Russia announces the second phase of its war in Ukraine to “liberate” Donbas

Russia announced this Tuesday the second phase of its war in Ukrainefocused on the “complete liberation” of the pro-Russian Donbas, in the east of the country, an operation that includes the final assault on the Azovstal steelworks, in Mariupol, the last stronghold of the Ukrainian resistance in the strategic port city.

“The operation in the east of Ukraine aims, as already announced, the complete liberation of the Donetsk republics Y Lugansk. This operation will continue, the next phase of this special operation is starting.”Russian Foreign Minister said on Tuesday Sergei Lavrov.

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For Ukraine the great Russian offensive for the donbas It already started on Monday, as the regional governor of LuganskSerhiy Gaidai, and shortly before midnight the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

But in the midst of the Russian silence, which gives few details of the so-called “special military operation”, Lavrov was the first senior official to confirm on the part of Russia the great offensive just 21 days after the withdrawal of troops from the north and northeast of Ukraine.

Russian military vehicles drive along a road in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces near Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

THREE WEEKS TO REGROUP

Russia it has needed all this time to regroup its forces and send new battalion tactical groups to the Ukrainian east – and also to the south – as well as artillery equipment, air support and command and control systems.

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“We will defend ourselves. We will fight. We will not hand over anything from Ukraine.” said Zelenskywho today proposed to the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) to prolong martial law for one month, until May 25.

“I am grateful to all our fighters, to all our heroic cities in Donbas, Mariupol, as well as the cities of the Kharkov region that are resisting, defending the fate of the whole of Ukraine and repelling the invading forces. Rubizhne, Popasna, Zolote, Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Kramatorsk and all of them who have been with Ukraine for all these years and forever.”said.

“The intensity of shelling in Kharkiv has increased. For this reason, we ask the residents of the city to stay in the shelters as long as possible and not to go outside unless absolutely necessary. Do not queue, do not gather in large groups. Now it is very dangerous!”, the head of the Military Regional Administration, Oleh Synyehubov, warned today.

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In the region, which has been under bombardment since the start of the Russian military offensive, at least three people have been killed and 21 others injured in attacks on residential areas, it said.

Medics place the body of a dead civilian in a body bag in the residential area that was hit by Russian artillery shelling in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, on April 19, 2022. (EFE/EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY).

ANOTHER CALL FOR EVACUATION

In the Lugansk region there are massive attacks and more aerial bombardments than before “across the entire defense line”Gaidai said today.

“Go to safe regions of Ukraine. Now they have a chance to escape. Every day that passes the chances will be reduced”, he urged the inhabitants, after “thousands” of the 20,000 inhabitants of the city of Kreminna failed to flee before the Russians took the city yesterday.

This Tuesday just over a hundred civilians were evacuated from the region of Luganskbut there are still some 70,000 inhabitants who have not done so, the governor said.

There are only two operating hospitals left, in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk and “it is impossible to count the number of civilians killed”, because many bodies are found lying in the streets without being able to be collected due to the continuous bombardment, Gaidai said.

In the region of Donetskthe governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, stated that “the Russians continue to bomb constantly” in the directions of Marinka, Ocheretyne, Toretsk and Avdiivka, the latter city in which the Russians twice tried to go on the offensive.

As a result of the bombardment, a civilian was killed and several houses were damaged, as well as a gas pipeline.

The Russian offensive in Donbas. (AFP).

But the situation continues to be especially critical in Mariupol, where they are resisting in the steelworks of Azovstalan undetermined number of defenders and at least a thousand civilians in the plant’s underground shelters, mostly women with children, according to the Mayor’s Office.

The spokesman for the pro-Russian Donetsk militia, Eduard Basurin, said Tuesday that the assault on the factory has begun.

“As far as I know, some assault groups, specially selected for this mission, have already started their work and the Russian Federation helps us with its aviation and artillery,” said.

The Security Service of Ukraine assured today after intercepting a conversation of the Russian Army that it wants to “erase from the face of the earth” the metallurgical plant with “surprises of three tons (of bombs) from the sky.”

The adviser to the mayor of the city, Petró Andriushchenko, affirmed for his part that the Russians “are attacking not only Azovstal with heavy bombs, but also artillery and tanks continue to chaotically attack a residential sector.”

Andrii Holovine, a priest of the Saint Andrew Pervozvannoho Church of All Saints, leads the funeral of three victims at a cemetery in Bucha, on April 18, 2022. (Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP)

A NEW ULTIMATUM

Before the announced final assault, Russia gave the “nationalist battalions” of the Azov regiment and the alleged mercenaries two hours to surrender, “taking into account the catastrophic situation that has occurred in the metallurgical plant, in addition to being guided by purely humanitarian principles.”

“All those who lay down their arms are guaranteed the preservation of life,” said the head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, who considered “false information” disseminated by kyiv that there are civilians in the factory.

On the other hand, he recalled that “the forced detention of the civilian population as a ‘human shield’ is terrorism” and its perpetrators in Azovstal are “war criminals and terrorists”.

The planned time has come Russia In order for the defenders to leave the city, Mizíntsev unilaterally announced a “cessation of all military action” and the opening of three humanitarian corridors with dozens of buses and ambulances for the departure of the armed groups, who for now have shown no signs of wanting to surrender. .

Source: Elcomercio