Russian progress in Ukraine continues. Although Mariupol is already included in the besieged cities (Tchernihiv, Karkiv and Sumy), the Ukrainian capital seems to be the next destination. In fact, as the map of Ukraine shows, and as our colleagues in Lotte Niue point out, Russian troops seem to be stationed in the east of the country.
Advancing this way, they will soon be circling Kiev. According to US intelligence, an attack could be expected in the Ukrainian capital “within 36 hours”.
Progress of Russian troops
This Saturday morning, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiï Reznikov acknowledged that the Russians were advancing in several directions, noting that they controlled only a “small part” of the country and that the militants were “driving them out.”
The Russian military, which has been actively bombing Kiev, especially in the northwest and east, has indicated that pro-Russian separatists have taken control of six locations in the Donetsk region, east of the country. Russian forces also say they have advanced south, taking ten villages and settlements.
Occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
The Russian military has been occupying the Zaporozhye nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine since Friday, where artillery fire, according to Ukrainians, has been on fire.
Moscow has categorically denied that it has attacked the site for its part, denouncing it as “lying” and accusing it of being “groups of Ukrainian saboteurs with the participation of mercenaries”.
Uncertainty balances
Ten days after the war, the balance sheet could not be verified independently. Kiev says at least 350 civilians and more than 9,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with Moscow claiming 2,870 on the Ukrainian side and 498 on the Russian side, not to mention its military casualties.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba on Friday accused Russian soldiers of “raping women in occupied Ukrainian cities.”
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