War in Ukraine, Day 102 | Putin raises his voice

The capital of Ukraine was the target of new bombardments on Sunday, the first since the end of April, when Russian President Vladimir Putin raised his voice in the face of promises of more sustained deliveries of weapons from of the West.

Vincent Larin
The Press

UK to supply weapons

In the wake of the United States, the United Kingdom announced Monday morning that it will provide Ukraine with rocket launchers with a range of 80 kilometers to face the Russian offensive. The Ukrainians will thus be able to respond to Russian fire in the east of the country, where the conflict is now concentrated.

“As Russia’s attacks change, our support for Ukraine must change too,” UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said. “If the international community maintains its support, Ukraine can win,” he also said.

This decision was taken in “close coordination” with the American authorities, it was said, the latter having announced last week the supply of similar weapons.

Anxious to avoid the United States being seen as an active participant in the conflict, US President Joe Biden has however ruled out delivering long-range rocket launcher systems to Ukraine that could reach Russia, despite requests repeated attempts from Kyiv to obtain such weapons.

Spain could also supply weapons, anti-aircraft missiles and 40 Leopard 2 A4 tanks to Ukraine, according to an article in the daily El País published on Sunday. Spain’s defense minister, however, did not comment on the news.

New targets “not yet hit”

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would aim for new targets “not yet hit” if the West were to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine.

According to him, the current arms deliveries aim to “prolong the conflict”. Although he did not specify what these new targets were, Ukraine’s capital Kyiv was the scene of new airstrikes on Sunday, the first since the visit of UN Secretary General António Guterres. on April 28.

In particular, a train repair shop was targeted and a hangar used to repair tanks could also have been hit, according to information reported by the Associated Press.

Hardly contested Sievierodonetsk

Meanwhile, further east, Ukraine assured on Sunday that its army controlled “half” of Sievierodonetsk, a key city in the current epicenter of fierce fighting in the Donbass region.

Governor of the Luhansk region, a sub-region of Donbass where Sievierodonetsk is located, Serguiï Gaïdaï, however, said he expected a major counter-attack by Russian troops in the coming days.

This industrial center is the largest agglomeration still in Ukrainian hands in the Luhansk region, where the Russian army has concentrated its offensive in recent weeks after withdrawing or being driven out of other parts of Ukrainian territory, including the surrounding area. of the capital.

After being initially repulsed by a Russian offensive on Sievierodonetsk, the Ukrainians regained ground there.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said for its part on Saturday that the Ukrainian troops, “having suffered critical losses in the fighting for Sievierodonetsk (up to 90% in several units)”, were withdrawing to the neighboring city Lysytchansk.

Soccer: a tough defeat

The Ukrainian national soccer team’s qualifying defeat against Wales hurt all the more because it comes at a time when the country would have taken good news, so rare in the country ravaged by the war.

Recall that the blue and yellow had brought a little pride to their homeland on Wednesday by beating Scotland 3-1 in their first match since the Russian invasion. They were then on the verge of a second participation in a World Cup, after that of 2006.

There is “a lot of disappointment. A lot of people wanted this victory, the Ukrainian people really needed this victory,” 32-year-old computer scientist Pavlo said from a bar in Kyiv minutes after the final whistle.

With Agence France-Presse, The Guardian and the Associated Press