Indiscriminate shelling by Russian forces over the past 24 hours had killed at least eight civilians and wounded 25 others, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. Most of the civilian casualties occurred in Donetsk province, where Russia has stepped up its offensive in recent days, Ukraine’s presidential office said. Citing the number of civilians killed, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kirilenko pledged in a Telegram post that “every crime will be punished.” Kirilenko had urged the province’s more than 350,000 remaining residents to leave late Tuesday, saying the evacuation of Donetsk was necessary to save lives and allow the Ukrainian army to better defend against the Russian advance. Donetsk is part of Donbass, a predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Ukraine’s most experienced soldiers are concentrated. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that his forces had completed the capture of the Donbas region’s other province, Luhansk, after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the last city under their country’s control. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai denied on Wednesday that the Russians had fully captured the province, whose last town, Lysychansk, fell to Moscow forces on Sunday. Heavy fighting continues in villages around Lysychansk, he said. “The Russians have paid a high price, but the Luhansk region has not been fully captured by the Russian army,” Heidai said. “Some settlements have been flooded from all sides several times already,” he said. The governor accused Russian forces of scorched-earth tactics: “Burning and destroying everything in their path.” Up to 15,000 residents remain in Lysychansk and about 8,000 in the nearby city of Severodonetsk, which Russians and separatist fighters captured last month, Haidai said.
“There are no safe areas”
The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in its regular social media update late Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had repulsed enemy units advancing on Sloviansk in Donetsk, which is seen as a possible key target for Moscow. Separatist authorities in Donetsk also said four civilians had been killed and 14 others wounded in Ukrainian shelling over the past 24 hours. Reports said the shelling hit an ammunition depot on Tuesday, causing huge explosions. North of Donetsk, Russian forces also hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, with rocket attacks overnight, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synyehubov told Telegram. Three districts of the city were targeted. One person was killed and three, including a small child, were injured, according to the governor. In the south of the country, the port of Mykolayiv was also heavily shelled, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said in a briefing. “There are no safe areas in Mykolaiv,” he said. “I’m telling people … they have to leave.” The city has already shed about half of its pre-war population of half a million.
“Wrath of God”
In a sign that Moscow is not preparing to end its military offensive against Ukraine anytime soon, Russia’s parliament passed laws on Wednesday requiring businesses to supply goods to the armed forces and forcing employees at companies supporting the war effort to work overtime . According to the draft laws, companies will be required by law to supply goods and services necessary for the conduct of the “special military operation” in Ukraine to the armed forces and employees of certain companies that produce goods and services needed by the Russian military will be required to work overtime at night, weekends or holidays. “In the context of operations carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation outside Russia, including on the territory of Ukraine, there is a need to repair weapons, military equipment and provide material and technical means to the armed forces.” explanatory note to one of the cited bills. A top Russian official also warned on Wednesday that the United States and Western allies could face the “wrath of God” if efforts were made to punish a nuclear power like Russia for crimes committed in its war in Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, denounced the US for its efforts to establish an international court and “spread chaos and destruction around the world for the sake of ‘true democracy’”.
