In Sievierodonetsk, the small town that has become the focus of Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine and one of the bloodiest hot spots of a war well into its fourth month, was reported of new intense fighting.
The war in the east, where Russia is focusing its attention, is now mainly an artillery battle in which Kyiv is far outnumbered, according to Ukrainian officials. This means that the tide of events could only be turned upside down if Washington and others keep their promises to send more and better weapons, including rocket systems.
Police are investigating a missile attack in Druzhivka, Ukraine, in Donetsk. Credit: Getty
“This is an artillery war now,” Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s chief military intelligence chief, told the British Guardian newspaper.
“It simply came to our notice then. Ukraine has between 10 and 15 pieces of Russian artillery.
Germany, one of the main arms suppliers since Russia invaded, but criticized for being slow to supply the heavy weapons Kyiv says it needs, plans to revise its rules on arms exports to facilitate the arming of democracies as Ukraine reported Der Spiegel on Friday.
In the south, the mayor of Mariupol – reduced to rubble by a Russian siege – said sanitation systems were broken and corpses could be found on the streets.
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“There is an outbreak of dysentery and anger,” Vadym Boichenko told national television. “The war that took more than 20,000 people … unfortunately, with these outbreaks of infection, will claim thousands more mariupolites,” he said, adding that some wells had been contaminated by corpses.
Boichenko called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish a humanitarian corridor to allow the remaining residents to leave the city, which is now under Russian control.