2023-06-29 21:07:46
Russia affirmed this Thursday, June 29, that it killed two generals and about 50 Ukrainian officers in a bombardment in Kramatorsk, in the same attack of which the Colombians Héctor Abad Faciolince, Sergio Jaramillo and Catalina Gómez were victims, the country assures who vindicated the new and slow advances on the eastern front, where a “fierce battle” is being fought.
“We advance close to Bakhmut and continue. We are moving,” Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Sirski said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian army has been attacking the flanks of Bakhmut for several weeks, the epicenter of the fighting in the Donbas basin, making slow advances. The interior of the city fell into the hands of the Russians in May.
We recommend: Who is part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle?
“Our troops are clawing at every meter of the enemy’s ground in a fierce battle. They are making progress,” said Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar.
Ukraine, equipped by the Western powers, assures that it has recovered a dozen towns since the beginning of June, in a counteroffensive that collided with Russian forces that have been preparing the defense for months, with trenches and minefields.
Putin in unusual crowd bath
Russia claimed it killed two Ukrainian generals in a bombing raid this week on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
“Following a high-precision attack (…), two generals, up to 50 officers of the Ukrainian forces and up to 20 mercenaries and foreign military instructors participating in a meeting (…) were eliminated,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. it’s a statement.
The statement did not specify whether this attack corresponded to the bombing on Tuesday that left 12 dead in a restaurant in Kramatorsk.
That bombardment also left 65 injured, including three Colombians, among them the writer Héctor Abad Faciolince, the former peace commissioner Sergio Jaramillo and the journalist Catalina Gómez.
The Ukrainian authorities reported the presence of “mainly civilians” in the Ria Pizza restaurant, which is frequented by journalists, humanitarian workers and the military.
The Russian authorities are trying hard to present an image of normality and to show that the offensive in Ukraine was not affected at all by the abortive rebellion of the Wagner paramilitary group over the weekend, which shook the power of Vladimir Putin.
Putin appeared on the night of Wednesday, June 28, along with dozens of people in the city of Derbent, in the Russian Caucasus, where he agreed to pose for a photograph, shook hands and even kissed a girl on the head.
The Kremlin revealed in this “an incredible demonstration of support” by the Russians, without AFP being able to verify the degree of spontaneity of this crowd bath. Putin rarely appears at popular meetings, for security and health reasons.
Many Western analysts and officials said they saw the Wagner group’s rebellion as a sign of Putin’s weakness. Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, estimated this Thursday that “a weakened Putin is a greater danger.”
“We have to be attentive to the consequences” and “we have to see Russia as a risk, due to internal instability,” Borrell added.
Ukraine awaits “signal” from the EU and NATO
On the diplomatic front, Pope Francis’ envoy for peace in Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, met in Moscow with Russia’s commissioner for children, Maria Lvova-Belova.
“We have talked about humanitarian issues linked to military operations and the protection of children’s rights,” the Russian official wrote on Telegram, with the arrest recommended by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the alleged “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian minors. .
Zuppi also plans to meet this Thursday with Patriarch Cyril, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an ally of Putin. Ukraine, which has resisted the Russian invasion for 16 months, awaits signals from its Western partners that they are willing to support its ambition to join the European Union (EU) and NATO.
“The time has come to be clear about Ukraine’s entry into the” Atlantic alliance, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a telephone conversation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for “concrete” signals from NATO at the annual summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania.
It may interest you: Prigozhin: the mercenary who made Vladimir Putin tremble
However, the allies are still seeking a common line on the security guarantees that they are willing to accord to kyiv before eventual accession. A problem that the 27 EU countries are also analyzing in Brussels.
“The debate will be difficult” in the coming months, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, told AFP before the opening of a summit in the Belgian capital.
#Justification #Russia #claims #killed #Ukrainian #generals #attack #left #Colombian #women #injured