Russian shelling continues to hit Lyssytchansk in eastern Ukraine, but Moscow is withdrawing from Serpents’ Island, a symbol of kyiv’s resistance. Franceinfo looks back on the highlights of the day on the war front in Ukraine.
The “extremely difficult” situation in Lysychansk prevents the evacuation of civilians
According to the governor of the Ukrainian region of Luhansk, Sergei Gaïdaï, nearly 15,000 civilians are still in the last major city under kyiv’s control in the region. He asserts that the Russian bombardments “very powerful” prevent their evacuation, but that the forces of Moscow remain for the time being “on the outskirts” from the city.
The United States assures that it will support kyiv “as long as it takes”
“We will stand by Ukraine, and the entire Alliance will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes to ensure they are not defeated by Russia.”declared the president of the United States Joe Biden during a press conference, at the end of a summit of NATO, in Madrid. “I don’t know how or when this will end”added the Head of State, while assuring that “It will not end with a defeat for Ukraine.”
Joe Biden also announced that the United States would deliver new military aid to Ukraine representing “over $800 million” in anti-aircraft defence, ammunition for artillery, radars and other equipment. In total, Washington has provided $7 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Joe Biden took office.
Russian troops leave Serpents’ Island
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Thursday the withdrawal of its troops from Serpents’ Island. He asserts that they have completed the “tasks assigned to them”. This strategic island had been conquered at the beginning of the war by Russia. He was then regularly targeted by Ukrainian drone and missile strikes.
Moscow claims to hold more than 6,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war
“The total number of captured or surrendered Ukrainian servicemen is more than six thousand”, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. This number was not immediately verifiable independently.
The spokesman also confirmed that kyiv and Moscow exchanged 144 prisoners on Wednesday, as announced by the Ukrainian government. This is the biggest exchange since the beginning of the Russian offensive.
A Russian grain ship leaves the busy port of Berdyansk
Authorities installed by the Russian military in southern Ukraine announced the departure for the Black Sea of a first merchant ship from the commercial port of Berdyansk. “After several months of stoppage (…), 7,000 tonnes of cereals are leaving for friendly countries”, the head of the pro-Russian administration in the region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said on Telegram. The final destination of the shipment was not specified.
This is a first, as thousands of tonnes of grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports since the start of the conflict, leading to a global rise in food prices. In addition, Ukraine has been accusing Russia for weeks of stealing its wheat crops in the regions occupied by the army in the south of the country. Pro-Russian authorities in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions have also announced that they have “nationalized” all the infrastructure and goods belonging to the Ukrainian state and having bought their crops from the farmers of the region.
Nearly 16 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid, says UN
“Nearly 16 million people in Ukraine today need humanitarian aid: water, food, health services”said the UN humanitarian coordinator. “More than six million people are still internally displaced. Some five million people have now managed to return home, but many know they may be forced to flee again.”she continued.