Ukraine: violent explosions heard at night in Kharkiv, Mariupol under the bombs


If the bombs fall in Kharkiv, they also hit the south of the country. Violent explosions were heard overnight from Friday to Saturday in this city, the country’s second largest city. This is a sign of new military pressure by Russian forces on this region of Ukraine and the Ukrainian President himself has acknowledged a “difficult” situation. The latter admitted it in a video address published Friday on Telegram and Moscow for its part continues to affirm that the military operation is continuing “according to the initial plan”.

“Our soldiers are achieving tactical successes,” however assures the Ukrainian president. Fourteen Russian attacks have been repelled in the past twenty-four hours. A village north of Kharkiv was taken over. A strategic victory, welcomes kyiv, because it is from this locality that the Russian forces would have pounded the city.

Evacuations of civilians in the east still at a standstill

In the east, “it’s a fight for life”, says President Zelensky. “In the Donbass, the occupiers are doing everything to destroy all life in this area. The constant and brutal bombardments, the constant Russian strikes on residential areas show that Russia wants to empty the territory of its inhabitants”, he pleaded . He fears that all of Donbass will be turned to stone like Mariupol, where the humanitarian situation is still just as dramatic.

Evacuations in the besieged city failed once again as the Ukrainian presidency announced a humanitarian corridor. The Russian bombardments continued on the immense metallurgical complex of Azovstal where hundreds of soldiers and inhabitants have been holed up in galleries for weeks. A situation among other subjects to be discussed by Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart this Saturday. The objective will be “to listen to the needs of Ukraine and to strengthen aid”, they say at the Élysée. “Without becoming belligerent.”

Beware of the term “World War III”

“Of course I believe that the fighting will increase. Of course, slippages are quite possible. But for the moment, with this story of the Third World War, we are above all a propaganda operation of a male [Vladimir Poutine, ndlr] which has still not won the war”, analyzes Bernard Guetta, specialist in geopolitics and former correspondent in Moscow. According to him, the situation is “extremely humiliating” for the Russian president.

The specialist also recalls the danger of a victory for Russia. Beyond the fact that the Ukrainians would be dominated by a brutal foreign power towards them, the question of the Russian advance in Europe could arise. “Why would he stop on such a good path? Why wouldn’t he take it into his head to reconquer the Baltic countries, or even restore a protectorate over Poland or other countries in central Europe?” -he. “No, of course you can’t let such a brutal dictator win a war that is a war of pure and simple aggression.”



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