প্রকাশ: 17/07/2022
Russia said on
Saturday its forces would step up military operations in Ukraine in
"all operational areas" as Moscow's rockets and missiles pounded
cities in strikes that Kyiv says have killed dozens in recent days.
Rockets hit the northeastern town of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv
region overnight, killing three people including a 70-year-old woman and
wounding three others, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said.
"Three people lost their lives, why? What for? Because
Putin went mad?" said Raisa Shapoval, 83, a distraught resident sitting in
the ruins of her home.
To the south, more than 50 Russian Grad rockets pounded
the city of Nikopol, on the Dnipro River, killing two people who were found in
the rubble, the region's governor Valentyn Reznichenko said.
Ukraine says at least 40 people have been killed in such
attacks on urban areas in the last three days. Russia says it has
been hitting military targets.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered military
units to intensify their operations to prevent Ukrainian strikes on eastern
Ukraine and other areas held by Russia, where he said Kyiv could hit
civilian infrastructure or residents.
"Clearly, preparations are now under way for the next
stage of the offensive," said Vadym Skibitskyi, a spokesman for Ukrainian
military intelligence, adding that there was Russian shelling along the
entire front line and active use of attack helicopters.
Shoigu, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir
Putin, was shown in military fatigues at a command post on the defence
ministry's Zvezda TV channel being briefed on the war and awarding "Golden
Star" medals for heroism to two generals.
His remarks appeared to be a direct response to what Kyiv
says is a string of successful strikes carried out on 30 Russian logistics
and ammunitions hubs using several multiple launch rocket systems recently
supplied by the West.
Ukraine's defence ministry spokesperson said on Friday that
the strikes were causing havoc with Russian supply lines and had
significantly reduced Russia's offensive capability.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian military
said Russia appeared to be regrouping units for an offensive towards
Sloviansk, a symbolically important city held by Ukraine in the Donetsk region.
War of attrition
While the focus of the war has moved to Ukraine's eastern
Donbas region, Russian forces have been striking cities elsewhere in the
country with missiles and rockets in what has become an increasingly
attritional conflict.
Moscow, which launched what it called its "special
military operation" against Ukraine on 24 February, says it uses
high-precision weapons to degrade Ukraine's military infrastructure and protect
its own security. It has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.
Kyiv and the West say the conflict is an unprovoked attempt
to reconquer a country that broke free of Moscow's rule with the
break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In one recent attack that stoked outrage from Ukraine and
its Western allies, Kalibr cruise missiles hit an office building in Vinnytsia,
a city of 370,000 people about 200 km (125 miles) southwest of Kyiv, on
Thursday.
Kyiv said the strike killed at least 23 people and wounded
dozens. Among the dead was a 4-year-old girl with Down's Syndrome named Liza,
found in the debris next to a pram. Images of her playing shortly before the
attack quickly went viral.
Russia's defence ministry has said the strike on Vinnytsia
was directed at a building where top officials from Ukraine's armed forces were
meeting foreign arms suppliers.
Late on Friday, Russian missiles hit the city of
Dnipro, about 120 km (75 miles) north of Nikopol, killing three people and
wounding 15, Reznychenko, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region that includes
both cities, said on Telegram, adding that an industrial plant and a busy
street next to it were hit.
"When the blast wave hit, there were few shards because
all my windows were taped up," a local woman who gave her name as
Klavdia told Reuters.
"The people whose windows were not protected like this,
there was a lot of blood, their injuries were horrible. I saw a small child all
covered in blood. It was awful," she said.
Russia said it had destroyed a factory in Dnipro making
missile parts.
Conflict divides G20
The war dominated a meeting of G20 finance ministers in
Indonesia. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said differences over the
conflict had prevented the finance chiefs and central bankers from issuing a
formal communique but that they agreed on a need to address a worsening food
security crisis.
"This is a challenging time because Russia is
part of the G20 and doesn't agree with the rest of us on how to characterize
the war," Yellen said.
Western countries have imposed tough sanctions
on Russia and have accused it of war crimes in Ukraine, which Moscow
denies. Other G20 nations, including China, India and South Africa, have been
more muted in their response.
In one spillover from the conflict, a blockade restricting
exports of Ukrainian grain has prompted warnings it could put millions in
poorer countries at risk of starvation.
Despite the bloodshed, both Russia and Ukraine
described progress towards an agreement to lift a blockade in recent talks.
Turkey, which is mediating, has said a deal could be signed next week.
- Reuters
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