War against Ukraine: Heavy fighting in the city of Kharkiv

Ukraine reports heavy shelling of the city of Kharkiv. Eleven civilians were killed there. The advance of Russian troops towards Kyiv seems to have slowed down, but they captured two cities in the south-east.

According to local authorities, at least eleven people were killed in rocket attacks by Russian forces on residential areas in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Dozens of people were also injured, says the head of the regional administration, Oleg Synegubow. “It’s a crime,” he adds.

“No positions of the army in Kharkiv”

The northeastern city, Ukraine’s second largest, has become one of the most important battlegrounds since the Russian invasion. According to Synegubov, Russian artillery shelled residential areas of Kharkiv where there are neither positions of the Ukrainian army nor strategic infrastructure. “That happens during the day when people go to the pharmacy, buy groceries or have drunk water.”

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the casualty figures. Previously, the former advisor to the Interior Ministry, Anton Herashchenko, had spoken of dozens of deaths in Kharkiv.

Russia, on the other hand, claimed that the Ukrainian “nationalists” themselves would shell the cities surrounded by Russian troops.

There were also several explosions in Kyiv. In northern Kiev, the Russian army tried to build a pontoon bridge to cross the Irpin River, the Ukrainian General Staff wrote on Facebook. Another attempt to conquer the city of the same name, Irpin, just outside of Kyiv, was unsuccessful.

“Occupiers slowed down”

According to information from Great Britain, the USA and Ukraine, the advance of the Russian army in Ukraine has slowed down. “Russian occupiers have reduced the pace of the offensive, but are still trying to achieve success in some areas,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.

The US Department of Defense had previously stated that the Russian advance had been slowed down by fierce resistance from the Ukrainians. “Ukrainians are putting up fierce resistance,” a senior ministry official said in a briefing for journalists. “It’s heroic, it’s inspirational, and it’s very clear for the world to see.” One also observes “fuel and logistics bottlenecks” of the Russian troops, it said.

The British Ministry of Defense also said, based on new intelligence information, that the advance of the Russian troops on Kyiv had slowed down because of the strong resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces and logistical problems. Most of the Russian ground forces are still around 30 kilometers from Kyiv. Also the strategically important one Hostomel Airport will continue to be held by Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine objects to capture of nuclear power plant

However, according to information from Moscow, Russian troops captured the Ukrainian cities Berdyansk and Enerhodar in the southeast of the country. They are under Russian control, said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. The capture of Berdyansk on the Sea of ​​Azov was confirmed by the Ukrainian side. The city is on the way from Crimea, annexed by Russia, to the embattled port metropolis Mariupol. This in turn is considered a main target of the Russian forces.

Ukraine denied the Russian statement that they also have the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia brought under control in the south of the country. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

“We won’t let you through”

In the small Ukrainian town Dniprorudne in the south of the country several unarmed people apparently confronted a Russian military column with tanks. This is shown by several photos from the outskirts of Dniprorudne that have been published on social networks.

It shows the city’s mayor, Yevheniy Matveyev, walking forward and talking to the drivers of the front-line tanks. The men in the background shout “Go home!” or “We won’t let you through”. After a brief conversation with the mayor, the tanks turn around.

Eastern Ukraine: Separatists suspend mobilization

According to their own statements, the separatists in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk have meanwhile suspended their mobilization. The necessary areas have now been occupied, said the head of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republic”, Denis Puschilin, on Russian state television. That’s what you wanted to achieve with the call to fight.

The insurgents in the areas Luhansk and Donetsk have captured areas controlled by Ukrainian forces with the support of Russian forces in the fighting over the past few days.

UN: Civilian deaths mainly from rocket attacks

According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, 102 civilians have been killed and 304 injured in the war so far. The actual numbers are likely to be “considerably higher,” said Bachelet. Most fatalities were recorded in rocket attacks.

Russia has repeatedly assured that its troops are only targeting Ukrainian military installations. The Ukrainian civilian population is not in danger. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also blamed Ukraine for the shelling of residential areas in its own country. Ukrainian “nationalists” would use civilians as human shields and station weapons in residential areas. Russia has never targeted residential areas, Peskov said. His statements could not be verified independently.

For the first time, however, the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted that there were dead and injured among its soldiers. In addition, “a few” Russian soldiers were captured. Exact numbers were not given.

According to the Ukrainian army, around 4,500 soldiers have been killed on the Russian side since the beginning of the war. In addition, helicopters, tanks and other military vehicles were destroyed, the Ukrainian General Staff said.

Amnesty International accuses Russia of using cluster bombs

Amnesty International accused Russia of using cluster bombs in Ukraine on Sunday. According to the human rights organization, three civilians, including a child, were killed by cluster munitions in an attack on a kindergarten in the city of Ochtyrka in north-eastern Ukraine. Another child was injured. Amnesty Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the attack should be investigated as a “war crime”.

The organization cites video footage taken by drones from the site of the attack, which is said to show “cluster munitions hitting at least seven locations in and around the building.” Amnesty also said it received 65 photos and videos from a local source. Everything indicates that Russia is responsible for the use of this internationally banned weapon, according to Amnesty.

Belarus before possible entry into the war

According to US intelligence information, Belarus could join the Russian attack today. The decision of the head of state Alexander Lukashenko depends on the outcome of the talks between Russia and Ukraine, said a senior US intelligence official.

The talks, meanwhile, ended without a breakthrough. “We are going back to the capitals for consultations,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told journalists. He did not give details.

Both sides had identified a number of key issues on which “certain decisions” would need to be made. The meeting lasted about six hours.