According to the regional government, civilians were killed in a Russian rocket attack on a vehicle convoy near the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya. According to the Ukrainian Attorney General’s office, 25 people have been killed and about 50 injured. In the battle for the strategically important town of Lyman in the Donetsk region, Russian forces have taken several locations east of the city, according to Russian sources.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of shelling civilians in Zaporizhzhya and other places. “Only absolute terrorists, for whom there is no place in the civilized world, can act like this,” the head of state wrote on news channel Telegram on Friday. Moscow wants revenge for its failures and the unbroken Ukrainian resistance.
“Long ago all that was human was lost”“
Cynically, (the enemy) destroys peaceful Ukrainians, because he has long lost everything human,” wrote the 44-year-old. Moscow will be held responsible for every Ukrainian life lost. According to Zelensky, 16 rockets were fired at Zaporizhzhya and the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, the head of the Donetsk separatists, Denis Puschilin, admitted that the strategically important town of Lyman was almost completely surrounded by Ukrainian troops. “At the moment Lyman is in a hemisphere, the road to Swatowe is under our control, but is regularly under fire,” the 41-year-old from Moscow wrote on Telegram’s news service.
The neighboring towns of Jampil and Drobyschewe are no longer under complete control of Russian forces. Reserves would be used.
“Around midnight, Ukrainian forces managed to effectively surround Lyman,” the nationalist military blog Rybar said on Friday. The village of Stawky in the north of Lyman has fallen and east of Lyman, in Zarichne, there are street fights. Russian military blogger Semyon Pegov also confirmed the Ukrainian capture of Stavky.
Ukrainian storm hits city of Yampil
“The road between Lyman and Torske is under constant enemy fire,” Rybar continued. After the advance of the Ukrainian troops west and north of Lyman, the road to Torske was the only supply route for the Russian garrison in the city. The blog also reports on a Ukrainian storming of the town of Jampil southeast of Lyman. “If the Russian military leadership does not take decisive action within 24 hours, Lyman will await the fate of Balaklija,” Rybar warned.
With the recapture of Balakliya, Ukrainian forces launched a major offensive in the Kharkov region, allowing Kiev to regain control of almost the entire region and forcing Russian forces into a hasty retreat.
Kremlin plans to announce annexation on Friday
If Ukraine succeeds in capturing Lyman, the Ukrainian army will gain access to Svatove and Kreminna, and thus deep into the Luhansk region, which Moscow has largely self-administered since the summer. The Kremlin plans to officially announce the annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya in a ceremony on Friday.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
