If the Russian army pursues a “operational break” since the capture of the strategic city of Lyssytchansk, which gives it control of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, it is still leading, on Friday July 8, “limited ground offensives and air, artillery and missile strikes on all axes”according to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The institute sees the Russian forces “continue to limit themselves to small-scale actions, time to rebuild their forces and create the conditions for a more significant offensive in the coming weeks or months”. Franceinfo takes stock of the evolution of the situation in Ukraine, on the 135th day of the war.
Six dead in the Donetsk region
The Russian army pounded the Donetsk region on Friday, with a view to resuming the offensive in order to seize the entire Donbass basin in eastern Ukraine. Russian strikes in the Donetsk region left six dead and 21 injured in 24 hours, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
“Russia is probably concentrating equipment towards Siversk, about 8 km west of its current front line” and east of Sloviansk, says the UK Ministry of Defence. “There is a realistic possibility that Siversk is the immediate tactical objective of Russia, whose forces are attempting to advance towards their most likely operational goal, the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk urban area”he continues.
The Ukrainian army claims to have repelled an attempted Russian advance near Sloviansk, but recognizes an advance of Russian forces south of Siversk.
A “limited assault” north of Kharkiv
According to regional governor Oleg Sinegoubov, Russian bombardments in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s second largest city, left 4 civilians dead and 9 injured in 24 hours. “Russian forces launched a limited and unsuccessful assault north of the city of Kharkiv”added the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Lavrov in Indonesia for a G20 meeting
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of a meeting with his G20 counterparts in Indonesia midday on Friday after a series of Western statements condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The head of Russian diplomacy and his American counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, met for the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine. This meeting gathered in Indonesia the heads of diplomacy of the 20 largest world economies.
Moscow felt that Westerners had “failed” in their plan to boycott Russia, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “What we have already heard today is a strong chorus from around the world, not just from the United States for…that the aggression [russe] stop”underlined for his part Antony Blinken in front of the press.
“Russia was so isolated that Lavrov left the conference at midday, after speaking”French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in an interview with AFP.
A warning from Putin on the energy market
“Further use of the sanctions policy [contre la Russie] may lead to even more serious, without exaggerating, even catastrophic consequences for the world energy market”Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday.
“Sanctions against Russia cause much more damage precisely to the countries that impose them”he said again, referring to soaring energy prices in Western countries.