Ukrainian army launches counter-offensive and claims advance in Donbass and south

Ukrainian troops yesterday tried to push Russian forces back into the east and south of the country, the scene of weeks of fierce fighting, in a war that could seriously affect world grain supplies.

France provided precise assistance to access the Ukrainian port of Odessa in the Black Sea, which would stimulate inflation and reduce the threat of food shortages on all continents.

Ukrainian military personnel point out on Facebook that they have attacked “Russian positions” in five cities in the south of Gershon, one of the first regions under Moscow’s control since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.

The Russian offensive, which has been repulsed in other parts of Ukraine, is currently focusing on the south and east of the country, especially in the Donbass, Lukansk and Donetsk provinces, and has been partially controlled by pro-Russian rebels since 2014.

Fighting is particularly raging in the major areas of the occupation of Severodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk.

Russian troops are already controlling part of this old industrial area, and yesterday they announced the destruction of one of the city’s landmarks, the Chevrolet Donetsk Ice Palace, as announced by Luhansk Governor Sergei Guido.

In a statement issued on Thursday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky said that “the cities of Chevrodonetsk, Lyczynsk and other Donbass, which were targeted by the occupiers, are opposed.”

Zelensky also noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were advancing in the Zaporizhia (southern) and Kharkov (northeastern) areas and were in the process of “liberating our land”.

“Victory of Ukraine”. Russia and Ukraine, which account for 30% of world wheat exports, are blaming each other for depleting grain reserves. In addition, Ukraine has frozen millions of tons of grain that could not be exported due to the siege of its ports.

Western sanctions, on the other hand, prevent Russia from exporting much of its agricultural or fertilizer production.

An adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said France was ready to provide secure access to the Ukrainian port of Odessa. Kyiv refuses to remove the mines from the port, fearing it could seize the opportunity to attack Moscow.

“We are at the disposal of the parties to initiate a process that will allow safe access to the port of Odessa, which will allow ships to cross despite the sea being cut off,” the French adviser said. The French leader will travel to Romania and Moldova next week to share a border with Ukraine. But according to Elysee, no date has been set for his departure for Kiev. Macron, unlike many of his European counterparts, has not yet moved to the Ukrainian capital.

Zelensky praised the British leadership and its support against Russia during an unannounced visit by UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace yesterday. “Words become actions. This is the difference between ‘Ukraine’s relationship with Britain and other countries, “Zhelensky said in a video.

After raising criticism from Kiev when asked by Macron “Do not insult Russia”, the French president said he wanted “victory in Ukraine”.

The Russian invasion has put European countries on the edge, and yesterday nine of them urged NATO to strengthen its eastern part.

The leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia met in the Roman capital, Bucharest, three weeks before the Coalition Summit in Madrid.

“In view of the increased security risks in Romania and the Black Sea, NATO’s integration into its eastern region is even more urgent and important,” said Romanian President Glas Iohanis.

“war crime”. In addition to weapons, Ukrainian forces have received reinforcements from the thousands of foreign volunteers listed to fight the Russian invasion. Three of them, two Britons and one Moroccan, were executed by separatist authorities in the Donetsk region on Thursday on charges of acting as “mercenaries” for Ukraine.

They surrendered in the port city of Mariupol (southeast) in April, after British Aidan Iceland and Shawn, and were captured in March in the eastern city of Volnovaja, Sadun Brahim, Morocco.

The German Foreign Ministry called the sentences “shocking” and lamented that “Russia completely ignores international humanitarian law.” Liz Truss, the head of British diplomacy, promised that this was a “completely illegal and bogus investigation” and that her government’s spokeswoman demanded that they be treated as “prisoners of war”.

Raveena Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the tests were not “guaranteed” and were a “war crime”, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov set all the responsibilities. Russia and said the sentence was based on the criminal code of the Donetsk Republic.