Russia claimed on Monday the capture of two new villages in eastern Ukraine, where it continues its slow push, but was itself affected by power cuts in border areas after Ukrainian shelling.
Russian forces, which are taking advantage of the Ukrainian army’s difficulties in replenishing its ranks and obtaining more weapons and ammunition from the West, have been gaining ground for months. Since Saturday, they have claimed five villages in several sectors of the front.
According to the Defense Ministry’s daily report on Monday, Russian forces captured the village of Novopokrovské in the Donetsk region (east) and the village of Sepova Novoselivka in the Kharkiv region (northeast).
The first is located near the Ocheretyne salient, where Russian troops have made rapid gains in recent weeks, and the second in the direction of Kupiansk, one of the objectives of the Russian offensive in the northeast.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Russian army had already claimed the capture of three other villages, including that of Shumy, near the mining town of Toretsk, another current axis of attack of the Russian forces in the east.
In this context, Ukrainian authorities announced on Monday that they had evacuated more than 700 residents of Toretsk, but nearly 5,000 people remain in the city and “many of them are trying to evacuate,” the national police said on Telegram.
– Power cuts in Russia –
Toretsk residents interviewed by AFP last week reported dozens of daily Russian bombings on the city, which until recently had been relatively unaffected by hostilities. The city represents a major barrier to access to Kramatorsk, the Kremlin’s ultimate objective in Donbass.
According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, two elderly women were killed and eight other people were injured in a Russian shelling of the city of Ukrainsk in the Donetsk region using Hurricane rockets, which damaged an administrative building and houses.
On the Russian side, Ukrainian strikes caused power and water cuts in the border region of Belgorod on Monday, and could affect others, according to local authorities.
“In Belgorod since this morning there have been restrictions on energy supplies. Some parts of the city are experiencing interruptions in water supply,” Mayor Valentin Demidov said on Telegram.
Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported multiple attacks by Ukrainian drones that hit energy infrastructure and homes. A four-year-old girl was killed and seven people were injured, the source said.
Authorities in the neighboring Kursk and Voronezh regions said power outages were also possible after the strikes.
– Peace plans –
“Due to technical failures on power lines in neighboring regions, a shortage of electrical capacity may occur in the Kursk region,” Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported shooting down 36 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Russia has also stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian power plants in recent months, causing power outages across the country. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has lost half of its energy capacity as a result of these strikes.
Ukraine has been on the defensive on the front since the failure of its major counteroffensive last summer and the fall of the Avdiivka fortress in February. It has called on the West to urgently provide it with new anti-aircraft systems to defend itself against Russian strikes.
In late June, Mr Zelensky said he was working on a new plan to end the conflict, with the aim of having it “supported by the majority” of the international community.
His counterpart Vladimir Putin has put forward his own solution: that Ukraine cede five regions partially occupied by Moscow and renounce joining NATO. De facto a demand for capitulation, rejected in kyiv as well as by the West.
