By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A Ukrainian town is battered by fighting as Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine are advancing ahead of the expected arrival of more weapons and possible ground troops. The developments on the bloody battlefields come as Moscow has condemned increased Western involvement in its war against Ukraine.
Drone footage suggests that Russian forces are pounding Ocheretyne, a village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Residents have scrambled to flee the village, which had a population of about 3,000 before the war, including a 98-year-old woman who reportedly walked almost 10 kilometers (6 miles) alone last week.
The upheaval comes ahead of the expected arrival of more Western weapons, including from the U.S., where President Joe Biden signed a package containing 61 billion dollars in military assistance for Ukraine.
Already, Moscow claims that its forces shot down four U.S.-provided long-range missiles over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Elsewhere, Russia has, in recent weeks stepped up attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing and injuring several people.
Officials say it is an attempt to batter the region’s energy infrastructure and terrorize its 1.3 million residents, with several people reportedly killed and injured in recent days.
KYIV HITS BACK
Kyiv hits back with officials saying Saturday that a Ukrainian drone damaged telecommunications infrastructure on the outskirts of Belgorod, a Russian city some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
While clashes escalate, Moscow has condemned the growing Western involvement as the war enters its third year.
The Kremlin also said recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and Britains Foreign Secretary David Cameron are “dangerous” and will deepen international tensions.
In an interview this week, Macron repeated an earlier comment that he doesn’t rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
Separately, Cameron said during a visit to Kyiv this week that Ukraine will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
“In terms of what the Ukrainians do, in our view, it is their decision about how to use these weapons, they are defending their country, they were illegally invaded by [President Vladimir] Putin and they must take those steps,” he said.
“We don’t discuss any caveats that we put on those things. But let’s be absolutely clear, Russia has launched an attack into Ukraine, and Ukraine absolutely has the right to strike back at Russia,” Cameron stressed.
Cameron pledged 3 billion pounds, some 3.8 billion dollars annually for, in his words “as long as it is necessary” to help Ukraine.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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