Ukraine-Russia war update today: Zelensky’s troops may retake territory, UK says

Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian military had only one duty, to kill people as the war in Ukraine marked its 133rd day.

“The Russian army does not take any breaks. He has a task – to take people’s lives, to intimidate people – so that even a few days without an air alarm already seem to be part of the terror,” Zelensky said in his nightly address to Ukrainians.

He added that on Tuesday evening an air alert was announced over almost the entire territory of our country.

“…Tonight, Kyiv and almost all of Ukraine heard the air alarm. Currently, there are reports of strikes in the Khmelnytskyi region – casualties, wounded are now specified,” said he declared.

“Before that, there had been no air alerts in the capital and in some areas for some time, and some people even felt particularly anxious because of such unusual silence,” the president said. Ukrainian.

Mr. Zelensky added: “They were overthinking, dreading, looking for some kind of explanation – as if the occupiers were preparing for something… In fact, you shouldn’t overthink it. You should not look for logic in the actions of terrorists.

Russia launched heavy fighting in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, regional officials confirmed, as they reported widespread artillery fire, within 48 hours of Moscow confirming its victory in Lugansk.

Regional Governor Sehiy Haidai said the outskirts of the Lugansk region had been the scene of heavy fighting, saying Russian regular troops and reserve forces had been deployed there to cross the Siverskiy Donets River, seen as a line of defense. strategic defense in Ukraine.

Mr Haidai said: “They are taking quite heavy casualties.”

“Some battalions have been moved there to supplement the manpower they need… They are not taking all their wounded with them. The hospitals are full to bursting, as are the morgues,” he said .

“There is still a lot of shelling in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions. They bomb everything in their path.

Officials in Kyiv said they now expected Mr Putin’s fighters to focus their efforts in particular on the towns of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in Donetsk, just a day after taking control of Lysychansk, the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk, Ukraine.

Russian rocket fire hit the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said.

The southern town on the main road between Kherson and Odessa was targeted by Russian forces throughout the war. A report in The Economist said Ukrainian troops were preparing for a counter-offensive launched from Mykolaiv to retake Kherson from Russia.

After the strikes this morning, Mr Senkevych said on Telegram: “Residential buildings have again been damaged by shelling.

“More than 200 windows were blown out by the shock wave and debris in seven high-rise buildings, front doors were damaged in entrances and people had to cut the locks on some apartments to get out.”

NATO membership offers from Sweden and Finland have been sent for approval after the 30 member countries of the alliance signed membership protocols for the two Nordic countries (Holly Bancroft writing).

The protocol means that Finland and Sweden can now participate in NATO meetings and have better access to intelligence. However, they will not be protected by NATO’s defense clause, which states that an attack on one ally is an attack on all, until ratification.

“This is truly a historic moment,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alongside the foreign ministers of the two countries. “With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger.”

The inclusion of Finland and Sweden is the most significant expansion of the defensive alliance since the 1990s.

Britain added two more Russians to its sanctions list today, subjecting them to an assets freeze and a travel ban.

The sanctions list has been updated to add Denis Gafner and Valeriya Kalabayeva – who Britain says were involved in spreading disinformation and promoting Russian actions in Ukraine.

More than 1,000 Russians and Russian-linked people have been sanctioned by the UK since Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine on February 24.

The city of Sloviansk came under heavy fire days after Russia seized neighboring territory, the local mayor said.

Russia declared victory on Sunday over Lysychansk, a town about 30 miles west of Sloviansk that was the last Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk region.

On Tuesday, Sloviansk Mayor Vadim Lyakh said “heavy shelling” had hit his town and urged residents to evacuate or seek shelter. The city had a population of around 107,000 before Russia invaded Ukraine more than four months ago.

At least one person was killed and seven others injured in shelling, Mr Lyakh said. He said the city’s central market and several neighborhoods were attacked, adding that authorities were assessing the extent of the damage.

The barrage targeting Sloviansk indicated that Russian forces were positioned to advance further into Ukraine’s Donbass region, a predominantly Russian-speaking industrial area where Moscow’s forces are concentrated.

Dozens of international allies have called for Russia and Belarus to be suspended from international sports federations due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sports organizations should also consider suspending broadcasts of competitions in Russia and Belarus, according to a joint statement by sports ministers from 35 countries.

Signatories included the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea. Notably, China, India, and Latin American and African states were not among the signatories.

The joint statement says that in cases where athletes from Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete, it should be clarified that they do not represent the Russian or Belarusian states. The use of official Russian and Belarusian flags, emblems and anthems should be prohibited.

In March, the United States and its partners said Russia and Belarus should not be allowed to host, bid for, or be awarded international sporting events.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February, a number of sports bodies have banned athletes representing Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. Fifa and UEFA suspended Russian teams and clubs from international football days after the invasion, while Belarus is not allowed to play home matches within its borders.

The tweet below shows the statement released by the US State Department:

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin is due to travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv tomorrow for a number of engagements in the city.

The trip is by invitation of Volodymyr Zelensky and will be the first Irish state visit to Ukraine.

Simon Coveney, Irish Foreign Minister, visited Kyiv in April and met his counterparts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

Ireland has taken in more than 36,000 Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion in February and has given millions of euros in humanitarian support and assistance to Ukraine, as well as health equipment and medical donations from a value of more than 4.5 million euros.

Mr. Martin has also been a strong advocate for Ukraine’s accelerated EU membership.