Ukrainian Protection Minister Oleksii Reznikov mentioned the defenders of Mariupol had performed a “big function in destroying the enemy’s plans,” as he gave an replace by which he claimed Russian forces had been stalled elsewhere however acknowledged a “troublesome scenario” nationwide.
By confronting a lot Russian firepower in Mariupol, Reznikov mentioned on Fb, “so many tens of 1000’s of lives all through Ukraine had been saved. Right now Mariupol is saving Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa. Everybody should perceive this.”
Ukraine rejected an ultimatum to give up the besieged metropolis of Mariupol after a Russian deadline set at 5 a.m. Moscow time (10 a.m. ET) Monday handed.
Reznikov claimed that Russian floor forces elsewhere had been stalled. This, he mentioned, was why Moscow was “making determined makes an attempt to push Belarusian troops into the hell of warfare in Ukraine.”
Reznikov mentioned Russia “not goals of capturing Kyiv, and they’re out of breath within the Chernihiv & Sumy areas and receiving painful blows close to Kharkiv, within the Mykolaiv, Kherson and Luhansk areas.”
Chernihiv and Sumy, within the nation’s north, are surrounded and have been closely broken however are nonetheless underneath Ukrainian management. In the meantime, the southern metropolis of Kherson is occupied by Russian forces however has seen persistent civilian protests, and there have been additional protests on the weekend within the southeastern city of Enerhodar after the deputy mayor was detained.
Russian troops in southern Ukraine are “nonetheless making an attempt to bypass (the southern metropolis of) Mykolaiv as they appear to drive west in direction of Odessa,” Britain’s protection ministry mentioned late Sunday. Russian naval forces, it mentioned, “proceed to blockade the Ukrainian coast and launch missile strikes on targets throughout Ukraine.”
Kharkiv has been topic to heavy missile and rocket assaults because the invasion started on February 24 however isn’t but fully surrounded, in keeping with Ukrainian officers.
Reznikov mentioned that after 25 days of fight, “we’re taking losses. The enemy is destroying our cities and undermining our financial system. The scenario may be very troublesome.
“However so long as our military, which is strengthened by reserves, is preserved — we’ll battle. And we’ll win!”