The war until noon April 19: The start of a new phase of the war
After a long time of preparation, Russian forces are said to have begun a new stage of their offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The war in Donbass begins
Ukrainian officials announced that nearly the entire area along the front lines in eastern Ukraine had been attacked and the battle for the Donbass had begun.
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Tanks of pro-Russian forces near Mariupol Reuters |
“A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive. No matter how many soldiers they send, we will fight. We will defend ourselves,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The Russian side has not commented on this information.
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| Russia continues missile strikes, major fighting in eastern Ukraine begins |
See more: Ukraine says battle for Donbass has begun, series of massive explosions along the front lines
Forecast of the battle of Donbass
Experts say that both Russia and Ukraine have advantages and challenges in the war in eastern Ukraine. Compared with the area around Kyiv, Russia is more familiar with the terrain of eastern Ukraine and has a supporting rail network. However, the muddy terrain will force Russia to use land routes, posing the risk of attack.
See more: What do experts say about the new war in eastern Ukraine?
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| Ukraine says Russia has begun the second phase of the operation military in the east |
Russia captures the eastern city of Kreminna
The leader of Ukraine’s Luhansk province, Serhii Haidai, announced that he had lost control of the city of Kreminna to Russia. He said four civilians were killed while evacuating the city of nearly 200,000 people on the morning of April 18. The Russian side has not commented on this information.
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| Ukraine says Russia has begun the second phase of its military operation in the east |
In Mariupol, Ukrainian forces are said to be still holding out. American officials assess the city has not yet fallen into Russian hands. City officials reported that more than 1,000 civilians were hiding in underground tunnels at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, most of them women, the elderly and children. With full control of Mariupol, Russia can move dozens of battalion-level battle groups here to other battlefields in the Donbass.
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Smoke rises from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol Reuters |
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov of Belgorod province (Russia) on April 19 accused Ukrainian forces of attacking the village of Golovchino near the border, injuring a civilian. Ukraine has not commented on the allegation.
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| Pentagon will train Ukrainian troops to use US weapons |
Ukraine receives more American weapons
The first shipments of the US weapons aid package have arrived at the border of Ukraine, preparing to support the country’s armed forces in the confrontation with Russia, AFP on April 19 quoted a Pentagon official as saying. US forces belonging to NATO will move to the east wing of the bloc in the next few days to train Ukrainian soldiers in how to use artillery shells.
See more: Ukraine is about to receive new weapons from the US
at Blogtuan.info – Source: thanhnien.vn – Read the original article here
