by Pavel Polityuk and James Mackenzie
KYIV/KHARKIV (Reuters) – The Russian army has seized a small town in the Luhansk region, the first since the outbreak of the “battle of Donbass”, Ukrainian authorities announced on Tuesday, while Moscow has issued a new ultimatum to the last defenders of the Mariupol Azovstal factory.
Kreminna, which had 18,000 inhabitants before the war, fell to Russian forces after the withdrawal of Ukrainian soldiers defending it, the governor of the Luhansk region said.
According to Serhi Gaïdaï, the Russian army launched an attack “on all fronts” in this region of Donbass which still eludes it, trapping civilians who did not flee before the start of the offensive.
“Our defenders had to retreat. They took up new positions and continue to fight against the Russian army,” the governor said during a press briefing.
Kreminna is for the Russian forces a milestone on the way to Sievierodonetsk or even Kramatorsk, two more important cities of Donbass which are in its sights.
An adviser to President Volodimir Zelensky has promised “failure” of this assault, which he believes aims to conquer territories as much as to destroy the army of Kyiv.
The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, confirmed for his part that the “special operation” in Ukraine had entered “a new phase”, the priority displayed by the Kremlin now being the conquest of all of Donbass.
Scarred by the heavy losses it has suffered since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, particularly in the Kyiv region, the Russian army is working to carry out its plan “methodically”, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who had not spoken to the media for several weeks.
The minister, who chaired a meeting of military officials, according to Russian news agencies, accused Western countries that supply arms to Ukraine of prolonging the conflict.
“The increase in volumes of foreign arms deliveries clearly demonstrates their intention to encourage the Kyiv regime to fight to the end,” he said, according to comments reported by Tass.
ULTIMATUM IN MARIOUPOL, BOMBING IN KHARKIV
In Mariupol, which the Russian forces have still not succeeded in completely conquering after nearly two months of siege, Moscow has issued a new ultimatum to the last defenders of the port city entrenched in the underground passages of the gigantic Azovstal metallurgical plant.
Ukrainian fighters had until noon (0900 GMT) to lay down their arms and surrender in exchange for their lives, the defense ministry said.
“All those who lay down their arms are guaranteed to stay alive,” he promised.
The Ukrainian authorities did not react to this ultimatum and Moscow has not yet indicated whether it had been followed up.
After its expiration, however, the Russian Defense Ministry called for the “release” of civilians who may be in the plant’s basements, suggesting that the siege is not over.
Pro-Russian separatists in Donbass said on Tuesday morning that they had launched the assault on Azovstal, the president of the self-proclaimed republic of Donestk, Denis Pushilin, wishing to “liberate” her as soon as possible.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, assured that Mariupol would be fully conquered before the end of the day.
The Russian military is not letting up pressure on other cities it is besieging, including Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, where rocket fire destroyed buildings and claimed at least three new victims on Tuesday, journalists found from Reuters.
“They’re ransacking the whole city,” said Fyodor Bondarenko, 79, as he watched an ambulance take away the body of a passerby apparently mowed down by shrapnel.
Ukrainian forces have launched several counterattacks in recent days around Kharkiv, seeking to cut off advanced Russian army columns from their rear bases, as they successfully did last month in the Kyiv region .
After the failure of its lightning raid against the capital, the Russian army has however changed its strategy and now seems to be opting for the “methodical” progression described by Sergei Shoigu, preceded by intense artillery barrages, a tactic that it used in the past to raze entire cities, such as Grozny in Chechnya.
(French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Sophie Louet)