Russia attacking key eastern city: Ukraine commander
Ukraine's top commander says his forces are facing a new onslaught against a key city on the eastern front of its war against Russia while the Kremlin says its military is making progress in another sector farther southwest.
After their initial failed advance on the capital Kyiv in the first weeks after the February 2022 invasion, Russian troops have focused on capturing all of Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
The city of Kostiantynivka has been a major target.
Ukrainian forces have for months defended the city against fierce assaults, with the regional governor urging remaining residents this week to leave as infrastructure breaks down.
Top Ukrainian commander Oleksander Syrskyi, writing on Telegram on Saturday, said the area around Kostiantynivka was gripped by heavy fighting.
"The enemy is surging towards Kostiantynivka but apart from sustaining numerous losses, has achieved nothing," Syrskyi said.
"The aggressor is trying to break through our defences and advance along three operating sectors."
A spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, Viktor Trehubov, told the Ukrinform news agency that Kostiantynivka and the city of Pokrovsk to the west were "the main arena of battles and the Kremlin's strategic ambitions".
Syrskyi also said that Ukrainian forces had withstood in the past week a powerful attack near the village of Yablunivka in northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces have been trying to establish a buffer zone inside the Ukrainian border.
Russia's Defence Ministry, in a report earlier in the day, said its forces had seized the village of Chervona Zirka - further southwest, near the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia's slow advance through eastern Ukraine, claiming a string of villages day after day, has resulted in destruction of major cities and infrastructure.
Russian authorities have insisted that progress towards a settlement of the 40-month-old war depends on Ukraine recognising Russia's control over four Ukrainian regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory although they do not fully hold any of the four regions.
Russia has said in recent weeks that its troops have made advances in areas adjacent to Dnipropetrovsk region, which lies next to both Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian officials have denied those reports.
Ukraine's top commander says his forces are facing a new onslaught against a key city on the eastern front of its war against Russia while the Kremlin says its military is making progress in another sector farther southwest.
After their initial failed advance on the capital Kyiv in the first weeks after the February 2022 invasion, Russian troops have focused on capturing all of Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
The city of Kostiantynivka has been a major target.
Ukrainian forces have for months defended the city against fierce assaults, with the regional governor urging remaining residents this week to leave as infrastructure breaks down.
Top Ukrainian commander Oleksander Syrskyi, writing on Telegram on Saturday, said the area around Kostiantynivka was gripped by heavy fighting.
"The enemy is surging towards Kostiantynivka but apart from sustaining numerous losses, has achieved nothing," Syrskyi said.
"The aggressor is trying to break through our defences and advance along three operating sectors."
A spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, Viktor Trehubov, told the Ukrinform news agency that Kostiantynivka and the city of Pokrovsk to the west were "the main arena of battles and the Kremlin's strategic ambitions".
Syrskyi also said that Ukrainian forces had withstood in the past week a powerful attack near the village of Yablunivka in northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces have been trying to establish a buffer zone inside the Ukrainian border.
Russia's Defence Ministry, in a report earlier in the day, said its forces had seized the village of Chervona Zirka - further southwest, near the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia's slow advance through eastern Ukraine, claiming a string of villages day after day, has resulted in destruction of major cities and infrastructure.
Russian authorities have insisted that progress towards a settlement of the 40-month-old war depends on Ukraine recognising Russia's control over four Ukrainian regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory although they do not fully hold any of the four regions.
Russia has said in recent weeks that its troops have made advances in areas adjacent to Dnipropetrovsk region, which lies next to both Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian officials have denied those reports.
Ukraine's top commander says his forces are facing a new onslaught against a key city on the eastern front of its war against Russia while the Kremlin says its military is making progress in another sector farther southwest.
After their initial failed advance on the capital Kyiv in the first weeks after the February 2022 invasion, Russian troops have focused on capturing all of Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
The city of Kostiantynivka has been a major target.
Ukrainian forces have for months defended the city against fierce assaults, with the regional governor urging remaining residents this week to leave as infrastructure breaks down.
Top Ukrainian commander Oleksander Syrskyi, writing on Telegram on Saturday, said the area around Kostiantynivka was gripped by heavy fighting.
"The enemy is surging towards Kostiantynivka but apart from sustaining numerous losses, has achieved nothing," Syrskyi said.
"The aggressor is trying to break through our defences and advance along three operating sectors."
A spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, Viktor Trehubov, told the Ukrinform news agency that Kostiantynivka and the city of Pokrovsk to the west were "the main arena of battles and the Kremlin's strategic ambitions".
Syrskyi also said that Ukrainian forces had withstood in the past week a powerful attack near the village of Yablunivka in northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces have been trying to establish a buffer zone inside the Ukrainian border.
Russia's Defence Ministry, in a report earlier in the day, said its forces had seized the village of Chervona Zirka - further southwest, near the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia's slow advance through eastern Ukraine, claiming a string of villages day after day, has resulted in destruction of major cities and infrastructure.
Russian authorities have insisted that progress towards a settlement of the 40-month-old war depends on Ukraine recognising Russia's control over four Ukrainian regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory although they do not fully hold any of the four regions.
Russia has said in recent weeks that its troops have made advances in areas adjacent to Dnipropetrovsk region, which lies next to both Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian officials have denied those reports.
Ukraine's top commander says his forces are facing a new onslaught against a key city on the eastern front of its war against Russia while the Kremlin says its military is making progress in another sector farther southwest.
After their initial failed advance on the capital Kyiv in the first weeks after the February 2022 invasion, Russian troops have focused on capturing all of Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
The city of Kostiantynivka has been a major target.
Ukrainian forces have for months defended the city against fierce assaults, with the regional governor urging remaining residents this week to leave as infrastructure breaks down.
Top Ukrainian commander Oleksander Syrskyi, writing on Telegram on Saturday, said the area around Kostiantynivka was gripped by heavy fighting.
"The enemy is surging towards Kostiantynivka but apart from sustaining numerous losses, has achieved nothing," Syrskyi said.
"The aggressor is trying to break through our defences and advance along three operating sectors."
A spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, Viktor Trehubov, told the Ukrinform news agency that Kostiantynivka and the city of Pokrovsk to the west were "the main arena of battles and the Kremlin's strategic ambitions".
Syrskyi also said that Ukrainian forces had withstood in the past week a powerful attack near the village of Yablunivka in northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces have been trying to establish a buffer zone inside the Ukrainian border.
Russia's Defence Ministry, in a report earlier in the day, said its forces had seized the village of Chervona Zirka - further southwest, near the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia's slow advance through eastern Ukraine, claiming a string of villages day after day, has resulted in destruction of major cities and infrastructure.
Russian authorities have insisted that progress towards a settlement of the 40-month-old war depends on Ukraine recognising Russia's control over four Ukrainian regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory although they do not fully hold any of the four regions.
Russia has said in recent weeks that its troops have made advances in areas adjacent to Dnipropetrovsk region, which lies next to both Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian officials have denied those reports.
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Other countries bordering Russia, notably Finland, Poland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have either withdrawn from the convention or indicated that they would do so. Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Russia had never been a party to the convention "and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism" along with other weapons, including ballistic missiles. "This is a hallmark of Russian killers. To destroy life by all means at their disposal ... We see how our neighbours in Europe react to this threat," he said. "We also know the complexities of the withdrawal procedure when it is conducted during war. We take this political step and give a signal to our political partners on what to focus on. This concerns all countries that border Russia," he said. Anti-personnel mines, Zelenskiy said, are "often the instrument for which nothing can be substituted for defence purposes". Russia has used anti-personnel mines extensively in parts of Ukraine where its forces have been operating. Ukraine regards the clearing of such mines as a key element in post-war recovery. The decree appearing on the president's website calls for support for a Ukrainian foreign ministry proposal to "withdraw Ukraine from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of September 18, 1997". A senior Ukrainian MP, Roman Kostenko, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. "This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians," Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on national security, defence and intelligence, said on his Facebook page. "We cannot remain tied down in an environment where the enemy has no restrictions," he added, saying that the legislative decision must definitively restore Ukraine's right to effectively defend its territory. Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine in recent months, using significant superiority in manpower. Kostenko did not say when the issue would be debated in parliament. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war. Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. Other countries bordering Russia, notably Finland, Poland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have either withdrawn from the convention or indicated that they would do so. Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Russia had never been a party to the convention "and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism" along with other weapons, including ballistic missiles. "This is a hallmark of Russian killers. To destroy life by all means at their disposal ... We see how our neighbours in Europe react to this threat," he said. "We also know the complexities of the withdrawal procedure when it is conducted during war. We take this political step and give a signal to our political partners on what to focus on. This concerns all countries that border Russia," he said. Anti-personnel mines, Zelenskiy said, are "often the instrument for which nothing can be substituted for defence purposes". Russia has used anti-personnel mines extensively in parts of Ukraine where its forces have been operating. Ukraine regards the clearing of such mines as a key element in post-war recovery. The decree appearing on the president's website calls for support for a Ukrainian foreign ministry proposal to "withdraw Ukraine from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of September 18, 1997". A senior Ukrainian MP, Roman Kostenko, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. "This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians," Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on national security, defence and intelligence, said on his Facebook page. "We cannot remain tied down in an environment where the enemy has no restrictions," he added, saying that the legislative decision must definitively restore Ukraine's right to effectively defend its territory. Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine in recent months, using significant superiority in manpower. Kostenko did not say when the issue would be debated in parliament. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war. Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. Other countries bordering Russia, notably Finland, Poland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have either withdrawn from the convention or indicated that they would do so. Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Russia had never been a party to the convention "and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism" along with other weapons, including ballistic missiles. "This is a hallmark of Russian killers. To destroy life by all means at their disposal ... We see how our neighbours in Europe react to this threat," he said. "We also know the complexities of the withdrawal procedure when it is conducted during war. We take this political step and give a signal to our political partners on what to focus on. This concerns all countries that border Russia," he said. Anti-personnel mines, Zelenskiy said, are "often the instrument for which nothing can be substituted for defence purposes". Russia has used anti-personnel mines extensively in parts of Ukraine where its forces have been operating. Ukraine regards the clearing of such mines as a key element in post-war recovery. The decree appearing on the president's website calls for support for a Ukrainian foreign ministry proposal to "withdraw Ukraine from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of September 18, 1997". A senior Ukrainian MP, Roman Kostenko, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. "This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians," Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on national security, defence and intelligence, said on his Facebook page. "We cannot remain tied down in an environment where the enemy has no restrictions," he added, saying that the legislative decision must definitively restore Ukraine's right to effectively defend its territory. Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine in recent months, using significant superiority in manpower. Kostenko did not say when the issue would be debated in parliament.
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Ukraine moves to quit anti-personnel mines treaty
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war. Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. Other countries bordering Russia, notably Finland, Poland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have either withdrawn from the convention or indicated that they would do so. Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Russia had never been a party to the convention "and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism" along with other weapons, including ballistic missiles. "This is a hallmark of Russian killers. To destroy life by all means at their disposal ... We see how our neighbours in Europe react to this threat," he said. "We also know the complexities of the withdrawal procedure when it is conducted during war. We take this political step and give a signal to our political partners on what to focus on. This concerns all countries that border Russia," he said. Anti-personnel mines, Zelenskiy said, are "often the instrument for which nothing can be substituted for defence purposes". Russia has used anti-personnel mines extensively in parts of Ukraine where its forces have been operating. Ukraine regards the clearing of such mines as a key element in post-war recovery. The decree appearing on the president's website calls for support for a Ukrainian foreign ministry proposal to "withdraw Ukraine from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of September 18, 1997". A senior Ukrainian MP, Roman Kostenko, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. "This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians," Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on national security, defence and intelligence, said on his Facebook page. "We cannot remain tied down in an environment where the enemy has no restrictions," he added, saying that the legislative decision must definitively restore Ukraine's right to effectively defend its territory. Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine in recent months, using significant superiority in manpower. Kostenko did not say when the issue would be debated in parliament.
