Ukraine Says It Repel Russian Attack As War Rises In The East –

Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian authorities said Friday that their troops had repelled a Russian attack in the east as Moscow struggled to gain access to the region, which is now at the center of the war, though ‘ t it intensified its campaign. there.

Russian troops heavily besieged in the important port city of Mariupol need time to regroup, the Pentagon said in an analysis, but this may not be achieved. The city and steel mill, where Ukrainian fighters suppressed Russian attacks for several weeks, became a symbol of Ukraine’s steadfast resistance and extraordinary ability to withstand a larger force.

On Friday, the number of soldiers – as many as are missing – was still being held at the Azovstal plant. In the last days after the surrender of more than 1900 soldiersAccording to the latest data of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Attempts to evacuate the victims of the fighting are also underway, said Denis Prokopenko, commander of the Azov regiment guarding the plant.

Speaking about the “fallen heroes”, Prokopenko said: “I hope that the relatives and the whole of Ukraine will soon bury the honored warriors.” At the same time, the Red Cross said it was visiting prisoners of war from all sides of the conflict amid international fears that the Russians might suppress Ukraine’s prisoners.

After the end of the battle for the steel mill, Russia began to withdraw troops from the territory. But the British estimated that Russian commanders were under pressure to quickly send them elsewhere in the Donbass.

“This means that Russia is likely to redeploy its forces without proper training, which threatens to further destabilize the forces,” the ministry said.

Donbass is now in President Vladimir Putin’s spotlight after his troops failed to capture the capital in the early days of the war. Promoskov separatists had fought Ukrainian forces in the region for eight years and occupied large parts of it before the Russian invasion on 24 February.

But attempts to take more territory were slow. As a sign of Russia’s frustration with the war, several senior commanders have been sacked in recent weeks, the British Defense Ministry said.

– Russia Finland will turn off natural gas The Finnish state energy company said on Saturday. Poland-Bulgaria relations were severed last month as Moscow tried to use its energy exports in response to Western countries helping Ukraine. The move comes after Finland and Sweden announced their offer to join NATO, which raised security concerns after the invasion of Russia.

– A young Russian soldier accused of killing a Ukrainian civilian awaits his fate at the first war crime trial in Ukraine. Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old soldier in a Russian tank unit, pleaded guilty, but prosecutors still presented evidence, in accordance with Ukrainian law. Shishimarin told the court on Thursday that he shot 62 -year -old Alexander Shelipov after he was ordered to do so – and apologized to the widow.

– A group of seven major global economies and financial institutions agreed on guarantees this week More money to strengthen Ukraine’s public finances, which brought total assistance to $ 19.8 billion, the German finance minister said on Friday. Western financial and armament support has been crucial to Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

On Friday, the Donbass governor said Russian forces had attacked the cities of Lisichansk and Severodonetsk. Twelve people were killed and more than 60 houses were destroyed across the region, Luhansk Governor Serh Heidaim said in a Telegram post.

But the attack on Severodonetsk did not succeed. Both Haidai and the Ukrainian general staff said Russia had suffered casualties and retreated. Their accounts cannot be independently verified.

However, Russia’s battles in the east seem to have only reached a more intense attack, causing increased suffering.

“There’s hell there and it’s not exaggeration,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said about the campaign.

“Severodonetsky’s attack was brutal and completely useless.” Twelve were killed and dozens were injured in one day, “he said in a nationwide video on Thursday night.

Although Mariupol has been a target since the invasion began and has been under effective Russian control for some time, a group of Ukrainian fighters stopped at an open steel mill, a symbol of how the Ukrainian forces to destroy Russian troops. .

Before leaving the hundreds of fighters, the deputy commander of the Azov regiment said in a short video message that he and the other fighters were still inside.

“An operation was carried out that I did not disclose the details of,” said Sviatoslav Palamar.

While Ukraine is hoping for the replacement of surrendered prisoners, Russian authorities have threatened to prosecute Azovstal fighters for war crimes.

The most right -wing origins of the Azov regiment were acquired by the Kremlin as part of an attempt to use Russia’s aggression to combat Nazi influence in Ukraine.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said this week that it had registered hundreds of fighters who had left the factory as prisoners of war to ensure their humanitarian treatment under the Geneva Conventions. The organization announced on Friday that it has visited prisoners of war “from all sides” since the fighting began. This allows them to pass on information to families about their loved ones.

The organization did not specify how many families were notified by relatives or where the visits took place.

McQuillan reported from Lviv. Associated Press journalists Jura Carmanau in Lviv, Andrea Rosa in Kharkov, Jamie Keaton in Geneva and other AP staff members from around the world.