Thanks, but no thanks. Russia rejected, Thursday, May 26, a peace plan proposed by Italy. On the ground, the Russian offensive has reached a “maximum intensity” in eastern Ukraine according to kyiv, which has demanded more heavy weapons from its supporters.
Here’s what to remember from the day.
Severodonetsk, a new Mariupol?
After failing to take kyiv and Kharkiv, Russian forces are focusing their efforts on fully conquering Donbass, the eastern industrial basin already partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
Backed by a deluge of bombs, the Russian army is now directly threatening Severodonetsk, a city of 100,000 before the war, which could suffer the same fate as Mariupol, the southeastern port city largely destroyed after weeks of seat. The governor of the region acknowledged the difficulties of the Ukrainian forces on Telegram messaging.
“The mission is extremely difficult in the Lugansk region after three months of constant attacks and shelling. And now all the forces of the Russians are concentrated here and we have to contain this horde”
Serguiï Gaïdaï Governor of Donbasson Telegram
“The fighting has reached its maximum intensity and a long and extremely difficult stage awaits us”, summarized in Kyiv the Deputy Minister of Defense Ganna Malyar during a press briefing. She stood up against those who “once again emerge, from the shameful drawer of Munich, the treacherous idea of appeasing the aggressor”.
“We reject this weak pacifism. Ukraine will fight for the full liberation of its territories within their internationally recognized borders. And Putin can save face by withdrawing from our territories”she added, in an apparent allusion to the calls, in particular from Paris, not to “humiliate” Russia.
kyiv still demands arms
“It’s tough, but we’re holding on. We’re fighting for every inch of the front line, for each village. Western weapons help us drive the enemy out of our land.”Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny wrote on Telegram.
“We badly need weapons that will allow us to strike the enemy at a great distance”, he added, stressing that “any delay (in these deliveries of heavy weapons) is paid for by the lives of people who protect the world of Ruscism“the contraction of “Russia” and “fascism” used on the Ukrainian side to designate the regime established in Moscow by Vladimir Putin.
Moscow sweeps away Italy’s peace plan
Russia, which aims to consolidate its territorial gains in eastern and southern Ukraine, on Thursday rejected a peace plan proposed by Italy. This one which provided, under UN guarantee, for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops, the entry of Ukraine into the EU but not into NATO, and a status of autonomy for Donbass and Crimea which would remain under Ukrainian sovereignty.
“Serious politicians who want results cannot propose things like that, those who do are those who want to promote themselves in front of their electorate”reacted the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a spade addressed to all appearances to his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio.
Nine dead in Kharkiv
Russia is therefore continuing its offensive, again bombarding Kharkiv, the country’s second city which had begun a return to normal life in mid-May and where metro traffic had resumed.
Nine people died in new bombardments which hit the residential area of the Pavlové Polé district, in the center-north of the city, near a shopping center which was closed at the time of the strike. Other residential areas were also bombed, with extensive destruction of buildings.
The mayor of the city, Igor Terekhov, asked his constituents to take refuge in safe shelters.