Zelensky urged Donetsk residents to completely evacuate the region

First modification: 07/31/2022 – 16:20

The war in Ukraine continues with new episodes in the Donbass region, the center of conflict for weeks. After the bombings in Donetsk in recent days unleashed the controversy of attacks and war crimes between kyiv and Moscow, with mutual accusations, the Ukrainian president called for evacuations.

In one of his daily nightly videos, Volodimir Zelenski notified on Saturday that his government had chosen to promote the initiative of massive departures of the inhabitants who still remain in Donetsk.

Given the firmness of a significant fraction of civilians who refuse to leave their homes, the Head of State insisted on the need for them to make the decision to leave the eastern province and promised logistical and economic aid.

“Trust me. The sooner they do it, the more people leave the Donetsk region now, the less time the Russian army will have to kill people,” she stressed after a week of intense armed clashes.

While he also detailed that there are “hundreds of thousands of people, tens of thousands of children” in the town and that “many refuse to leave.”

In addition, Zelensky emphasized that several Western countries have branded Russia as a terrorist state, “more as an effective defense of the free world than as a political gesture.”

On Saturday, the head of the Ukrainian military administration in Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, presented a report stating that 662 civilians have died and another 1,711 wounded as a result of Russian attacks.

On the other hand, kyiv reported that 50 Ukrainian prisoners died in the bombing of the detention center in Olevnika and blamed Russia for doing it on purpose to dirty Ukraine and cover up torture and executions.

In this regard, the Kremlin invited experts from the United Nations and the Red Cross to carry out “objective” investigations, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday. Likewise, it published a list of fifty casualties and 73 wounded in the aggression that, they say, was perpetrated by Ukraine with a US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

Days ago, the UN had spoken and stated that it was prepared to send experts to make the corresponding inquiries if both parties gave their consent; while the International Committee of the Red Cross also sought approval to access and made aid available for the wounded.

Agricultural tycoon dies in Mikolaiv

The billionaire Ukrainian businessman, Oleksiy Vadatursky, a leader in the grain trade in the country, died along with his wife as a result of a Russian bombing in the southern city, local sources reported.

As detailed by the ‘Ukrainska Pravda’ media outlet, a projectile directly hit his home in an attack that also damaged a hotel, two schools, a sports complex and a service station.

“They have died in a tragic way,” said the head of the military administration in the region, Vitali Kim, regarding the general director of the Nibulon company and his spouse, Raisa Mykhailivna.

“His contribution to the development of the agriculture industry and shipyards, to the general development of the region, is incalculable,” he added. Vadatursky had been distinguished as “Hero of Ukraine” for his contribution to Mikolaiv.

At 74, the businessman was one of the richest men in Ukraine and had a fortune valued at around 450 million dollars, according to Forbes magazine estimates.

Russia accuses Ukraine of drone attack in Crimea

Moscow said on Sunday that kyiv attacked the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula. This event resulted in a balance of six injured and Ukraine categorically denied being involved.

“Two of the injured are of medium severity. The rest are mild and are being treated, ”the governor of Sevastopol, Mihail Razvozhaev, reported through his Telegram account.

The unmanned device was carrying a homemade explosion device and was thrown into the barracks courtyard. As a consequence, the festive acts for Navy Day were cancelled. “I ask you to remain calm and stay in your homes,” said the governor of the town located on the Crimean peninsula.

Ukrainian authorities immediately stressed that there was no involvement in the attack on the naval base, calling it a “provocation.”

“The liberation of our Crimea will not take place in this way but much more effectively. Everything has its time,” said Odessa Regional Military Administration spokesman Sergei Bratchuk.

With EFE, AFP and Reuters