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Russia claims it destroyed 14 Ukrainian command posts in the Mikolaiv and Zaporizhia regions in the south and in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in the east. Meanwhile, pro-Russian militias in Luhansk say they are in control of the town of Siversk. With no signs of relief from the bombing, Ukraine strengthens its own ranks and Putin accepts that it has a “colossal volume of difficulties” due to Western sanctions.
With no sign of respite, Ukraine continues to be bombed. In the morning war part, the Russian Ministry of Defense assured this Monday, July 18, that the air forces and the Army destroyed 14 Ukrainian command posts, among which are:
-That of the 28th mechanized brigade in the Mikolaiv region, in southern Ukraine.
-That of the 60th infantry brigade in the Novooleksandrivka region, in Zaporizhia, in the south. A fuel depot was also destroyed.
-And that of the 58th motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Pokrovsk, in the eastern region of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), in the east. In addition, they destroyed, according to Russian forces, a Buk-M1 self-propelled launcher near Kramatorsk in the same Donetsk region.
Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the Russian shelling in the early hours of Monday was incessant especially in the industrial plants of Kramatorsk where there is no access to the press. “Four attacks have been carried out in the city of Kramatorsk,” he said, urging civilians to evacuate the area.
Russian military spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov suggested, without further evidence, that the missiles hit soldiers and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 286 districts and that 250 foreign fighters fighting on the Ukrainian side were killed in the attack.
kyiv had denounced an increase in Russian attacks at various points in the Donetsk region with casualties and destruction of infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have said on Monday that the bombings are designed to intimidate the civilian population and sow panic among them.
The largest number of civilian casualties, according to Ukraine, was recorded in the eastern Donetsk region, where the heaviest fighting is currently concentrated. Two people died there and another 10 were injured, a balance of victims very different from that given by Russia.
“The shelling intensifies or fades, but the Russian army does not stop the fire in the Kharkiv region and keeps civilians in constant tension,” Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov told Ukrainian television, also affected by the attacks. recent attacks.
With bombings taking place across the country and no sign of relief, Ukraine’s leaders are seeking Monday to strengthen their own ranks after President Volodymyr Zelensky removed some of his most prominent officials from office over alleged “poor performance” ” about clearing his agencies of “collaborators and traitors.”
The internal investigations and controls began after the substitution this Sunday of the head of the internal security agency and the Attorney General of the Nation.
Siversk is now in control of the pro-Russian Lugansk
Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces for the town of Siversk, located about 30 kilometers from Lisichansk, began earlier this month and on Monday, pro-Russian militias from the self-proclaimed republic of Lugansk say they have taken control of the town.
At the moment, Ukraine has not commented on the possible fall of Siversk. This town is an important railway junction in Donetsk, considered key by the Russians for the advance of the offensive in Donbass.
“Siversk is under our control,” Vitali Kiseliov, adviser to the interior minister of separatist Lugansk, told Russian public television.
Putin: “Russia will not go back decades as its opponents predict”
As the Russian army advances its offensive, the foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) promised another 500 million euros in military aid to Ukraine on Monday and talked about not wavering with sanctions on Russia.
Indeed, in response to pressure for sanctions, President Vladimir Putin said Monday that they will not set his country back decades in its development, as his opponents predict, and stressed that it is impossible to isolate the country.
“It is clear that we cannot develop apart from the whole world. But it will not be like that. In today’s world it is impossible to build a huge wall with a compass. It is simply impossible,” Putin said.
The president stressed that against Russia “not simply restrictions are being used intentionally today, but practically the total closure of access to foreign high-tech products.”
And he explained that “this is precisely where they try to put obstacles in our way to contain the development of our country, but we are not going to lower our arms or become disoriented or, as some ‘well-intentioned’ predict, go back decades. Of course not,” Putin emphasized, after explaining that these are technologies that are global in nature and that in today’s world they are the basis for the development of any country.
His strategy to cushion what he considers the “colossal volume of difficulties” is to look for new solutions, “sovereign technological advances” and the innovative products of national companies.
With AP and EFE
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