The Russian offensive in Ukraine appears to be intensifying in recent days, with President Volodymyr Zelensky reporting “intense fighting” across the front line.
This is the end of this live, thanks for following us.
Three dead, eight injured in a Ukrainian attack on a restaurant in Donetsk
At least three people were killed and eight others wounded on Saturday in a Ukrainian attack on a restaurant in Donetsk, a city occupied by Moscow in the eponymous Ukrainian region in the east of the country. “The Paradise restaurant, located in the Kirovsky district of Donetsk, was directly hit and three civilians were killed,” the head of the Russian occupation of the region, Denis Pushilin, said on Telegram. “At the moment we are aware of eight casualties,” he added, specifying that Ukrainian forces had used at least two US Himars rocket launchers.
The Russian Defense Ministry claims to have “liberated” six villages
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its forces had taken control of six villages in eastern Ukraine: Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha in the Kharkiv region, near the border with Ukraine, as well as the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region.
Hundreds of people are fleeing the fighting in the Kharkiv region, the governor confirms
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from areas near the Russian border in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the regional governor confirmed on Saturday. “A total of 1,775 people have been evacuated,” Governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on social media, adding that Russia had carried out artillery and mortar fire on 30 settlements in the region over the past 24 hours.
A Russian offensive which will “intensify” according to Washington
The Russian offensive will “intensify” in the “coming weeks”, Washington warned, but assessed that it would not produce “major advances” by Russian troops.
According to a senior source in the Ukrainian military command, quoted by AFP, Moscow wants to create a “buffer zone” in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions to prevent Kiev from attacking Belgorod in Russia, which is very regularly targeted.
White House support
After the offensive was launched, the White House announced $400 million in military aid, taken from Defense Department reserves and therefore immediately available or nearly so.
The chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, Andriy Yermak, confirmed that it will mainly consist of anti-aircraft missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS systems, as well as ammunition for artillery and Himars rocket launchers.
“Intense fighting” according to Volodymyr Zelensky
Late yesterday, the Ukrainian president reported “intense fighting” across the entire front line, indicating that reinforcements were being sent to the Kharkiv region, where Ukraine had feared an attack for weeks.
Russian offensive against the Kharkiv region on Friday
Russia launched a ground offensive yesterday in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, an area that had not been the target of such attacks since the withdrawal of Kremlin troops from almost all of the Kharkiv region faces a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall of 2022 .
