Russian forces continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine. With the fall of Lyssytchansk, Sunday July 3, the Russian army claims that almost all of the Luhansk region is now in its hands. “There is always fighting in two villages”, replied its governor, Serguiï Gaïdaï, Wednesday, July 6. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, “Russia probably continues to consolidate its control of Lysychansk and the Lugansk region”. Franceinfo takes stock of the assessment of the situation in Ukraine, on the 133rd day of the war.
Sloviansk evacuation continues
The evacuation of the bombed city of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine continued on Wednesday. The city is in the sights of the Russian forces, as part of their plan for the total conquest of the Donbass basin. “The evacuation is underway. We are taking people out of the city every day”said the mayor of Sloviansk, Vadim Liakh.
“There are currently 23,000 inhabitants left” up from around 110,000 before the conflict, he added in a video. And “17 died and 67 were injured” since the start of hostilities, assured the city councilor. Vadim Liakh added that in the city, “Essential infrastructure is still functioning, but there has been no central water supply network for a month and a third of the city is regularly without electricity”.
Donetsk, the Russians’ second objective in the Donbass
Russian forces are now trying to conquer the second province of Donbass, that of Donetsk, to occupy the entire mining basin. For this they need to take Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, its two largest cities preserved by the Ukrainians. According Sergey Gaïdaï, the Russian military “constantly try to build passages to transfer even more material” to the Donetsk region.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, Russian forces “probably now lie about 10 miles (16 km) north of Sloviansk”. “The Battle of Sloviansk could become the next key clash for control of Donbass”he warned.
Dmitry Medvedev talks about the use of nuclear weapons
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev spoke on Wednesday of the use of nuclear weapons, to better exclude any possibility of sanctions by international justice against Moscow. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently investigating alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine.
“The very idea of chastising a country that has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world is absurd in itself. And it potentially creates a threat to the existence of humanity”wrote on his Telegram account the current vice-president of the powerful Russian Security Council.