Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainian soldiers fighting with Russian forces the week would be “historic” and hoped Russia would intensify its attack on the city’s eastern borders.
His warning comes as given by the European Union Ukraine ‘Candidate Nation’ status last week, in a move that could upset Russia.
However, Vladimir Putin, while addressing the St Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, said Ukraine’s EU membership does not affect him as he is not against Kyiv joining the EU.
Last Sunday, Zelensky visited a military base in the southern city of Mykolaiv, where he vowed that lands belonging to Russia would be returned to Ukraine.
“We will not give anyone the south, we will return everything and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
Zelensky’s concerns were echoed by Eastern Ukraine’s regional mayor, Sergei Gede.
Gede, who heads the Lugansk region, which includes the cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, said Russians have been shelling Ukrainian troops throughout the day in the city of Lisichansk, where Ukrainian forces are laying barbed wire and street fighting between the two armies. In anticipation of digging trenches. ,
As the news agency AFP observed, police were also lined up burnt vehicles to thwart Russian infantrymen.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have killed several high-profile Ukrainian military officers last week. Russia said it bombed a meeting of top-level Ukrainian forces near the city of Dnipro with Kalibr missile strikes, killing more than 50 generals and officers.
It said ten 155 mm howitzers supplied by the West and a building containing about 20 armored vehicles were also destroyed in the attack.
Regional administrators in Luhansk fear that Russian forces will besiege Lisichansk by cutting off supply roads.
Gede explained that despite reports of Severodnetsk falling into Russian hands, the city is still on hold. “Look how long Severodnetsk has been stalled: you can see that they (Russians) do not control the city completely … according to the news agency AFP.
“There are no safe places in the Lugansk region,” Gede said as Ukrainian troops fired at Russian positions in Severodnetsk, where smoke rises from the Azot factory.
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