Russian President Putin likely still wants to capture much if not all of Ukraine but has narrowed his tactical objectives, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said on Tuesday.
Smoke could be seen rising from the city of Sieverodonetsk during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops at the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on Tuesday, as an aerial view shows destroyed houses after strike in the eastern region.
The cities of Sieverodonetsk and Lysychansk, which are separated by a river, have been targeted for weeks.Ukraine says more than 500 civilians are trapped inside Azot, a chemical factory where its forces have resisted weeks of Russian bombardment and assault.
The civilians, including children, have been hiding from from shelling in the plant since the beginning of the conflict in Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had offered Ukrainian fighters sheltering in the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk the chance to surrender on Wednesday morning and that civilians would be let out through a “humanitarian corridor.”
Ukraine said its forces were holding out inside Sievierodonetsk and trying to evacuate civilians, after Russia destroyed the last bridge to the devastated eastern city in a potential turning point in one of the war’s bloodiest battles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a meeting with Accounts Chamber Chairman Alexei Kudrin on Tuesday at the Kremlin in Moscow, while European countries consider providing temporary granaries to Ukraine, which faces a shortage of silos for new grain crop currently being harvested.
A Russian serviceman could be seen near a welcoming sign for the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been painted in Russian flag colors this week.Kyiv has said it is losing 100-200 soldiers each day, with hundreds more wounded.
In an overnight address, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called the battle for the eastern Donbas region one of the most brutal in European history.Russia gave no figure on its losses, but Western countries say the Russian military casualties are large as Moscow has committed the bulk of its firepower to delivering one of President Putin’s stated objectives: forcing Kyiv to give up the full territory of the two eastern provinces.
