War in Ukraine: what to remember from the 55th day of the Russian invasion

Europe 1 with AFP 06:36, April 19, 2022

THE ESSENTIAL

On the 55th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymir Zelensky has said, with Moscow opening a new phase of its invasion after failing to take the capital Kyiv.

In recent weeks, the Russian military campaign has refocused on the eastern region of Donbass, which has been partially controlled by pro-Russian separatist forces since 2014. "No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves," claimed the Ukrainian president, after having warned the day before that "they literally want to complete and destroy the Donbass".

According to a senior US Defense Department official, Russia has increased its military presence in eastern and southern Ukraine by "eleven battalions" in one week, bringing the total of battalions in the country to 76.

For Andriï Yermak, President Zelensky's chief of staff, it is now clear that "the second phase of the war has begun".

"Trust the armed forces of Ukraine," he said on Telegram.

The main information:

- the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine began on Monday evening

- At least seven dead and eleven injured in Lviv on Monday

- Videos of Britons captured by the Russians

"The battle for Donbass" has begun

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday the start of the Russian offensive against eastern Ukraine, part of which is in the hands of pro-Russian separatists and where deadly fighting has intensified.

"We can now say that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass, for which they have been preparing for a long time. A very large part of the entire Russian army is now devoted to this offensive," he said. he said in a speech broadcast on Telegram.

"No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves," he said.

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Powerful strikes in Lviv

At least seven people were killed and 11 others injured in Russian strikes on Lviv, the major city in western Ukraine usually relatively spared from the fighting, local authorities said.

"Five powerful missile strikes" hit "civilian infrastructure", announced on Twitter Mikhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The regional governor, Maksym Kozitsky, mentioned four cruise missile strikes, fired from the Caspian: three on military infrastructure and one on a tire garage, which caused fires.

All targets are "severely damaged" according to him.

The Russian army also claimed on Monday evening to have destroyed with "high precision missiles" a large depot of foreign weapons recently delivered to Ukraine, during strikes in the morning near Lviv.

Putin honors a brigade accused of abuses in Boutcha

The Russian president on Monday awarded an honorary title for "heroism" to the 64th motorized rifle brigade, which Ukraine has accused of having participated in the abuses committed in Boutcha, near kyiv.

Vladimir Putin signed, according to the Kremlin, a decree granting the "honorary title of 'Guard'" to this brigade because of the "heroism and tenacity, determination and courage" of its men.

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Ukraine soon to be an EU candidate?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he hoped to obtain for his country "in the coming weeks" the status of candidate for membership of the European Union (EU), thanking Brussels for the speed of the process.

Videos of Brits captured

Russian state television on Monday aired videos of two British prisoners, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, saying they were captured fighting in Ukraine and asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to negotiate their release.

The two men, who appear with drawn features, are asking to be exchanged for Viktor Medvedchuk, a deputy and wealthy Ukrainian businessman close to President Putin and recently arrested in Ukraine.

They do not specify who is currently holding them, Russian forces or their separatist allies in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

kyiv for its part published a video of this businessman in which he asks to be exchanged “against the defenders of Mariupol and its inhabitants”.

Russians enter the Kreminna in eastern Ukraine

Russian troops entered the eastern town of Kreminna on Monday, according to local authorities, and were under Ukrainian fire in the neighboring town of Rubizhne, AFP reported.

"There was a major attack in the night" from Sunday to Monday in the Kreminna, said the Ukrainian governor of the Lugansk region, Serguiï Gaïdaï, on his Facebook page.

"The Russian army has already entered there, with a huge amount of war material... Our defenders have retreated to new positions," he added.

Meeting this Tuesday between the United States and their allies

US President Joe Biden will take part in a virtual meeting on Tuesday devoted to the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the White House said, as kyiv assures that Moscow has launched a new phase of its attack in the Donbass.

The American president will discuss, "with the allies and partners" of the United States, the list of which has not been disclosed, the "continued support for Ukraine and efforts to ensure that Russia is held to account", a White House official told AFP.

However, Joe Biden does not plan to go to Ukraine soon despite his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky's wish to do so, the White House said on Monday.

"The president is not expected to go there, allow me to repeat it," said US executive spokeswoman Jen Psaki at a press conference.

The US government is considering sending an envoy to kyiv, but the White House has ruled out a high-risk trip by the president himself for security reasons.

Discussions to create a "humanitarian contact group" in Turkey

The UN and Turkey are discussing the creation of a "humanitarian contact group" which would bring together on Turkish soil - under the aegis of the United Nations - Ukraine and Russia, a senior UN official announced on Monday.

If Ukraine has already responded favorably to this approach, Russia, informed of the proposal at the beginning of April, has not yet made its position known.