Russian missiles hit the outskirts of Lviv airport on the morning of this Friday (18), accuse Ukrainian authorities, in what would be another attack by Moscow against the city in western Ukraine and about 70 kilometers from the border with Poland, member country of NATO (Western Military Alliance).
At least three explosions were heard, but no casualties were reported, according to the city’s mayor, Andrii Sadovi. “Several missiles hit an aircraft repair shop. The building was destroyed by the shots. The factory’s operation had already been suspended, so there are no casualties at the moment,” the mayor wrote on Facebook.
With Kiev besieged by Russian forces, agencies and embassies operating in Ukraine’s capital have moved to Lviv, a major city in the west of the country that has also been a top destination for Ukrainians fleeing battlefields in the east. But Russia extended the range of attacks and, on Sunday (13), bombed military installations in the region, in an attack that left dozens dead.
In the capital Kiev, one person died and four were injured when parts of a Russian missile hit yet another residential building in the northern part of the city early on Friday, local officials said.
The attacks come on the same day that US leaders Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping are due to speak by phone to discuss the course of the war in Eastern Europe.
The US, which this week announced $800 million in new military aid to Kiev, is concerned that China is “considering directly helping Russia with military equipment for use in Ukraine,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Biden, who has described Putin as a “murderous dictator”, will tell Xi Jinping that China “will be responsible for whatever actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression,” Blinken told reporters. The two heads of state are due to speak at 10 am BrasÃlia time, the White House said.
So far, China has tread a cautious line in public, refraining from voting on UN resolutions condemning Russia, refusing to refer to the attack as an invasion and repeating criticism of the West. The country says it recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty, but that Russia has legitimate security concerns that must be addressed. An official at China’s Foreign Ministry met this week with the Russian ambassador to the country to discuss counter-terrorism and security cooperation, the ministry said in a statement.
“Beijing will do everything in its power to avoid having to take sides openly, but its once relatively cost-free relationship with Russia has become complicated and is now exposing China to increasing geopolitical, economic and reputational risks. “, says Helena Legarda, chief analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
Meanwhile, attacks on Ukrainian soil continue. In the early morning, bombing alarm sirens went off in the capital Kiev, in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, and in Odessa on the Black Sea.
Among the worst-hit cities so far is Mariupol, a strategic port on the Sea of ​​Azov, which was besieged two weeks ago. All eyes are on a theater bombed on Wednesday (16) where more than 1,000 people had sought protection, according to local authorities. City residents began clearing debris and rescuing survivors of the attack — no casualties have been reported.
Nearly 30,000 people managed to get out of Mariupol in the last week, and reports describe a serious scenario, with a lack of water, electricity and gas, which forced many people to drink melting snow or build fires to cook what little food there is. . “In the streets there are bodies of many dead civilians,” Tamara Kavunenko, 58, told AFP. “It’s not Mariupol anymore, it’s hell,” she said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that the country’s army and its separatist allies were engaged in combat in central Mariupol. “In Mariupol, units of the Donetsk People’s Republic, with the support of Russian forces, are tightening the siege and fighting the nationalists in the center of the city,” said ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
Despite economic sanctions and international pressure, after three weeks of offensive Moscow shows no signs of easing, despite negotiations between the two sides. Putin calls the offensive a “success” and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said “the overwhelming majority” of Russians support the president’s actions. The rest are “traitors,” he said.
The ground advance, however, appears to have stalled and Russia is increasingly turning to air and long-range attacks to gain the upper hand. According to Pentagon calculations, Moscow has fired more than 1,000 missiles in the war.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, “Russian forces have made minimal progress this week,” it said in a daily military intelligence update. “Ukrainian forces around Kiev and Mikolaiv continue to thwart Russian attempts to encircle the cities. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumi and Mariupol remain under siege and subject to heavy Russian bombardment.”
