the target of an attack that killed people, according to the Ukrainian government.
(With Reuters, AFP and RFI)