Escalation of the conflict in Ukraine with the accusation by Moscow that a Ukrainian fighter has hit a village across the border. Meanwhile, on the 66th day of the war in Ukraine, Russia increases its pressure in the east, in the region of Kharkivslowing the advance into the Donbass, while Ukrainian resistance in the steel plant continues Azovstal Mariupol, where an attempt to evacuate civilians is underway, including 600 injured. Almost all the buildings of the sprawling Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, have been destroyed: new satellite images from Maxar Technologies published by Cnn There are large holes in the roofs, a telltale sign of a military attack, some of which have completely collapsed and some buildings reduced to rubble Yesterday Sviatoslav Palamar, one of the commander of the Azov regiment hiding in the steel plant, said that the steel plant it was intensely bombed by artillery, ships and airstrikes: “There are cellars and bunkers that we cannot reach because they are under the rubble. We don’t know if the people are alive there or not. There are children from four months to 16 years old. And there are other people trapped in places that cannot be reached. ” Many of the residential and government buildings directly east of the plant were completely destroyed. It is not clear from the satellite images taken yesterday – CNN writes – whether underground structures where Ukrainian soldiers and civilians take refuge were also destroyed. Vladimir Putin could abandon the term “special operation” to indicate the invasion of Ukraine and speak of ‘total war‘in Kiev. The Independent reports it citing rumors of Russian and Western officials. Seeking a “revenge” for military failures, senior officers of the Russian army – the British media reports – would be pushing the Russian president to announce the change during the annual Victory Day parade on 9 May. The move would allow the Kremlin to activate martial law, engage its allies in military aid and proclaim mass mobilization.
Ukraine has, in the meantime, informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (Aiea) that Rosenergoatom – a unit of the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom – has sent a group of 8 nuclear specialists to the southeastern nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia which have required daily facility reports and “confidential matters” of facility operation. This was announced by the IAEA on its website. The required reports also cover the management of nuclear fuel, spent fuel and radioactive waste. According to Ukrainian media “Rosatom is trying to take full control of the Zaporizhzhia power plant”. On the diplomatic front, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky still says he is willing to dialogue with Moscow “despite the atrocities” committed by the Russians. A dialogue whose stalemate is attributed by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to NATO, accused of evoking specters of nuclear war, which the Kremlin instead, he says, excludes. The revocation of the sanctions against Russia – said Lavrov – against Russia is part of the peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, which continue every day but are “difficult”. Lavrov also stated that “at the moment the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are discussing a draft of a possible treaty by videoconference”. Kiev, for its part, goes on the propaganda attack of the Kremlin. “When the war began, Russian propaganda channels such as First Channel, Ntv and others changed their schedules to devote themselves entirely to news. They receive a lot of money to broadcast. disinformation, not only in Russia but also across Europe. This is dangerous because disinformation spreads chaos in Europe “, Ukrainian Information Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko told ANSA, adding that he had asked” European colleagues to sanction these channels which still broadcast on satellite platforms “.
THE MOSCOW ACCUSATION
A Ukrainian fighter today hit a Russian village in the Starodubsky district, in the Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine with 2 missiles: the shock wave damaged plants used for loading oil. This was stated by the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, reported by Tass. There are no casualties or injuries. “Today at 6:50 am (5:50 am in Italy), Russian air defense systems detected a Ukrainian fighter plane. While measures were underway to prevent the target from entering Russian territory, 2 bullets hit the Zhecha settlement in the Starodubsky district, “Bogomaz said. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed what the Ukrainian army has been saying for almost a week: Moscow is using submarines in the Black Sea to hit Ukrainian targets with cruise missiles. CNN reports it. “The crew of a diesel-electric submarine of the Black Sea Fleet launched a volley of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea against the military infrastructure of the Ukrainian armed forces,” the ministry said on its Telegram channel by publishing a video that it would show the launch of the missiles.
APPEAL TO ERDOGAN
The commander of the 36th Ukrainian marine brigade Sergiy Volynsky (Volyn), made a direct appeal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Habertürk TV to apply the “extraction” procedure for them and take them to Turkey. Ukrainska Pravda reports it. “Dear President Erdogan – said Volyn – I turn to you. We have 600 wounded soldiers who are in desperate need of help. We have civilians with us who have been wounded. We also have hundreds of civilians and 60 children who seek safety with us in the The youngest is 4 months old. I now appeal to the Turkish people, to the President to apply the extraction procedure to us, to do everything possible to bring the Mariupol garrison to Turkey, to take us away from Azovstal with guarantees of security on the Turkish side. We are counting heavily on your help. ” The commander added that the situation in the Azovstal steel plant is very difficult, the fighting has never stopped. The Russian army daily uses air strikes, various artillery systems from land and naval bases, carry out assault operations with the help of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and large ground groups.
THE SITUATION ON THE FIELD, PRESSURE ON KHARKIV
In Kharkiv, the Ukrainian army announces some “tactical” victories including the liberation of a nearby village, while it does not hesitate to define the situation at the steel mill as “worse than a humanitarian catastrophe.” Violent explosions were heard during the night in the second largest city in the country, hammered by Russian artillery for weeks. Yesterday, according to the regional military administration, the bombings in Kharkiv left at least one dead and several injured. Zelensky admits that the situation here is “difficult” at the moment. Ukrainian forces shot down ten Russian aircraft yesterday, Kyiv Army Air Force Command reported, Ukrainian media reported. The destroyed aircraft are a ‘Su-25’ fighter and nine ‘Orlan’ drones. 10 ‘. Two schools and 20 residential buildings were damaged by bombing by the Russian army in the last 24 hours in the region of Lugansk. This was announced by the head of the regional military administration Sergii Gaidai on Telegram reported by Ukrinform. “The Russians are storming Rubizhne and Popasna,” wrote Gaidai. In particular, two houses near Rubizhne were hit and caught fire last night. Two others caught fire in Novodruzhesk. Five apartments were damaged in Hirske and another 10 in Orikhhove. Russian troops also bombed a school located in the new neighborhoods of Sievierodonetsk, causing a fire. Another school was later damaged by the bombing, Gaidai said.
‘CIVILIANS AFFECTED’
Russian soldiers fired at two bus who were evacuating civilians from the city of Popasna in the eastern part of Lugansk. This was announced by the mayor of the city reported by the Kyiv Independent. After the attack, the communication with the evacuation organizers who were in the vehicle was broken and it has not yet been possible to know if there are any victims, said the head of the civil-military administration of the city of Popasna Mykola Khanatov quoted by UNIAN . Mykola explained that Russian troops opened fire on the last half-parties. A police vehicle delivering medical supplies to a hospital was hit by mortar fire Severodonetsk. The head of the Lugansk regional military administration, Sergii Gaidai, wrote on Telegram reported by UNIAN. A car of volunteers was also hit by fire from Russian soldiers. For the moment there is no news of injuries or victims.
NEW HORROR IN BUCHA
A grave with the bodies of three men tortured, gagged and shot in the head was found in the woods near the village of Myrotske, in the district of Bucha, in the Kiev region. The Kiev police wrote on Facebook quoted by Ukrinform. “The victims were tortured for a long time; bullet wounds were found in the limbs. The three men were shot in the ear. This is another mass grave dug by Russian soldiers in the Bucha district. where more than a thousand citizens were killed and tortured, “Kyiv Region Police Chief Andriy Nebytov said.
ZELENSKY, READY TO SEE PUTIN
Zelensky says he is still ready to talk to Vladimir Putin despite the atrocities committed by the Russians in Bucha, Mariupol and other cities. Speaking to the Polish media, he specifies, however, that the risk that the negotiations with Moscow will fail is “high”. In the evening, TASS broadcasts two interviews with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, one to Al Arabiya and the other to the Chinese Xinhua. NATO countries “are doing everything to prevent the completion of the Russian special operation in Ukraine through political agreements,” said the Kremlin’s chief of diplomacy. “We are witnessing the manifestation of the classic double standard and hypocrisy of the Western establishment right now. By publicly expressing support for the Kiev regime, NATO countries are doing everything to prevent the completion of the operation by reaching political agreements. “, added the Russian minister. Lavrov then stated that Russia does not consider itself to be at war with NATO and does not threaten a recourse to nuclear power as instead evoked by the West. He accuses Kiev of planting mines in the Black Sea by threatening navigation. Finally, he assures us that Moscow “intends to continue to fairly respect its commitments under international contracts relating to export supplies of food, fertilizers, energy resources and other sensitive products”.
THE CASE G20
In the meantime, a G20 case has opened: Indonesia, which will host it in November, has formalized the invitation to Russia and Ukraine, arousing the reaction of the White House, although the Kremlin itself has not yet decided whether Putin will participate in the appointment and if in presence. The US accuses the Russian president of “depravity” and asks Indonesia to be excluded from the meeting.
SUSPECTED DEAD
And it is CNN to raise another case tinged with yellow: at least six Russian businessmen have allegedly died of apparent suicide in the last three months, some of them with their families. Four of the six deaths, according to the broadcaster, are of executives associated with Gazprom or one of its subsidiaries.
Source: Ansa
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