In Ukraine's south, Russian forces seize or encircle cities in steady advance
Source: Washington Post
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine Russia was moving Thursday to extend its control over Ukraines southern coast, with ground forces seizing or encircling cities, as the governor in the port of Kherson reported that Russian forces had captured a key government building.
In Mariupol, farther east, the mayor said that a Russian siege and hours of shelling that battered rail links and bridges had cut off water, power and food supplies.
And in Odessa, a major port city on the Black Sea, the mayor said in videos that it was preparing for its defense amid unverified reports that a large fleet of Russian warships was heading toward the waters off the citys coast. Who are you saving us from, the mayor, Gennady Trukhanov, said in a video posted online, using an expletive, in comments directed at Russian forces who claimed to be saving ethnic Russians and Russian-language communities in Ukraine.
Our job today is to act so that every meter of our Odessa land is under control of us, Odessians, he told reporters.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in-ukraines-south-russian-forces-seize-or-encircle-cities-in-steady-advance/ar-AAUySb7
bluewater
(5,376 posts)There is no Ukrainian army here, said Igor Kolykhaev, the citys mayor. The city is surrounded.
Russian troops first approached the city on Friday and met heavy resistance. On Saturday, they destroyed a dam in the region that Ukraine had built in 2014 in order to cut off an important water source to Crimea.
Ukrainian forces retreated west toward Mykolaiv, Mr. Kolykhaev said. Russian forces are likely to head there in their drive to Odessa.
Gennady Trukhanov, the mayor of Odessa, backed by assessments from Ukraines military, said on Wednesday that Russias goal was likely to surround Odessa with land and naval forces, cutting off Ukraines access to the Black Sea and the countrys primary link to the global economy.
My sense is that they will encircle Odessa and hold that position while they continue their assault on Kyiv, Mr. Trukhanov said.
About 260 miles to the east of Kherson, Russian forces also have surrounded the port city of Mariupol by land and sea, and have been bombarding critical infrastructure and civilian targets, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russian forces in the south to join with Russian-backed separatists in the east, isolating Ukrainian troops in the region.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/world/europe/ukraine-maps.html
The Russians seem to be surrounding and blockading the major Ukrainian cities and picking them off one by one.
The US and NATO need to drastically change the military balance in Ukraine to stop this piecemeal Russian take over.
Brave Ukrainian resistance can only hold off the Russians for so long with hand-held weapons, no matter how advanced.
Please contact your Senators and Congress members and the White House to express your concern and support for our ally, democratic Ukraine.
A war of imperialist aggression.
Tres sovietique.
maxsolomon
(32,992 posts)Ukraine back to it's pre-WW1 borders.
?20140307220926
Happy Hoosier
(7,083 posts)Time to introduce these southern forces to St. Javelin.