The separatists say they committed grave crimes and have a month to appeal. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of aggression to capture territory.Īlso, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region in the Donbas said there was no reason to pardon two British nationals who were sentenced to death last week after being captured while fighting for Ukraine.Ī court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on Thursday found Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner - and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun - guilty of "mercenary activities" seeking to overthrow the republic.īritain says Aslin and Pinner were regular soldiers and should be exempt under the Geneva Conventions from prosecution for participation in hostilities. Putin says Russia's actions aim to disarm and "denazify" Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have proven more resilient than expected, but the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said that as they use the last of their stocks of Soviet-era weapons and munitions, they will require consistent Western support. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
But it said Ukrainian forces had repulsed Russian attempts to advance toward some communities. To the south and southwest of Sievierodonetsk, Russian forces were firing mortars and artillery around a number of settlements, according to Ukraine's general staff. Ukrainian leaders have renewed pleas to Western countries in recent days to speed up deliveries of heavy weapons as Russian artillery pounds the east of the country. Putin said earlier this month that Russia would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the United States and other nations for supplying Ukraine with weapons. Reuters could not independently confirm the differing accounts.
A local official said there were no weapons stored there. Ternopil's governor said rockets fired from the Black Sea at the city of Chortkiv had partly destroyed a military facility and injured 22 people. and European weapons in western Ukraine's Ternopil region, Russia's Interfax agency reported. Victory for the Russians would move them a big step closer to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated goals in what he calls a "special military operation".Įlsewhere, Russian cruise missiles destroyed a large depot containing U.S.
Sievierodonetsk is the last city in Donbas's Luhansk province still held by Ukraine and its loss would be a significant strategic blow. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has turned its attention to expanding control in the Donbas, where pro-Russian separatists have held a swathe of territory since 2014. After being forced to scale back its initial campaign goals following its Feb.
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