Russia is killing “for the sake of intimidation and amusement,” says President Zelenskyy. At the same time, a US institute warns of attacks from the north – Belarus plays a role in this.
According to the presidential administration in Kyiv, Russian shelling of the Ukrainian city of Cherson killed seven people and injured 58 others. Among them were 18 seriously injured, said the deputy chief of the Presidential Office in Kyiv, Kyrylo Tymoshenko. He had previously spoken of five dead and 20 injured.
Tymoshenko published photos of lifeless people in the center of the city recently liberated from Russian occupation on his Telegram channel. According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops are still shelling the city from other parts of the occupied Kherson region. Russia had annexed the Cherson region.
“The Russians have committed terror again and shelled the city center,” Tymoshenko wrote. “People have died, buildings have been destroyed.” On Saturday, because of the weekend, many people were out on the streets.
Zelenskyy: “This is real life in Ukraine”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj condemned the attack as another crime by the “terror state” Russia just before Christmas. The photos of the dead would certainly be flagged by social networks because of the content. “But this is not sensitive content, this is real life of Ukraine and Ukrainians,” he said.
There are no military targets there. This isn’t a war. “This is terror, this is killing for the sake of intimidation and pleasure,” Zelenskyy said. “The world needs to see and understand the absolute evil we are fighting.”
US institute: Kremlin could prepare attack in Belarus
Meanwhile, the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) warns that the Kremlin in Belarus could continue to set the stage for a possible attack on northern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military also announced that Russia had deployed battalions there.
The ISW experts believe that such an attack is still unlikely. But he is possible. And the danger must be taken seriously. The establishment of a field hospital was seen as an indication that Russia could attack from there. “Field hospitals are not necessary for exercises and can be an indication of the preparation for combat operations,” according to the ISW.
At the same time, the US institute considers it possible that the deployment of Russian troops in Belarus is a diversionary maneuver. A sabotage attack is also possible to distract the Ukrainian armed forces from the defense in Donbass. Russia could then use the possibly less attention of the Ukrainian troops for an offensive in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine or elsewhere, it is said.
Source: Stern
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