Russians take aim at weaponry supply lines
RUSSIAN forces pounded targets across Ukraine yesterday, taking aim at supply lines for foreign weapons in the west and intensifying an offensive in the east, as the European Union moved to further punish Moscow for the war with a proposed ban on oil imports.
The Russian military said that it used sea and air-launched precision-guided missiles to destroy electric power facilities at five railway stations across Ukraine, while artillery and aircraft also struck troop strongholds and fuel and ammunition depots.
Russia’s defence minister said a steel mill in Mariupol – the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in that city – was sealed off, a day after Russian troops began storming it. Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, said attacks in the eastern Donbas region left 21 civilians dead.
The flurry of attacks over the past day came as Russia prepares to celebrate Victory Day on May 9, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat over Nazi Germany. This year, the world is watching for signs of whether Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a limited victory – or expand what he calls a “special military operation” to a wider war.
While the Russian attacks were across a wide swathe of the country, some were concentrated in and around Lviv, the western city close to the Polish border that has been a gateway for Nato-supplied weapons. Explosions were heard late on Tuesday in the city, which has seen only sporadic attacks during the war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere.
Lviv’s mayor said the strikes damaged three power substations, knocking out electricity in parts of the city and disrupting water supplies. Two people were hurt.
The strikes on the train stations were meant to disrupt the delivery of Western weapons, Russian defence ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said, while Russia’s foreign minister warned any such deliveries are legitimate targets. Sergei Shoigu said that the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons”.
Russian forces began to storm the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol, the city’s last pocket of resistance, on Tuesday. Yesterday, Mr Shoigu said Ukrainian fighters at the steel mill have been “securely blocked” inside, while Russian forces continue to demand their surrender.
In addition to supplying weapons to Ukraine, Europe and the United States have sought to punish Moscow with sanctions. Yesterday, the European Union’s top official called on the 27-nation bloc to ban Russian oil imports.
“We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimises the impact on global markets,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
The proposals need to be unanimously approved to take effect and are likely to be the subject of fierce debate. Hungary and Slovakia have already said they will not take part in any oil sanctions, but Ms von der Leyen did not elaborate on whether they would receive an exemption, which appears likely.
Ms Von der Leyen also proposed that Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and two other major banks be disconnected from the Swift international banking payment system.