On Thursday, the Russian army continues to carry out its special military operation and destroy Ukrainian military sites and gatherings, as the war enters its 71st day, while the West continues to supply Kyiv with more weapons, military equipment and ammunition.
In the latest field developments, the governor of Lugansk region said that 5 civilians were killed due to the bombing by Russian forces on the region over the past 24 hours. He added that the bombing was concentrated in Severodonetsk, Popasna, Hersk, and Lysechhansk.
This comes as the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that the implementation of Russian forces’ operations in eastern Ukraine did not prevent them from bombing all parts of the country, including civilian targets.
The British Ministry of Defense added that Russia’s bombing of areas outside eastern Ukraine was due to its desire to obstruct arms supplies, which explains its quest to control Ukraine’s sea ports.
The Russian Defense Ministry had announced a ceasefire by its forces at the Azovstal steel complex in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and the opening of a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians for three days.
The Russian defense indicated that the forces will open from eight in the morning until six in the evening, Moscow time, a humanitarian corridor from the area of the Azovstal steel plant to evacuate civilians.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to help rescue the wounded from the compound, stressing, in a phone call, that the lives of the people who remained there were in danger, and demanded UN assistance to evacuate them.
He also appealed to the United Nations to help get all the wounded out of “Azovestal”, explaining that hundreds of fighters and civilians, including dozens of children, are holed up in halls under the factory floor.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced that the Russian Aerospace Forces had destroyed a floating ferry and 4 ammunition and weapons depots in Ukraine.
This comes as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned, on Wednesday, that any means of transport belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “NATO” loaded with weapons that reach Ukraine will be treated as a military target.
