Russia attacks Ukraine, intensifies airstrikes
The Odessa region was once again targeted by Russian kamikaze drones on Wednesday. According to local authorities, 11 drones were shot down near the coast, but their debris damaged apartment buildings, shops, and several homes.
The city of Kharkiv was also hit by airstrikes. At least 17 people were injured, including two seriously, after a missile hit a three-story building that had previously housed a medical centre.
Rescue teams have intervened to try to find survivors among the rubble. The mayor of Kharkiv said that two loud explosions were heard, following which at least ten homes were damaged.
"There were no military personnel in this building, only civilians," said Vladimir Timoshenko, the head of the Kharkiv police. "This indicates that this is an act of terrorism to intimidate the population and to destroy civilian infrastructure. It's genocide."
In fact, according to local authorities, 167 buildings have been damaged in Kharkiv over the past week, including hospitals, residential buildings, and cafes. One cafe was damaged after a Russian Iskander missile exploded nearby on New Year's Day.
"It was very scary at that moment to think about opening, because in the neighbourhood it feels like your safety has been destroyed," said Lilia Muntian, the cafe owner. "I was afraid that people would avoid it, that they would no longer feel as safe as before and that they would come less often."
Fortunately, there were no visitors in the cafe at the time of the attack, and all of the neighbours helped to renovate it.
"The emergency services worked very quickly, they put down asphalt," Muntian said. "The hit was right in this part. At first, I was shocked, but after I talked to others, in an hour or two we decided that we would rehabilitate everything."
Germany will provide Ukraine with military support worth more than seven billion euros. Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden, in which they discussed the urgency of continuing support for Ukraine as the country enters its third year of war. At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he will visit Kyiv in February, and his country will deliver about 40 Scalp missiles and several hundred bombs. The official stressed that France and the European Union will need to make new decisions in the coming weeks and months in order to prevent Russia from winning.
Despite massive losses on the battlefield and international pressure, Russia is not making any compromises. Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russian forces are in control in Ukraine.
"Not only has their counteroffensive failed, but the initiative is fully in the hands of the Russian armed forces. If this continues, Ukraine's statehood could suffer an irreparable, very serious blow," Putin said. "As for this negotiation process, it is an attempt to encourage us to give up the gains we have made in the last year and a half. This is impossible, everyone understands that this is impossible."
These statements are also fueled by new concerns that Belarus could become more actively involved in the conflict or even be used by Russia as a platform for launching nuclear attacks. This is after Minsk included the use of this type of missiles in its military doctrine, as confirmed by Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Hrenin. The country received tactical nuclear missiles from Russia last year, in the context of the increasingly acute tensions with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
