Russian escalation begins in Ukraine’s Luhansk, airstrikes wallop Kharkiv and south

Russian forces have intensified their onslaught within the Luhansk area, a Ukrainian official has stated, amid rising issues that Moscow is making ready a renewed offensive in Ukraine.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 10, 2023 14:56 IST

Ukrainian service members experience an infantry combating automobile, as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues, close to the frontline city of Bakhmut, Donetsk (Reuters picture)

By India Today Web Desk: Russian forces have intensified their onslaught within the Luhansk area, a Ukrainian official has stated, amid rising issues that Moscow is making ready a renewed offensive in Ukraine.

“We can conclude that a certain escalation has already begun. And we can say de facto that this is part of the full-scale offensive that Russia has been planning,” stated Serhiy Hayday, head of Luhansk area army administration, based on CNN.

Hayday insisted that the Russians gained no floor and have been overwhelmed again by Ukrainian troops. “They have not had much success. There is no breakthrough. The situation is difficult, but is still controlled by our defence forces,” he stated.

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As the anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches on February 24, Kyiv has predicted an aggressive escalation within the battle by Moscow geared toward notching territorial good points it might trumpet on the one-year mark, after months of setbacks.

Russia has already stepped up its assault in Ukraine’s south and east. Air raid sirens blared early Friday as Russian forces struck essential infrastructure in Kharkiv and launched a number of strikes on power infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia.

Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev stated town had been hit 17 occasions in a single hour, which he stated made it essentially the most intense interval of assaults because the starting of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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Kyiv’s army intelligence company stated Russian troops have launched an offensive within the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk areas, with the intention to seize full management of the complete industrial area, often called the Donbas. Moscow-backed separatists have been combating Ukrainian forces there since 2014.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrapped up a triumphant tour of a number of European nations, throughout which he made impassioned pleas for superior weapons to bolster Ukraine’s fightback in opposition to Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who each hosted Zelenskyy of their respective capitals this week, got here on report to state that they haven’t dominated out sending fighter jets to Ukraine sooner or later.

In response, Russia’s defence minister has warned Western army support to Ukraine would doubtlessly drag Nato into the battle and that it might result in an “unpredictable” escalation.

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The warning comes as Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands introduced that they’re planning to ship Ukraine at the very least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks.

The defence ministers of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands stated in a joint assertion that the cargo of the tanks is supposed “to support Ukraine in their endeavour to withstand Russian aggression.”

(With inputs from Agencies)

Edited By:

Devika Bhattacharya

Published On:

Feb 10, 2023