In a continuation of the Russian military advance in the south and east of Ukraine during the past days, the Russian forces entered the city of Skadovsk in Kherson today, Wednesday,
The mayor of Skadovsk, Oleksandr Yakovlyev, said, according to the official Ukrainian news agency, that Russian forces had removed computer systems from the city council and called on him not to organize pro-Kiev rallies.
“It is clear that this situation is very difficult,” he added in a recorded speech to the city’s residents, adding, “We are now surrounded by armed soldiers and they are imposing such conditions on us.”
Kherson fall
mention that Kherson, the largest city in southern UkraineIt was largely surrounded last week by the Russians, before Ukrainian officials announced that the Russian military had taken control of it.
By controlling the city of 290,000 people, Russian forces could since cross the Dnieper River, which divides Ukraine in two, and head west and north to attack Kyiv from the second direction.
Over the Dnieper River in Kherson, southern Ukraine (AFP)
The Russian forces, which launched their operations on the Ukrainian lands on February 24, made progress in the southern and eastern regions of the western neighbor, while they surrounded the capital, Kyiv, in preparation for its entry.
However, it faced fierce Ukrainian resistance that delayed its operations in a number of cities, but it did not dissuade Moscow from changing its lines. The Kremlin has emphasized more than once that it will continue its military operations until achieving its goals, which are to strip Ukraine of qualitative weapons and make it a neutral state, in a manner that does not threaten Russian interests.
Meanwhile, this Russian move prepared an unprecedented Western mobilization, and a wave of harsh sanctions affected many sectors in Russia, as well as the wealthy and politicians, led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.