THE Ukraine is regaining territory in the Kherson regionwhich is under the control of Ρώσων from the beginning of the invasion of the country, at the time the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to address EU leaderswho are meeting today in Brussels at an extraordinary meeting dedicated to his country.
«Hersonissos, hold on tight, we are close!“, Reports the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on its Facebook page.
In its briefing on the situation in the field, which was made public last night, the Ukrainian army notes that it is coming from the region of Kherson, on the side of the villages of Andrigivka, Lozove and Bilohirka.
In his briefing this morning he does not elaborate further on Hersonissos, but notes that Russian forces brought special forces to Nikolaevthe neighboring city, “Planning to carry out offensive actions to regain lost positions.”
The Russian side has not yet commented on Kiev’s statements about “The creation of defensive lines” by Russian troops around Kherson.
The counterattack by Ukrainian forces in Kherson comes at a time when the new Kremlin-appointed city authorities have already expressed their desire to ally themselves with Russia, which has announced that will allow residents to apply for a Russian passport through “a simplified process”.
If Hersonissos regains control of Kiev it will be one progress with great symbolismsince the area has been completely occupied by the Russian army since launching its offensive in Ukraine on 24 February.
To this adds weight and the fact that Kherson is strategically located in southern Ukraine, near the mouth of the Dnieper in the Black Sea.
Kherson starts exporting grain to Russia, according to TASS.
Meanwhile, the Russian news agency TASS reported today, citing a high-ranking local official, that the Kherson region began exporting grain from last year to Russia.
«We have room to store (the new crop) although we have a lot of grain here. People are now exporting them in part, having agreed with those who buy them from the Russian sideSaid Kirill Stremusov, deputy head of the Kremlin-appointed military-political administration in Kherson.
Ukraine accuses Russia of that steals its grain from territories occupied by Russian forces since they invaded Ukraine.
Zelensky addresses EU leaders
After all today the Ukrainian president is expected to addressed to EU leaders at the beginning of their summit via video conference from Kyiv. On its agenda is the imposition of new sanctions on Russia.
Zelensky’s address to the European Council comes the day after yesterday’s widely covered media visit to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city in the northeastern part of the country. This is his first exit from Kyiv since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February.
“We will defend our territory to the end. They have no hope,” Zelensky said from Kharkov yesterday, where he met soldiers in the field and visited the ruins of destroyed buildings.
Stagnation in mediation efforts
Meanwhile, mediation efforts between Moscow and Kyiv are stalled.
Over the weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Solz had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin urging him to hold “direct, serious talks” with Kyiv.
The Russian forces, which have retreated from the Kharkiv region, continued their advance towards the important cities of Sheverodonetsk, which is being pounded incessantly, and Lysitshansk, the twin city of Donbass.
Located on both sides of the Siversky Donetsk River, they are threatened with being surrounded by Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who seek to take full control of the Donbas valley.
“As far as Donetsk is concerned, the invader is focusing on offensive operations to encircle our troops in Lisichansk and Severodonetsk,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement.
The leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, claimed on Saturday night that he had taken control of Sheverodonetsk, a city of 100,000 before the war.
The mayor of Severodonetsk, Alexander Stryuk, warned of deteriorating health in the city, which has been without electricity for more than two weeks and is being evacuated. The “constant bombing” greatly complicates the supply, mainly of drinking water, to thousands of residents who remain in the city, he added.
Russia is preparing a major attack on Sloviansk
Finally, the General Staff of the Ukrainian forces pointed out in its morning briefing on the situation on the ground that the Russian forces are preparing for a large-scale attack around Sloviansk, the base of the Ukrainian defense forces in Donbas.
Russian forces are moving new units as they prepare to attack Sloviansk from the Russian-controlled Izium, a city about 50 kilometers north, and the recently occupied small town of Lyman, the general staff said in a daily update.
Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, south of the former, are the largest urban area in Donbass still under Kiev control. Sloviansk is also the base of Ukrainian forces in the eastern part of the country. An occupation of the twin cities by Russian forces would be a major turning point in the war.
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