Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed that Russia committed “genocide” in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky, in his daily television speech, stated that Russia “openly follows a policy of genocide” in the Donbas region. Stating that the attacks of the Russian army could make the Donbas region completely uninhabitable, Zelenskiy argued that Moscow wants to raze all Ukrainian cities to the ground and said, “All these, the abduction of our people and the mass murder of civilians, are a clear genocidal policy implemented by Russia.”
A resolution in the Ukrainian Parliament in April also describes Russia’s attacks as “genocide”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also cited the “genocide practice” of the Russian-speaking minority living in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, by the Kyiv administration, as the reason for the Russian army’s attack on Ukraine last February.
RUSSIA INTENSifies ITS ATTACKS
The violence of the attacks on the cities of Syevyerodonetsk and Lysychansk, which are located in eastern Ukraine and have been trying to be blockaded by the Russian army in recent days, are increasing. The Russian army, which could not capture the capital Kyiv and the second largest city of the country, Kharkiv, had previously shifted its troops to the east of the country. Local sources report that Russian troops are advancing, albeit slowly, in the Donbas region.
It is predicted that Syevyerodonetsk, which has strategic importance due to its location, may pass under the control of the Russians after the blockade, which lasted for weeks, like the port city of Mariupol.
Evaluating the situation in the region, a senior United States (US) Department of Defense official said, “We believe that Russian troops have captured most of the northeast of Syevyerodonetsk, although the fighting is still ongoing.” Alexander Striuk, the civil and military director of the Syevyerodonetsk military administration, stated that 12 to 13 thousand people still live in the city, which had a population of about 100 thousand before the war, and said, “60 percent of the residences in Syevyerodonetsk have been destroyed. 85 to 90 percent of the buildings in the city are damaged. and they will need extensive repair,” he said.
BOMBARD TO HARKIV
It is reported that many people lost their lives in the bombardment of the city of Kharkiv, in the north of the country, with the withdrawal of Russian troops and people trying to return to normal life again. Ukrainian President Zelensky announced that nine people were killed and 19 injured in the bombardment. Zelenskiy stated that a five-month-old baby and his father were among the dead, and the mother was seriously injured.
It is stated that although the troops of the Russian army have withdrawn from Kharkiv, they are positioned in the east of the city. The Ukrainians in the city, on the other hand, are trying to be prepared for a possible new Russian invasion attempt by digging new trenches around the city and creating checkpoints with concrete barriers on the roads.
ITALY’S PEACE PLAN REJECTED BY RUSSIA
The peace plan developed by Italy to end the Ukrainian War was rejected by Moscow. The plan in question envisaged a ceasefire under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and Ukraine’s membership in the European Union (EU), but keeping it out of NATO. According to the plan, the Donbas region and Crimea would have the status of autonomous regions under Ukraine.
On the other hand, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who visited the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, stated that the war was a turning point for Europe. Marin also stated that trust in Russia has been lost forever for generations.
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Finland had applied for NATO membership by giving up its neutral line apart from the alliances it had maintained for decades.
AFP / ET, JD