The Ukrainian authorities warned of new Russian attacks on Kherson, where in the last 24 hours up to 33 missiles fell on civilian targets, the same day that the Kremlin rejected the 10-point peace plan of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky.
Alarm bells continue to ring in Ukraine. At least 33 Russian missiles fell in the last 24 hours on the Ukrainian population, targeting civilian targets, as denounced by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in its morning report, something that Russia denies.
Other Russian military attacks have occurred in Bahkmut, now in ruins, in the eastern Donetsk province, and to the north, around the cities of Svatove and Kreminna, in the Luhansk province, where Ukrainian forces are trying to break through the Russian defensive lines that they have concentrated a large number of troops, armored vehicles and heavy weapons.
A new missile attack was reported from Kharkiv early on Wednesday, while regional authorities called on the population to stay in safe places or go to shelters.
The capital, kyiv, and other regions turned on the anti-aircraft alert almost two hours later, as Ukrainian social networks talked about the national alert could have been declared after the takeoff of Russian planes parked in Belarus.
In the latest update on the military situation in Ukraine, the British Defense Ministry said that Russia would be reinforcing the Kreminna section of the front line as it is logistically important to Moscow and has become somewhat vulnerable following recent Ukrainian advances. further west.
The Russian army abandoned the city of Kherson last month in one of Ukraine’s most significant advances in the war. Kherson, located at the mouth of the mighty Dnieper River and the gateway to Crimea, annexed by Russia, is strategically important to both nations.
In Kherson, the celebration for the liberation of the city quickly turned to fear of the incessant Russian shelling from the eastern bank of the Dnieper, and many citizens have fled since then.
“There have been very few changes in terms of the front line, but the pressure from the enemy has intensified, both in number of men and in type and amount of equipment,” said Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.
The Kremlin rejected Zelensky’s peace plan
The Kremlin rejected the peace plan proposed by the Ukrainian president, reiterating its position that Ukraine must accept Russia’s annexation, announced in September after “referendums” rejected by kyiv and the West, of four Ukrainian regions: Luhansk and Donetsk, in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhia, in the south.
“There can be no peace plan for Ukraine that does not take into account the current realities in relation to Russian territory, with the entry of four regions into Russia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov reacted.
“Plans that do not take these realities into account cannot be peaceful,” he added.
The Ukrainian president launched in November a peace plan that contemplates ten points, including radiological and nuclear safety, food and energy security, the release of prisoners, as well as restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine and that Russia reaffirms it according to the Charter of the UN, something that, according to Zelenski, “cannot be negotiated”.
Zelensky urged the leaders of the Group of the seven richest countries in the world to support his idea of holding a Global Peace Summit in winter that would focus on the peace plan “as a whole or on some specific points in particular.”
The Ukrainian president is carrying out a broad diplomatic agenda to showcase his plan to leaders including Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country has assumed the G20 presidency.
Western world support for the Ukrainian military has surged to billions of dollars, led by Washington, and nations are rushing to help kyiv clear mines and restore power infrastructure.
But the response to Zelensky’s peace plan and his proposal for a peace summit has been more cautious. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, stated that the chances of peace talks taking place are slim in the short term.
“I think the military confrontation will continue, and I think we will still have to wait for a time when it is possible to start serious peace negotiations,” he said.
Ukrainian president sends economic hope
Despite the continuous attacks on critical infrastructures, Zelenski sent a message of hope regarding the country’s economic prospects for the coming months.
Zelensky spoke with the director of the BlackRock investment fund, the largest in asset management, and assured that the world’s companies believe in Ukraine’s victory and are prepared to invest in its reconstruction.
“I received another confirmation that companies in the developed world believe in our victory and are ready to invest in our reconstruction,” said the Ukrainian leader.
Vladimir Putin launched a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, calling it a “special military operation” to demilitarize its neighbor, which he says poses a threat to Russia.
The war generated the rejection of Western countries that have imposed economic sanctions on Russia for the military incursion into Ukraine. Putin retaliated against a $60-a-barrel price cap for Russian oil imposed by Western countries on Dec. 5, saying Moscow would now ban oil sales to nations that enforce it.
The cap, something never seen even in the days of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, is aimed at paralyzing Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine, without disrupting markets and blocking its oil supply.
With EFE and Reuters
