“Together to victory!” the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv said on Facebook on Monday. The 227th Battalion of the 127th Brigade had reached the state border. Meanwhile, the Russian and Ukrainian military apparently agreed on a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors in Mariupol.
- The current developments in Ukraine in the live blog
Video shows soldiers
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released a video showing soldiers standing next to a border post in the national colors of blue and yellow. At least at one point they advanced to the Russian border. The governor of the region of the same name, Oleh Sinegubov, announced on Telegram that it was soldiers who were defending the city of Kharkiv. “We thank all those who risked their lives to liberate Ukraine from Russian invaders.” It was initially not clear how many Ukrainian soldiers were involved and where exactly they got to the border.
In the north-east of the country, the Ukrainian armed forces have made up ground in recent days and pushed back Russian units in the Kharkiv area. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine after the capital Kyiv. An independent confirmation of Sinegubov’s statements was not possible. The fighting near Kharkiv is “our counteroffensive,” Interior Ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said on television. “She can no longer be stopped.” Thanks to this offensive, Ukrainian soldiers could stab Russian troops in the rear.
Russian troops are advancing in the Donbass
In the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, the situation remained difficult, according to the local governor Serhiy Hajdaj. Russian troops are still trying to take the city of Severodonetsk, Hajday says on TV. The leaders of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic had called for general mobilization. Recognized by Russia but not internationally, the Luhansk People’s Republic occupies pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine’s Luhansk region.
In the Donbass, Russian forces advanced in some places. Russia is also expected to gather forces in Izium in the south of the country.
Destroyed tourist accommodation in Odessa
According to Ukrainian military information, a tourist accommodation near the port city of Odessa in the south of the country was destroyed by a Russian rocket attack. The Southern Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported at least three civilians injured. The target was therefore a previously attacked and damaged bridge over the mouth of the Dniester River. There was initially no confirmation from the Russian side.
Apparently ceasefire in Mariupol
According to Moscow, after days of negotiations, the Russian and Ukrainian military agreed to remove injured fighters from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Initially, there was no official confirmation of this in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that a ceasefire was in place and a humanitarian corridor would be opened. The Ukrainian fighters were to receive medical treatment in the pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Novoazovsk in eastern Ukraine. The government in Kyiv had always demanded that the injured be transferred to the area controlled by Ukraine or to a third country.
According to Ukrainian sources, around 1,000 defenders of Mariupol are holed up in the Azovstal industrial zone. Hundreds of them are said to be injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly called on the militants to lay down their arms and surrender. They refused because they did not want to go into Russian captivity.
Catastrophic conditions from the embattled Azovstal plant had previously been described. There is only one glass of water per person per day, said one of the wives of a Ukrainian camphor who remained in the steel mill in an interview quoted by the Ukrainian media on Sunday. The woman said she was last able to talk to her husband on the phone a few hours ago. She and the other wives once again demanded the evacuation of all entrenched fighters – first of all the seriously injured among them. Their situation is “terrible”: Some are missing arms or legs, there are hardly any drugs or narcotics.
Source: Nachrichten
