Russian strike on Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 23 people Dozens were injured, a official Friday said, just hours Before Moscow plans to annex more of Ukraine in escalation of The Seven Months War.
Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh made The announcement in a online Friday statement. He said that at least 28 people were wounded when Russian forces targeted a humanitarian convoy that was heading to the Russian-occupied territories.
he is posted Pictures of burnt-out vehicles and false corpses on The Road. Russia did not immediately acknowledge the strike.
The attack It comes at a time when Moscow is preparing to annex four regions to Russia after a referendum that has been criticized internationally vote as part of that it invasion of Ukraine. Those areas include areas near Zaporizhzhia, but not city same that remains in Ukrainian hands.
Staruch said these in The convoy planned to travel to the lands occupied by Russia to pick up their relatives and then take them to safety. He said rescuers were at the site of The attack.
Announcement – organizing parties and festive gatherings in Moscow and the Occupied Territories – will come just Days after voters supposedly approved Moscow-run “referendums” that Ukrainian and Western officials denounced as illegal, forced and fraudulent.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday that four regions of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – will join Russia during the Kremlin ceremony attended by President Vladimir Putin, who expected to give keynote speech Peskov said that regional officials loyal to Moscow will do so sign treaties for join Russia in Ornate St. George’s Hall in the Kremlin.
Apparently in response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called an emergency meeting on Friday of National Security and Defense Council.
Zelensky also He sought to take advantage of it on Anti-war sentiment in Russia version special Video directed at ethnic minorities in Russia, especially those in Dagestan, one of poor areas of the country in North Caucasus.
“I don’t have to die in He said , wearing a black hoodie reading in English “I am Ukrainian” and I stand in In front of me of painting in Kyiv To memorialize what he called the Dagestan hero. he called on Ethnic minorities to resist mobilization.
The United States and its allies have promised to adopt it even more more than they did already sue against Russia and the show millions of dollar in additional support for Ukraine, like the Kremlin, is repeating the book of annexation rules that it followed when it incorporated Crimea into Ukraine in 2014.
Putin issued early Friday decrees recognizing independence of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, steps he took in February regarding Luhansk, Donetsk and earlier for Crimea.
Ukraine repeated its pledges to restore the four regions, as well as the Crimea. For its part, Russia pledges to defend all of its territory – including the newly annexed areas – by everyone. available Means, including nuclear weapons.
Escalation of tensions is part of Russia military Packing and claims of sabotage of Two Russian pipelines on Baltic Sea floor which was designed To feed Europe with natural gas. In addition to the problems of the Kremlin are the problems of Ukraine success in recover some of The same land that Russia annexes and problems with Mobilization admitted by Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday.
Western Ukraine supporters described the phased referendums on Even for live under Russian rule bald-faced land grab on lies. They say some people forced to vote Under the threat of the weapon in Elections without independent observers in lands of which thousands of Residents fled or were forcibly relocated.
Unusually, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Thursday in New York says Russia’s annexation violates the UN Charter and “has no legal value”. a description move as a “dangerous escalation” and said it “should not be accepted”.
“Which decision From Russia to go forward It will expose more risks to prospects for Guterres said.
As a permanent member with veto power of United Nations Security Council, Russia has a “special responsibility” to respect the UN Charter secretary-general He said.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres conveyed the message to Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, on Wednesday.
In what would be a major blow to Moscow’s war effort, the Washington-based institute for the study of The war said that the Ukrainian forces might soon Encircling Lyman, 160 kilometers (100 mi) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine second-Larger city.
“Avalanche of The Lyman pocket is likely to be of great importance to the Russian assembly ” in Northern Donetsk, Western Luhansk and May . regions allow Ukrainian forces threaten Russian positions along western Luhansk regionsaid the institute, citing Russian reports.
