Status: 03/28/2022 05:17
More than a month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, attacks on Ukrainian cities continue. But counterattacks were able to push back the Russians in some places.
The Russian military continued its airstrikes against Ukrainian cities on Monday night. According to Ukrainian media reports, several heavy explosions shook the capital Kyiv, as well as Lutsk, Rivne and Kharkiv. A fuel depot was hit in Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine. Air alerts had previously been raised in all regions of the country.
The Ukrainian leadership accused the Russian military of “inhumane tactics”. These included the “partial or total blockade of humanitarian corridors, blockade of besieged cities,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter. In addition, Russia is continuing “all-out rocket attacks” against Ukrainian cities. To this end, the port city of Mariupol is being carpet-bombed.
Ukrainian army reports successes
According to their own account, Ukrainian troops have launched successful counterattacks in the vicinity of the city of Kharkiv in the east of the country. Russian troops were pushed out of several towns on Sunday, regional military chief Oleg Synegubow said on Telegram. “We are driving the occupiers back in the direction of the (Russian) border,” he said. According to Ukrainian military information, there were also land gains near Kyiv. The information could not be independently verified.
In an interview with Russian journalists more than a month after the start of the war, Zelenskyy accused Kremlin chief Putin of delaying the peace negotiations. In the hour-and-a-half video conversation, Zelenskyy once again called for Russian troops to be withdrawn from Ukrainian territory. Only then can there be security guarantees for Ukraine, which in turn are the basis for the NATO renunciation demanded by Ukraine. Zelenskyi also renewed his announcement that only Ukrainian citizens could ultimately decide on a possible neutral status of Ukraine in a referendum.