As the Russo-Ukrainian war enters its 206th day, let’s take a look at the main developments.
Ukrainian officials say they have found hundreds of bodiessome were handcuffed behind their backs, buried in territory recaptured by Russian forces in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called evidence of war crimes.
There was no immediate response from Russia, which denied targeting civilians.
Fight
- Zelenskyy said it was too early to say whether the tide of the war would turn and the outcome depended on the prompt delivery of foreign weapons to his country.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his first comments on Ukraine counterattackdenied the advances with a smile but warned Russia would respond more strongly if its troops were under further pressure.
- Ukraine continued its offensive in the northeast while Russia established a defensive line between the Oskil River and the town of Svatove, protecting one of its few main supply routes from Belgorod region of RussiaBritish military intelligence said.
- The head of a pro-Russian administration ejected by the counter-attack, Vitaly Ginchev, accused the Ukrainians of orchestrating atrocities in the city of Izyum. UN human rights monitors will travel to Izyum “to try to verify a little more about what may have happened”, a spokesman said.
- A top NATO military adviser says Western sanctions are starting to hurt Russia’s ability to produce advanced weapons for the war in Ukraine, although he added that Russia still can produce “a lot of ammunition”.
Diplomatic
- Relying on Putin’s claim that Russia is not isolated because it can look to Asian powers like China and India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Kremlin chief, telling Putin that this is not the time for war. A day earlier, Putin admitted what he said was from Chinese President Xi Jinping concerns about the conflict.
- Zelenskyy said he would support the idea of reopening Russia’s ammonia exports to Ukraine only if Moscow returned prisoners of war, an idea the Kremlin quickly rejected.
