The Russian offensive in Donbass, progressing “slowly and unevenly” due to resistance from the Ukrainian army, has lagged behind, a senior Pentagon official said on Friday, April 29. “We believe they fell short of what they hoped,” the senior official, who asked not to be identified, told reporters.
“They were at least a few days late,” he said. “They are far from having established the connection between the troops entering through the Kharkiv region, north of the Donbass, and those coming from the south of the country, one of the objectives of the Russian army to defeat the Ukrainian ones to pincer forces they are stationed on the front line around the separatist areas of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The Ukrainians recapture the village near Kharkiv
Rouska Lozova, a “strategic” village, was taken over by the Ukrainian army after two months of Russian occupation north of Kharkiv in the east of the country. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. A very important place, according to the Land Forces Command. “From this village, the enemy targeted civilian infrastructure and residential areas in Kharkiv. »
The north-eastern districts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city – nearly 1.5 million people before the war – are hit by Russian missiles daily, causing civilian deaths. The village of Rouska Lozova was liberated after intense shelling.
The thousands of civilians who remain in the occupied village have been freed after intense fighting.
DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP
Moscow confirms strike in Kyiv
Russia confirmed on Friday it had carried out a strike with “high-precision” weapons against Kyiv during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the previous day. “Russian forces have destroyed the workshops of the space company Artyom in the city of Kyiv with long-range high-precision weapons,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
French diplomatic chief Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned these “indiscriminate strikes” and Germany condemned these “inhumane strikes” which, according to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, left at least one dead and four injured. According to this US-funded radio, a Ukrainian producer was killed by Radio Liberty.
I strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks by Russian forces on Kyiv last night. Full solidarity with the Ukrainian people, as well as with @antonioguterres and @KirilPetkov who were around yesterday.
— Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) April 29, 2022
Zelenskyy and Putin invited to the G20
Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that he had invited his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and confirmed that he had invited the Russian President to the G20 summit in Bali in November. Vladimir Putin has indicated his participation. The United States has said it refuses to negotiate with the Russian leader “as if nothing happened.”
A fallen American, two “captured” Britons
A 22-year-old American former Marine was killed in Ukraine, where he left in mid-March to fight Russian forces, family members said, while the Pentagon urged American nationals “not to travel to this country.”
Two British volunteers have been “captured” by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, the UK-based non-profit Presidium Network said on Friday.
Planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol
An “operation” to evacuate civilians holed up in the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, which was besieged by Russian troops, is “planned” for Friday, announced the Ukrainian Council Presidency.
Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, including dozens of children, are blocked in this huge steel plant with the last Ukrainian fighters in the city, according to Kyiv.
British soldiers sent to Eastern Europe
Some 8,000 British soldiers will join NATO soldiers in exercises in Eastern Europe this summer in a “show of solidarity and strength,” according to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.