The Russian army continued its offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine with steady intensity, targeting the city of Kharkiv in particular. Violent explosions were heard there during the night. Despite continued attacks on the country’s second-largest city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of “tactical successes” by government troops in the region. “The situation in the Kharkiv region is difficult,” he said.
“But our military and our secret service have achieved important tactical successes,” Zelenskyy said in a televised speech. According to the Ukrainian military, they recaptured the “strategically important” village of Ruska Losowa near Kharkiv. According to the Defense Ministry in Kiev, Ukrainian soldiers have brought more than 600 residents to safety.
“Russia wants to make area uninhabitable”
Zelenskyy accused the Russian army of wanting to “destroy all life” during its offensive in the Donbas. The constant attacks on infrastructure and residential areas showed “that Russia wants to make this area uninhabitable”.
Russian troops have already captured several villages in the Donbas region. But the Ukrainian military also reported minor successes. A senior NATO official said Russia had made “slight” and “uneven” progress in its attempt to encircle enemy positions as Ukrainian forces counterattacked.
USA: Delayed Russia
A senior US Department of Defense official said Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine was “overdue”. The Russian armed forces are “far from establishing the link between the troops that entered the Kharkiv region in the north of the Donbas and the troops in the south of the country”. But it can be assumed “that they will continue to create the conditions for a sustained, bigger and longer offensive,” the Pentagon official added.
Washington is the main supporter of the Ukrainian military. The US supplied Ukraine with heavy weapons on a large scale. In addition, the training of Ukrainian soldiers by the US military in Germany has already begun.