Russia warns of increased risk of confrontation because of Ukraine

Russian forces stepped up their offensive in Severodonetsk in an effort to strengthen control of eastern Ukraine, while the US said it would transfer modern rockets to Kyiv so that the country would get the best advantage at the negotiating table. with Russia.

Russia controls 70% of Severodonetsk

On Facebook, Office of the Chief of General Staff Ukrainian army reported that Russian troops continued to shell and bombard the northern, southern and eastern districts of the city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk. If Russia captures Severodonetsk and Lysychansk (on the west bank of the Siverskyi Donets), Russia will control all of Luhansk and accomplish one major objective of the campaign. military especially. By last night, Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk, said Russian forces controlled about 70% of the city of Severodonetsk.

HIMARS is expected to give Ukraine an advantage at the negotiating table with Russia US Army

“Some Ukrainian units have withdrawn to pre-prepared and advantageous positions,” Gaidai announced on his Telegram account. The governor also said that Lysychansk is easier to defend because of the advantage on the high hill. However, he was concerned that the Russian army would focus on shelling this place once it took full control of Severodonetsk. Meanwhile, TASS news agency quoted Leonid Pasechnik, leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), as admitting that the advance of Russian forces was slower than expected. He said the Russian side is cautious because to ensure the safety of infrastructure and chemical plants in the region.

On the same day, Governor Oleh Synyehubov of Kharkiv province said fighting continued in this province. “The Kharkiv, Izium, Bohodukhiv and Chuhuiv regions of Kharkiv province were hit by mass shelling,” Synyehubov updated on Telegram. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces made progress in the areas of Kherson and Kharkiv, and held back Russian forces in Zaporizhzhia.

Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defense announced that Russia continues to deploy long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure across the territory, according to The Guardian. Russia has not yet responded to this information.

Russia reacts to the US handover of HIMARS

In an editorial in the newspaper The New York Times Yesterday, the President of the United States of America Joe Biden confirmed that Washington will soon deliver more modern rocket and ammunition systems to Ukraine. Later that same day, senior Biden administration officials said the country would deliver the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) as part of its 11th round of military aid to the Kyiv government.

HIMARS belongs to the group of multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS), but has superior accuracy and range compared to other lines of the company. Russia and Ukraine. Specifically, with HIMARS, Ukraine can for the first time possess the ability to neutralize targets at a range of up to 80 km, according to AFP. After each launch of six 227 mm guided rockets, a small crew can quickly remove the used rocket holder and install a new one in a short time.

Reacting to the above information, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow’s position on this issue is “extremely negative” and may increase the risk of direct confrontation, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Mr. Ryabkov specifically mentioned HIMARS, the US weapon line that will aid Ukraine in the near future. Concerning that weapons like HIMARS could push the US into a situation of direct involvement, US officials said that the Ukrainian side committed not to use HIMARS to launch missiles into Russian territory.

By yesterday afternoon, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country would provide the IRIS-T air defense system and other modern weapons and equipment to Ukraine. IRIS-T is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system, and is considered the most modern air defense system that Germany has at the moment.