Russia Intensifies Attack In Ukraine’s East As US Boosts Weapons To Ukraine

Russian forces came close to capturing the main eastern Ukrainian city of Severodnesk on Wednesday, but a U.S. promise of more advanced rocket systems to help their defense raised hopes of stopping the Kiev invaders.

Sergey Geide, governor of the Lugansk region, said Russia had gained 70 percent control of the main industrial center and withdrawn to a prepared position by Ukrainian forces.

“If the Russians take control of Cheverodonetsk in two or three days, they will deploy artillery and mortars and bombard Lychichansk more intensely,” he said in the telegram.

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Ukraine successfully prevented Russia from taking Kiev after the Feb. 24 invasion, but the operation in the east has been costly, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying 60 to 100 soldiers are dying every day.

“The situation in the east is very difficult,” Zelensky told US newsgroup Newsmax.

With only Lysychank remaining a pocket of resistance in the eastern Lugansk region, Severodnetsk has been the target of massive Russian firepower.

“There is fighting in the streets of Cheverodnesk and the Russians have reached the city center,” Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzhianik said.

“The Ukrainian armed forces are actively resisting them,” he said.

As a boost for the outgunned Ukrainian military, President Joe Biden confirmed that long-range weapons are on the way.

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The new weapon is the Himars Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS, a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.

It is the centerpiece of a $700 million package unveiled Wednesday that also includes air surveillance radar, more Javelin short-range anti-tank rockets, artillery ammunition, helicopters, vehicles and spare parts.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Washington of “adding fuel to the fire” and said the weapons would not encourage Kiev to resume peace talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Ukraine has pledged not to attack Russia — and dismissed suggestions that Washington is to blame for escalating escalations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Simply put, the best way to avoid escalation is for Russia to stop aggression and the war it started,” Blinken told reporters.

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He vowed to continue helping Ukraine and said Russia showed no signs of backing down.

“As best as we can assess right now, we’re still looking at many months of conflict,” he said.

While some analysts have suggested the Himmers could be a “game-changer,” others have cautioned that they shouldn’t expect to suddenly turn the tables, not least because Ukrainian troops need time to learn how to use it effectively.

But after 98 days of war, morale may be improving.

“If you know you have heavy weapons behind you, everybody’s spirits go up,” one Ukrainian fighter on the frontline told AFP before the announcement.

Elsewhere, two people were injured when a missile hit transport infrastructure near the relatively stable western city of Lviv, regional governor Maksim Kozitsky said.

West of Severodnetsk in the city of Slovyansk, AFP journalists saw buildings destroyed in a rocket attack that killed three people and wounded six others.

Also Read:- Putin warns leaders of France, Germany against supplying arms to Ukraine: Report 30May 2022

And on Wednesday, at least one person was killed and two others injured in Soledar between Sloviansk and Severodnetsk, AFP found.

The European Union has also sent arms and cash for Ukraine and imposed unprecedented economic sanctions on Moscow.

Germany said on Wednesday it would provide an air defense system capable of protecting a major city from Russian airstrikes, but it would take months to reach the frontline.

EU leaders agreed this week to ban most Russian oil imports, but downplayed the possibility of shutting off Russian gas on which many member states rely heavily.

Moscow says a “reorientation” is underway to find alternative destinations for its oil, as it moves to minimize its negative consequences.

Sanctions bite — Russia has failed to pay accrued interest on $1.9 million in sovereign bonds, a panel of investors said Wednesday.

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And Russian energy giant Gazprom said its gas exports to countries outside the former Soviet Union fell by more than a quarter year-on-year between January and May after losing several European clients.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a renewed concern about security for many Europeans, with Finland and Sweden shedding their previous reluctance to join NATO.

Denmark, a founding member of NATO, went one step further on Wednesday by voting overwhelmingly to join the European Union’s Common Defense Policy.

“Denmark is sending a very important signal tonight,” Danish Prime Minister Matt Frederiksen told cheering supporters. Our allies in Europe and NATOl

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Russia Intensifies Attack In Ukraine’s East As US Boosts Weapons To Ukraine

Also Read:- Russia warns West against supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons: Report 28May 2022

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)