Pavel Polityuk, Conor Humphries

KYIV (Reuters – President Volodymyr Zilenskiy urged Russia’s West not to play games and imposed tougher sanctions against Moscow. This was to put an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy has been voicing criticisms of the West in the wake of slow progress by the European Union towards an eventual Russian oil embargo, and thousands of Russian troops trying to surround two important eastern cities: Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been abandoned three months ago. It is now trying to consolidate its control over the eastern Donbas, an industrial region in which it supports a separatist rebellion since 2014.

According to Western military experts, the battle for Sievierodonetsk or Lysychansk is a turning point after Russia’s surrender last week.

“Ukraine will never be a broken state. In a Thursday night address, Zelenskiy said that the only thing left to be determined is how much our citizens will have to pay in order for them freedom and how much Russia will pay in order for us not war.

The world could stop the unfolding disasters if they treated Ukraine’s situation as though it was facing the same, and if Russia wasn’t playing around but wanted to end the conflict.

Zelenskiy was unhappy about the EU’s inconsistencies regarding additional sanctions against Russia. He also asked why countries were allowed to block this plan.

EU officials are discussing the possibility of a sixth round in punitive sanctions, which could include an embargo for Russian oil imports. Unanimity is required for such a move, however Hungary opposed it at the moment as its economy would be severely affected.

“How many additional weeks can the European Union continue to try and agree on a sixth package?” Zelenskiy was asked this question after he noted that Russia receives one billion euros per day from 27 countries to support its energy supplies.

“Pressure upon Russia is literally a matter to save lives. Each day of weakness, procrastination or proposals to pacify the aggressor at cost of the victim merely leads more Ukrainians dying.”

Zelenskiy’s remarks mark Zelenskiy’s second consecutive day of sharpening his critiques on the way the world approaches the war.

He attacked suggestions by Kyiv to make concessions in order to achieve peace on Wednesday and said that it sounded like an attemptto reconcile Nazi Germany with 1938.

ADVANCING RUSSIAN TROOPS

Russian forces launched an attack from three different directions to attempt to capture Ukrainian forces in Lysychansk (Sievierodonetsk) and Lysychansk, according to Ukraine’s military. Russians would control almost all of Luhansk’s Donbas Province if the cities that lie on the Siverskiy Donets River fall.

Serhiy Gaidai (Luhansk governor) stated that approximately 50 Russian soldiers were present on the highway. He said they “managed a foothold” and even set up a checkpoint.

He said, “The checkpoint had been broken and they were thrown back… The Russian army doesn’t control the route right now but they are bombarding it.” There was a possibility that Ukrainian troops could leave one settlement or two. “We need to win this war not the battle,” said he.

“It’s clear that our boys slowly retreat to more fortified posts – we must hold this horde back.”

Vadym Denisenko, a Ukrainian interior minister adviser, told a briefing that 25 Russian battalions attempted to surround Ukrainian forces.

Reuters reporters in Russian-held territory farther south saw evidence of Moscow’s advance in Svitlodarsk. This is where Ukrainian forces withdrew earlier in the week.

Pro-Russian fighters have taken control of the town and placed a Soviet sickle and hammer flag outside the building.

Reuters drone footage captured the abandoned battlefield from a distance. It showed craters pockmarking a landscape surrounded by destroyed buildings. Pro-Russian fighters were seen milling around in trenches.

Artillery bombardment was a major backer of the Donbas’ advance. The Ukrainian military claimed that 50 villages in Donetsk, Luhansk regions were under attack on Thursday.

Valeriy Zaluzhny (head of Ukraine’s Armed Forces) called Telegram to request more Western weapons, especially “weapons which will enable us to strike the enemy from a great distance”.

Later, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, warned that weapons supplies that might reach Russian territory could be considered a “serious step toward an unacceptable escalation”.

DANGER OF ESLACATION

All of the long-range weaponry provided by Western countries, led by America, has been sent to Ukraine. This includes M777 howitzers made in Washington and Harpoon antiship rockets from Denmark.

Washington has been discussing providing Kyiv a rocket system with a range of many hundreds of kilometres. U.S. diplomats told Reuters that they have also had discussions with Kyiv regarding the possibility of escalation if this strikes deep within Russia.

One U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity, “We are concerned about escalation but still want to put geographical limits or tie their hands over too much with what we’re giving,” he said.

Russia refers to its actions against Ukraine as “special operations”, in which it aims at disarming Ukraine and protecting it from fascists. Both the West and Ukraine claim the fascist allegations are baseless, and they agree that the war in Ukraine is an unprovoked attack.   

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated that Moscow expected Ukraine to agree with its demands in any future peace negotiations. Russia wants Kyiv recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Moscow took in 2014. It also demands the independent recognition of the separatist-claimed territories.