As the Russian army intensified its offensive in the Donbass, kyiv pledged to “do everything” to defend the territory. “The situation in the Donbass is very, very difficult”President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, May 27. “We protect our land and do everything to strengthen” the defense of this region. The territorial defense of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian separatist “republic” of Donetsk claimed to have “taken complete control” from the key locality of Lyman. “If the occupiers think that Lyman and Severodonetsk will be theirs, they are wrong. Donbass will be Ukrainian”, retorted Volodymyr Zelensky. Follow our live.
Accusations of “genocide” in the Donbass. The Ukrainian president accused Moscow of “genocide” in the Donbass, where Russian forces are carrying out “deportations” and “mass killings of civilians”. US President Joe Biden has also used this expression.
Historical Orthodox Schism. On the religious front, the Moscow branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has taken a historic initiative by cutting ties with Russian spiritual authorities, who support Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine is central for the Russian Orthodox Church, some of the most important monasteries of which are located in this country.
Hydrocarbon revenues to finance the war. Russia should receive an additional 1 trillion rubles (13.7 billion euros) from its hydrocarbon exports in 2022, part of which can be allocated to the continuation of its offensive in Russia, says the Russian Minister of Finance .
Moscow intensifies its offensive in the East. After their unsuccessful offensive on kyiv and Kharkiv at the start of the war, the Russian military is concentrating its forces in eastern Ukraine, with the stated objective of taking total control of the Donbass mining basin.