2023-05-31 19:52:30
31/5/2023–|Last updated: 31/5/202307:33 PM (Mecca Time)
Attacks continued on targets inside Russian territory, today, Wednesday, as Moscow announced that drones had attacked two oil refineries, and that a Russian border town was subjected to artillery shelling for the third time this week.
The positions of the Western powers varied regarding these attacks, which have increased in recent weeks, culminating in an unprecedented attack on Moscow by drones on Tuesday, and a major armed incursion last week into the Russian province of Belgorod bordering Ukraine.
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the US National Security Council, said – in an interview with CNN – that the United States is “clear, publicly and privately, with the Ukrainians that it does not support attacks on Russian territory.”
“We will continue to provide them (Ukrainians) with what they need to defend themselves and defend their land, Ukrainian soil, but we do not support attacks on Russia,” Kirby added.
“What we’ve said is that we don’t want to encourage or enable attacks inside Russia, because we don’t want to see the war escalate into more than violence against the Ukrainian people,” he said.
On the other hand, the German government reiterated its position by saying that the Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory are legitimate according to international law.
This coincided with Berlin’s announcement to close 4 of the 5 German consulates in Russia, in response to Moscow’s decision to set a maximum number of employees for German diplomatic missions.
Kremlin comment
Commenting on the successive attacks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, “We are concerned about this situation. The bombing of civilian targets continues,” referring to the attacks in the Russian province of Belgorod.
“We have not heard a single word of condemnation from the West. The situation is really worrying. Measures are being taken now,” he added.
On the other hand, Mikhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian President, denied that Kiev had a direct hand in these developments, but said, “We are pleased to follow up the events,” and expected more such attacks.
The attacks on Russia have increased significantly, with Ukraine confirming that it has completed its preparations to launch a major counterattack to regain its territory. On the other hand, the Russian army carried out this week a series of intense strikes targeting Kiev with missiles and drones.
The governor of the Russian province of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that the Ukrainian shelling on the town of Shpekino in the province resulted in the injury of 4 people, noting that the shells damaged a residential building, 4 houses, a school, as well as power lines.
Russia Transfiguration of Children
And the governor of Belgorod announced the start of the evacuation of children from two areas that were subjected to heavy artillery and mortar shelling.
“Today the first group of 300 children will be sent to Voronezh,” he said, a city about 250 km northeast of Belgorod, far from the Ukrainian border.
At the same time, Russian officials said that drones attacked two oil refineries in southern Russia, causing a fire that was later extinguished.
This oil site in Elsky, in the Russian Krasnodar region, was targeted in early May by a similar attack, which led to the outbreak of fires.
On the other hand, the pro-Russian authorities in the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, announced that 5 people were killed and 19 others were wounded, as a result of artillery shelling by Ukrainian forces on a village in the province.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that its forces destroyed what it described as the last Ukrainian warship two days ago.
The ministry said, in a statement, that “as a result of high-precision weapons strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the mooring area of military ships in the port of Odessa, the last warship of the Ukrainian Navy … Yuriy Oliverenko” was destroyed.
On the other hand, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, Oleg Shaylik, said that he would not respond to any Russian statements in this regard, and added that the Navy would not disclose any information about war losses.
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