Fierce fighting broke out in Ukraine on Thursday in the outskirts of Kyiv and other areas. This indicates that Russia is using the de-escalation talk as cover while regrouping and sending its forces to intensify attacks in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message early in the morning that Ukraine is watching Russia mobilize its forces to launch a fresh attack on the Donbass and they are ready for that. Meanwhile, a convoy of buses headed for Mariupol in Ukraine on Thursday to evacuate people from the besieged port city. At the same time, Russia attacked many parts of Ukraine before the proposed new round of talks to end the war.
After Russia’s military agreed to a limited ceasefire in the region, the Red Cross said its teams had left for Mariupol with relief materials and medicines to help evacuate people from the city on Friday. Attempts were made to build human corridors in the past as well but they could not succeed.
Meanwhile, a regional official said Russian forces bombed suburbs of the capital, which Ukraine recently recaptured. Two days earlier, Russia said it would reduce attacks near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv in order to build mutual trust and create favorable conditions for further talks.
Britain’s defense minister has also confirmed that Russia has carried out heavy shelling and missile strikes around Chernihiv. The region’s governor, V Chaus, said Russian troops were not going back. Russia’s defense ministry also reported fresh attacks on Ukrainian fuel stores late Wednesday, and Ukrainian officials said bombings had also been carried out around the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
Russia’s military said it was committed to enforcing a ceasefire from Thursday morning on the route from Mariupol to the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhia. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryana Vereshchuk said 45 buses had been sent to evacuate civilians. The week-long blockade and bombardment had run out of food, water and medicines.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its teams had already left for Mariupol. The Red Cross said in a statement that thousands of lives depend on it in Mariupol. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said intelligence received by the coalition indicated that Russia was not reducing its military operation in Ukraine, but was changing the position of its troops and relocating to the Donbass. be involved in the attack.
Regional governor O Palviuk said on social media that Russia had opened fire on the Kyiv suburbs of Irpin and Makarev and fighting around Hostomal. He said the people of Ukraine responded and that Russia had to retreat to the suburb of Brovry.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Erakhemia, said that the talks between the two countries will be held via video conference on Friday. At the same time, the number of people leaving Ukraine after six weeks of war has reached 4 million.
Russia promised this week during talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul that it would reduce operations near Kyiv and Chernihiv to create “conducive conditions and mutual trust” for further talks. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Western countries expressed deep doubts.