With the Russian invasion of Ukraine turning 100 days today, clashes mainly on the country's eastern front are raging with particular ferocity as Moscow seeks to control critical areas in Donbass, such as the city of Severodonetsk, which risks becoming a new "Mariupol": while Russian forces control about 80% of the city, at least 800 civilians have taken refuge in the basements of a chemical plant, evoking memories of the tragedy in Azovstal weeks ago.
According to reports, the plant is being defended by Ukrainian military personnel, while pro-Russian separatists in the region have accused Kiev of preventing civilians from leaving the plant.
Russian forces appear determined to complete the takeover of Donbass before new US and European military aid arrives in Ukraine to create a fait accompli and seize strategic positions. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the West to prepare for a "long-term war of attrition" in Ukraine, he said after meeting in Washington with US President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky made the dramatic point that Moscow's forces occupy about 20 percent of Ukraine, explaining that this is 125,000 square kilometers, an area larger than the combined area occupied by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. But the comparison could also be made with Greece, as our country has an area of 131,000 square kilometers, which is the same as the now (or at least currently) occupied area of Ukraine.
The lines of contact between the warring sides are more than 1,000 kilometers long, Zelensky said, also noting that Russian forces have occupied about 3.260 communities, many of which were subsequently liberated, he stressed.
Corridors for grain
Its intention to secure humanitarian corridors to start transporting/exporting grain blocked at Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea was made known by Russia late Thursday night, following dramatic calls by the UN and the international community for the risk of a food crisis.
The announcement was made by the Russian Defense Ministry, stressing that Moscow will not exploit the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine for the purposes of the "special military operation," as it calls the February 24 invasion.
According to European Union and European Union estimates, at least 22 tons of grain are blocked in Ukraine's ports and UN estimates suggest that 47 million people could face a famine because of the lack of this food.
Interpol warning on Western weapons
And while Americans and Europeans continue to send weapons to Ukraine to bolster its defenses against Russia's as well, Interpol chief Jurgen Stok made an extremely curious, yet interesting, warning. He called for timely measures to be taken to ensure that the weapons sent by the West do not end up, either after the war or now, during the war, on the black market and in the hands of criminal organisations, pointing out that this risk is very real and likely. In fact, Stok criticised the attitude of those who support and contribute to the promotion of arms in Ukraine, appearing confident that 'as soon as the war is over, these weapons will be channelled into illegality'.
Source: protothema.gr
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