hurriyet.com.tr / FOREIGN NEWS
The world’s eyes and ears have been on the news from Ukraine for months. The new epicenter of the bloody clashes between the two armies has been Pisky, which is of key importance for the control of the region. There are contradictory statements from both sides for Pisky, which is also touted as the ‘key to Donetsk’. Here are the latest developments in the Ukraine war…
Russia The war, which started on the morning of February 24 with the order of President Putin, continues at full speed.
The war has intensified in Donetsk after the Russian forces took control of Lysychansk, also known as the ‘last stronghold in Donbass’.
While the Ukrainian forces continue their resistance, on the other hand, they are carrying out counterattacks in some regions with the effect of the US arms shipments.
THE NEW CENTRAL BASE OF CONFLICT
Fierce fighting broke out around the eastern Ukrainian town of Pisky as Russia intensified its attacks to seize the entire industrialized Donbas region.
According to the news in Al Jazeera, an official from the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic said that Pisky, located on the front lines just 10 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital Donetsk, is under the control of Russian and separatist forces.
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The official made the following assessment about the latest situation in the region;
‘It’s hot in Pisky. The town is ours, but there are scattered pockets of resistance to the north and west.’
Russian soldiers patrol the metal plant in Mariupol… (Photo: AP)
JET SPEED RESPONSE FROM UKRAINE
Ukrainian officials, on the other hand, denied that the heavily fortified town, which is of critical importance in the Donetsk region and which is also touted as the ‘key to Donetsk’, fell.
In Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the area called Donbas. Before the war, Russian leader Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
USA ANNOUNCES ‘RUSSIAN LOSSES’
On the other hand, a statement came from the USA regarding the military losses of Russia. US Undersecretary for Defense Policy Colin Kahl said at a briefing Monday that between 70,000 and 80,000 Russian soldiers were killed or injured during the conflict.
RUSSIA STILL DON’T ANNOUNCE ITS LOSSES
Russia, on the other hand, has been unwilling to disclose military losses for months. Moscow made its first and last official statement on the issue on March 2.
In the aforementioned statement, Russia’s loss of troops in the war was announced as 498. This data has never been updated since then.
While the Russian government rarely provides updates on the number of deaths suffered by its armed forces, announcements by local governments and newspapers indicate that hundreds of officers have died in the fighting.
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Pro-Russian separatist forces launch artillery strikes against Ukrainian targets… (Photo: AP)
LAVROV ANNOUNCED NEW TARGETS ONE BY ONE
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia’s only target in the war, which he described as “Special Operation”, would not be the east of Ukraine.
Speaking in the state media, the Russian minister said: “Geographical targets are different now. The targets are no longer just related to the DNR and LNR, but also to the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region and a number of other regions,’ he said.
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