The Russian army on Thursday (June 2) tightened its hold in eastern Ukraine, its priority objective in this war which allowed it to get its hands on 20% of the country, according to kyiv. Sievierodonetsk is still under attack, the similarities with the siege of Mairoupol are disturbing, even if there have been, in recent hours, “some Ukrainian successes” to be noted in the city of the oblast of Luhansk.
A fifth of Ukraine in Russian hands
Before the invasion, Russian or pro-Russian forces controlled 43,000 km2 there, since the annexation of Crimea and the capture of a third of Donbass in 2014. Since February 24, they have notably advanced in the East and in the South, along the Black and Azov seas, now controlling a strategic coastal corridor linking the Russian east with Crimea. Today it’s almost 125,000 km2or 20% of the country which would be in the hands of Moscow according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Sievierodonetsk crystallizes the attention of Moscow
“The most difficult situation” concerns Luhansk, one of the two regions of Donbass, had underlined the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valeri Zaloujny, quoted in an army press release published overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. After the failure of their lightning offensive to bring down the government in kyiv, the Russian forces are concentrating on the conquest of Donbass (east) where a war of attrition is now being played out, particularly around the strategic city of Sievierodonetsk. And Moscow’s steamroller tactic of slowly nibbling ground seems to be paying off.
Sievierodonetsk, the administrative capital of the region, is “80% occupied” by Russian forces and fighting rages in the streets, Luhansk region governor Serhi Haidai said. Mr. Zelensky said in his daily message on Thursday evening that the situation in the Donbass had not “changed significantly during the day”.
“We had some successes in the battle for Sievierodonetsk. But it is still too early. It’s the most difficult area right now.”he said, referring to a similar situation in the surrounding area, particularly in Lyssytchansk and Bakhmout.
Sloviansk residents urged to evacuate
Russian pressure also remains significant on Donetsk, the other Donbass region, in particular Sloviansk, some 80 km west of Severodonetsk. Residents of the region lack gas, water and electricity in particular, according to kyiv. A hundred people left Thursday Sloviansk, a city in eastern Ukraine now deprived of water and electricity, while the mayor of the city called on residents to evacuate. On Tuesday, a Russian strike killed three people and injured six in the city, and caused great damage, according to witnesses interviewed by Agence France-Presse.
Gradual return of embassies to kyiv
In his speechVolodymyr Zelensky welcomed the return of 50 diplomatic establishments to the capital, previously moved to Lviv or elsewhere: “ More and more embassies are resuming full-fledged activities in Kyiv. This is very important, not only in practice, for the work of diplomats, but also symbolically. »
Before adding: Each new embassy that returns to our capital testifies to the faith in our victory. Faith that Ukraine will be able to defend its statehood in this war, unleashed on our land by the Russian Federation. »
Ukraine and the status of candidate to the European Union
President Zelensky did not fail to recall his order of priority: ” The main task remains to accumulate maximum support for Ukraine. First of all defensive, financial, and of course, political. It is very important that now, in a few weeks, we have a response from the European Union on Ukraine’s candidate status. We are looking forward to it. »
New European and American sanctions
On the diplomatic level, the EU countries approved on Thursday a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow including an embargo, with exemptions, on the purchases of oil but gave up blacklisting the head of the Russian Orthodox Church , Patriarch Kirill, under pressure from Hungary.
In the United States, the Biden administration has announced a new series of sanctions targeting oligarchs or members of “the elite” from Moscow, including the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova. “I am grateful to President Biden, all our American friends and the people of the United States for their support”, noted Mr. Zelensky Thursday evening. Ukraine is also awaiting deliveries of more powerful rocket launcher systems promised by Joe Biden, hoping that this will change the balance of power on the ground.
Preparing for “a war of attrition” over the “long term”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday after a meeting with President Biden in Washington that Western countries should prepare “to a war of attrition” on the ” long term “.
The war in Ukraine “could end tomorrow, if Russia ended its aggression”, Mr. Stoltenberg said on Wednesday during a press conference alongside the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken. But “we don’t see any signs in that direction at this stage”, he added. The war waged by Russia in Ukraine will continue “many months”had abounded Mr. Blinken.