- Russian forces bomb 40 cities in eastern Ukraine – military
- Common graves for murdered civilians – governor of Luhansk
- 8,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war in Luhansk and Donetsk – Tass
Kyiv, May 26 (Reuters) – Russian forces bombed more than 40 cities in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region, forcing Ukrainians to bury dead civilians in mass graves, Tass News reported. Ukrainian prisoners of war in Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.
After failing to seize the capital of Ukraine Kyiv or its second city Kharkiv in its three-month war, Russia is trying to take full control of the Donbass, which consists of two eastern provinces that Russia claims. on behalf of the separatists.
Russia has deployed thousands of troops to the region, attacking from three sides in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian forces resisting the city of Sievierodonetsk and its twin, Lysychansk. Its fall would leave the entire Luhansk province under Russian control, a major target of the Kremlin war.
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“The occupiers bombed more than 40 cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk region, destroying or damaging 47 civilian sites, including 38 houses and a school. As a result of the bombing, five civilians were killed and 12 were injured.” said the Joint Working Committee of the Ukrainian Navy. said forces on Facebook.
He said 10 Russian attacks were repelled, four tanks and four drones destroyed and 62 “enemy soldiers” killed.
The office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that 11 high-rise buildings in Sievierodonetsk and eight in Lysychansk had been destroyed.
Zelensky has said that Russian troops far outnumber Ukrainian forces in some parts of the east, and Kyiv has tried unsuccessfully to organize a prisoner exchange with Moscow.
The number of Ukrainian prisoners of war detained in the self-proclaimed Russian-backed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics is about 8,000, Luhansk official Rodion Miroshnik told TASS news agency.
“There are a lot of prisoners,” Miroshnik said. “Now the total is about 8,000. That’s a lot, and literally hundreds are added every day.”
Reuters was unable to independently confirm battlefield reports.
As Russia seeks to consolidate its control over the seized territory, President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree simplifying the process for residents of newly captured districts to acquire Russian citizenship and passports. Read more
The Russian parliament on Wednesday ruled out a maximum age limit for contract service in the military, stressing the need to replace lost troops. Read more
In a video address at night, Zelenskiy, commenting on the new Russian enlistment rules, said: “(They) no longer have enough young men, but they still have the will to fight. It will still take time to crush that will.” .
Zelenskiy said this week that the conflict could only end with direct talks between him and Putin.
Russia describes its actions in Ukraine as a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist accusation is unfounded and that the war is an act of unprovoked aggression.
Ukraine and the West say Russian forces have attacked civilians and committed war crimes, which Russia denies. A 21-year-old Russian tank commander has been jailed this week after being found guilty of war crimes for killing an unarmed civilian.
Lysychansk police are burying civilian bodies in mass graves, Luhansk Regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai said. About 150 people have been buried in a district grave, he added.
The families of those buried could carry out a post-war burial, and police are issuing documents allowing Ukrainians to obtain death certificates from loved ones, Gaidai said.
FOOD CRISIS
Russia has blocked ships from southern Ukraine that would normally export sunflower grain and oil across the Black Sea, raising prices globally. The African Union on Wednesday urged the two countries to unblock exports of cereals and fertilizers to prevent widespread famine.
Russia has blamed severe Western sanctions on the food crisis. On Wednesday, he said he was willing to offer a humanitarian corridor for food-carrying ships, but wanted sanctions to be lifted in return. Read more
Economic pressure rose on Wednesday as the United States failed to extend Russia’s license to pay off bonds, bringing it close to a historic debt default.
The resignation has allowed Russia to maintain its public debt payments until now. Read more
The European Commission has proposed that breaking its sanctions on Russia be a crime. Read more
The EU also said it hoped to agree sanctions on Russian oil ahead of the next meeting of EU leaders.
But Russia, at least for now, is running out of money. Oil and gas revenues stood at $ 28 billion in April alone thanks to high energy prices. Read more
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Reuters office reports; Written by Michael Perry; Lincoln Feast Edition.
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