KYIV (Parliament politics Magazine) – It is day 83 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following is the summary of the ongoing war.
- According to Volodomyr Zelenskiy, the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian troops from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol is underway, with more than 260 fighters taken out of the factory. The troops have completed their combat mission, according to the military’s general staff. The deputy defence minister of Ukraine has stated that a “exchange procedure” will be used to return evacuees to their homes.
- The Joint Forces Task Force of Ukraine reported on Monday that Russian bombardment in the Luhansk and Donetsk areas killed 20 civilians, a child among them.
- According to Western military sources, Vladimir Putin’s involvement is “at the level of a colonel or brigadier” in the Ukraine war. The Russian president is said to be deeply involved and is helping strategise how the forces will move in the Donbas.
- Ukrainian officials stated that Ukrainian forces in the north-east of the country had driven Russian forces out of Kharkiv and marched all the way to the Russian border.
- According to British intelligence, Ukrainian troops in the country’s east could be hindered by Belarus, a Russian ally which is mobilising special forces near the northern border of Ukraine.
- Russian soldiers have shelled frontline positions in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine as the battle for Severodonetsk which is the easternmost city still held by Ukrainian forces after more than 11 weeks of conflict, intensifies.
- Sweden is sending diplomats to Turkey to ease Turkish objections after Finland and Sweden revealed their ambitions to join Nato yesterday. Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, the Turkish president, has stated that Turkey will not approve the deal and delegates from other countries shouldn’t make the effort of coming.
- Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has no issues with Finland or Sweden, but that the military infrastructure expansion on their soil would require a response from Moscow as the Nordic countries come closer to joining Nato, which Russia has described as a mistake with far-reaching ramifications.
- As the EU tries to establish consensus on its latest measures aimed at diminishing the Kremlin’s ability to conduct war, Hungary has been accused of “keeping the EU hostage” over its refusal to agree to an oil embargo against Russia.
- McDonald’s said on Monday that it would depart the Russian market and sell its business in the increasingly isolated country. Ikea, H&M and Starbucks are among the corporations that have left Russia since February.
- Meanwhile, the city of Moscow plans to take over a Renault factory and use it to revive the Soviet-era Moskvitch, marking Russia’s first big nationalisation of a foreign corporation since its conflict with Ukraine.
