Ukrainian forces claimed they were making progress in intense street fighting in the city of Severodonetsk. However, it was stated that their only hope for success was to have more guns to counterbalance Russia’s large and heavy firepower.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that a region captured by Russia during the occupation that started in February was targeted, and as a result of a counter-attack, some areas were recaptured in Kherson in the south.
Ukrainian Security Council Secretary Oleksi Danilov said that the Russian forces concentrated all their forces in this region.
Danilov said, “They do not feel sorry for their people, they sacrifice their soldiers. They are bombing our soldiers day and night.”
In a rare update from Severodonetsk, the commander of Ukraine’s Svoboda National Guard Battalion, Petro Kusik, stated that the Ukrainians are drawing the Russians into street battles to neutralize the Russian cannon advantage.
“Yesterday was a success for us,” Kusik said on television. “We launched a counterattack and in some areas we were able to push them back a block or two. In others, they pushed us back, but only by one or two buildings.”
“The invaders suffered serious losses yesterday. If every day was like yesterday, everything would have ended soon,” said Kusik.
Kusik, however, stated that his forces lacked the “catastrophic” level of equipment for cannon batteries that could counter Russia’s weapons, and that having such weapons would change the battlefield.
Russia is advancing both north and south west of Severodonetsk. Russia’s aim is to ambush the Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region, consisting of Luhansk and its neighbor Donetsk, by shelling the Ukrainian-controlled cities on its way.
Counterattack in Kherson
In the south, Moscow is trying to impose its authority in the region stretching from Kherson to Zaporizhzhia. Here, officials appointed by Russia say they plan to hold a referendum in their city to join Russia.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that its forces recaptured some areas in the counterattack in Kherson.
Ukraine announced that it had counterattacked in Kherson last week, claiming that it had captured a bridgehead south of the Inhulets River and thus created a border for the city. The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed this event this week.
Grain export
Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of grain and food oil. The threat of famine caused by Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has drawn international attention in recent weeks.
NATO power Turkey, which has good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week and tried to mediate.
Asked whether any agreement has been reached to sell grain from the south of Ukraine to Turkey or a Middle Eastern country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said, “No agreement has been reached so far, work is ongoing.”
The grain crisis also came to the fore at the meeting of the OECD group of developed countries in Paris.
In a speech he made, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said, “We need to unblock the millions of tons of grain trapped there due to the conflict. We must give assurances to President Zelenski that the ports will not be attacked.”
Death sentence for British and Moroccan fighters captured in the Donbas region
The Constitutional Court of the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) sentenced two Britons and a Moroccan to death, who were caught fighting for Ukraine. They said they will appeal the decision.