On Saturday the 55th Russian invasion and an uphill war that could go on, Ukraine is in the lead but its offensive is slow, it is calling for more weapons and its cities are still under bombardment.
From the beginning of June, the Kiev army again began to move to try to recapture the territories occupied by Moscow in eastern and southern Ukraine.
sequel after announcement
But the task is difficult, and the fight is fierce.
Why the cluster munitions the US wants to deliver to Ukraine is controversial
At the cost of heavy losses, the Russian forces put up a staunch resistance with strong defences, and Ukraine lacked air force and artillery ammunition.
Wins
Russians “They have built strong fortifications and have a lot of equipment.”sums up Antonina Morakowska, a 73-year-old resident of Nikopol (South), for whom the struggle is not going to end any time soon.
“I see how our progress goes, that it is not easy for them. There is this heat and I think about them all the time, poor people. I see how they are there, in the trenches, in the water sometimes behind their knees.” She said like spring.
“It will be difficult, but we will win just as much (…) I don’t think it will be soon, but we will win”This retired professor is expected.
sequel after announcement
Despite billions in Western military aid, the Ukrainian army has only reclaimed a few hundred square kilometers since the beginning of its offensive and liberated about a dozen localities.
Ukraine: The War That Continued
In other words, far from the lightning successes it had in the fall, with more than 9,000 sq km restored in 9 days east of Kharkiv in September, and an additional 5,000 sq km in November in the Kherson region.
hurtful “not fast”
“Crime is not fast, that’s a fact.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted to urging the West to supply him with long-range weapons and F-16 fighter jets.
“Without long-range weapons, it is difficult to carry out not only offensive missions but also, frankly, defensive operations.”The president explained.
The impatience expressed by some, including in the West, to see progress on a front that stretches over 1,000 kilometers is straining the Ukrainian camp.
sequel after announcement
“It bothers me”Army Commander Valery Zaluzhny recently commented.
Especially since the Ukrainian authorities intend to recover all territories, including Crimea and areas under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
Far from Kiev considerations, in a small market in Nikopol, Lyudmila Chudinova, 82, thinks of her 49-year-old son, a voluntary fighter recovering from an injury. She just bought him some potatoes.
“I’m afraid he will be sent to the front again after his recovery.”She said with tears in her eyes.
sequel after announcement
On the 500th day of the conflict, Ukrainian unity remains intact but its resilience is still being tested.
According to the United Nations, since the invasion on February 24, 2022, 9,000 civilians have been killed, including more than 500 children, including by Russian bombing, despite the massive buildup of air defense since the beginning of the year.
So at the end of June in Kramatorsk (east), when a missile hit a restaurant with 13 people, or Thursday in Lviv, a large western city that is rarely targeted, it was struck, leaving 10 dead.
Lack of drinking water
Nikopol is also regularly targeted by Russian forces, and half of its 100,000 residents have left.
sequel after announcement
It overlooks the western bank of the Kakhovka Reservoir, 10 kilometers from the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is installed directly opposite the opposite bank, and has been occupied by forces from Moscow since March 2022.
In recent days, the specter of a nuclear catastrophe has hung over the region, when Kiev and Moscow have accused each other of preparing a provocation at the station site.
This southern part of the country was a victim of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6, which caused major floods that left dozens dead and destroyed many homes.
Since this disaster, many areas in the region have been deprived of water, such as Nikopol.
sequel after announcement
Wearing an elegant white hat to protect from the scorching sun, Antonina Morakowska came to one of the city’s distribution points to collect bottles of drinking water.
Then the audible alarm signaling a possible strike sounds, eliciting an emotional reaction from this retired teacher, who lives under the constant threat of Russian bombing.
On the front page of “Lubes”: Putin, the cracked power
“When the sirens sound like this, I always have the same thought: you (the Russians), you bastards, are all dying there.”as you say.
