11 minutes agoRussia gives new ultimatum to Ukrainian soldiers in Marioupol
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)In a speech to his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if Ukraine had access to better weapons “comparable to those used by Russia, we would have already completed this fight”. President Zelensky said that “is unfair that Ukraine is still obliged to seek [...]
President Zelensky said the “is unfair that Ukraine is still obliged to seek what its partners have been guarding for years”.
He said that if the Western countries have the weapons and ammunition Ukraine needs, “is their moral duty to help protect freedom, to save the lives of thousands of Ukrainians”, the BBC reports.
Zelensky added further that if his country takes up arms promised in the coming weeks, the lives of thousands of people will be saved.
President Zelensky added that the intensity of the Russian attacks on Harkiv in Donbas and the Dnepropetrovsk region has increased, even targeting civil structures.
The majority of the tens of thousands of Marioupolis residents who moved to territories controlled by Russia is unknown to”, Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry has given Ukrainian fighters, who are located at an industrial complex in the besieged city of Marioupolis, a new ultimatum to hand over weapons.
The Russian armed forces, based solely on humanitarian principles, again propose that nationalist battalion fighters and foreign mercenaries cease their military operations from 14.00 at Moscow's hour on April 20th and hand over weapons”, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
No single Ukrainian soldier accepted this call Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement.
Russia-backed fighters are said to be trying to attack the Azovstal steel factory in Marioupol, where Ukrainian troops and civilians are said to be staying.
In a post in Telegram, the Marioupolis Municipal Council said that despite the advantage of numerous Russian troops in the city, they have still not been able to get Marioupolis, and thus “they want to level the” steel plant.
Furthermore, Russia did not stop the offensive despite the fact that civilians are also being accommodated in that complex.
During Tuesday and Wednesday morning on April 20th, fighting has continued in many locations in Ukraine.
The General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces has announced that Ukrainian troops have so far taken the line against a broad Russian offensive in the east, and in some countries have said they have successfully counterattacked.
Meanwhile, the United States, Canada, Britain, France, and Germany promised more support to Ukraine after leaders of these states held a joint call.
“We will continue to offer them more ammunition, as we will provide more military assistance”, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that the new sanctions were also being prepared.
Artillery will be in the next round of American weapons sent to Ukraine, President Joe Biden told reporters.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers that war “will become an artillery conflict”, which means Ukraine will need more artillery.
This is what we will give them... in addition to many other forms of support”, Johnson said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Berlin would finance direct arms shipments from the German industry.
He said antitank weapons, air defence equipment, ammunition and equipment that could be used “in an artillery engagement” were among the weapons that could be sent from Germany to Ukraine.
Following the failure to invade Kiev and other major and strategic cities in its nearly eight-week war, Moscow now says its goal is to conquer overall the provinces Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been the focus of Russia-backed separatists since 2014. / REL
