THAT Russia has intensified its attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine, Kyiv said on Thursday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened swift retaliation against any Western countries involved with Ukraine.
More than two months after an invasion that destroyed cities but failed to capture the capital Kyiv, Russia made an attempt to seize two eastern provinces in a battle the West sees as a crucial turning point in the war.
“The enemy is increasing the pace of the offensive operation. The Russian occupiers are conducting intense fire in almost all directions,” said the Ukrainian military leadership on the situation on the Eastern Front.
The command said Russia’s main attack was near the cities of Slobozhanske and Donets, along a strategic frontline highway connecting Kharkiv Ukraine’s second largest city with Russianheld Izyum. Kharkiv regional governor said Russian forces would step up attacks from Izyum but Ukrainian troops were holding their ground.
Despite being driven out of northern Ukraine last month, Russian forces are heavily entrenched in the east and still retain part of the south they captured in March.
Ukraine said there were powerful blasts overnight in the southern city of Kherson, the only regional capital Russia has occupied since the invasion. Russian troops used tear gas and stun grenades to quell proUkrainian demonstrations on Wednesday and then bombed the entire surrounding region and attacked Mykolayiv and Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodmyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian government said.
Kyiv accuses Moscow of planning a fake independence referendum in the occupied south. According to Russian state media, an official at a selfproclaimed proRussian “militarycivilian commission” in Kherson said on Thursday that the area would be open to public officials from June 1.
Western countries have ramped up arms shipments to Ukraine in recent days as fighting intensified in the east. More than 40 countries gathered at a US air base in Germany this week and pledged to send in heavy weapons such as artillery for what is expected to be a massive clash by enemy armies along a fortified front line.
Washington now hopes that Ukrainian forces can not only repel Russian attacks in the east, but also weaken their forces so they can no longer threaten their neighbors. Russia says this amounts to a “proxy war” by NATO against it.
“If anyone intends to intervene in current events from the outside and create strategic threats to Russia that are unacceptable to us, he should know that our retaliatory attacks will be lightningfast,” Putin told lawmakers in St. Petersburg.
“We have all the tools for it, things that no one else can brag about right now. And we will not brag, we will use them when necessary. And I want everyone to know that.”
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