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Kharkiv PHOTO: Reuters
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Reports of brutal shelling in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions came from Ukrainian authorities, CNN reported. The attacks intensified amid Russia’s warnings to step up the offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The situation in the region is “becoming increasingly tense,” Pavlo Kirilenko, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said in a statement on television.
“The shelling and air strikes have intensified. “As of yesterday, there have been attempts to break through in the northern part of the Donetsk region on the border with the Kharkiv region, but the attacks have been repulsed,” Kirilenko added.
Oleg Sinegubov, head of the military administration of the Kharkiv region, announced shelling of residential areas of Kharkiv. He said at least 34 people were injured, including three children, and seven people were killed, including a 7-month-old baby. bg-voice.com.
The shelling in the city of Severodonetsk damaged the water supply system and destroyed two food warehouses, said Sergei Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.
“The Russians are deliberately and cynically attacking civilian infrastructure,” Haidai added.
Volunteers delivering humanitarian aid to the local population came under fire in the city of Lisichansk. A male volunteer was killed and his wife was injured.
About two weeks ago, Russia withdrew its troops from northern Ukraine and the vicinity of Kyiv to concentrate them in the Donbass to try to achieve military success. Analysts say Putin wants this to happen before May 9 so he can highlight Russia’s victory on the holiday. For this reason, the Ukrainian state and military leadership fears that a new, very difficult stage of hostilities is imminent.
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