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Day 96 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Sievierodonetsk almost Destroyed, Moscow wants to "Liberate Donbas"
Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:
Sievierodonetsk almost destroyed
Officials in eastern Ukraine say the Russian shelling of Sievierodonetsk has been so intense that it has not been possible to estimate the casualties and damage as Moscow approaches the largest city still held by Ukraine in Donbas. Fighting is believed to be taking place in the streets and the city's "all critical infrastructure" has been destroyed, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian authorities describe the conditions in Sievierodonetsk as reminiscent of those in Mariupol.
Russia wants to “liberate” Donbas
The "liberation" of the Ukrainian region of Donbas is an "unconditional priority" for Moscow, while other Ukrainian territories must decide their own future, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Zelensky visits Eastern Ukraine
Zelensky visited the troops in Kharkiv and toured the second largest city in the country to see the damage caused by Russian forces in the first official appearance of the Ukrainian president outside the Kyiv region since the beginning of the war. "Kharkiv has suffered terrible blows from the occupiers ... One-third of the Kharkiv region is still under occupation," he said. According to local authorities, more than 2,000 apartment blocks were completely or partially destroyed by Russian shelling in the region. About 31% of the territory of the Kharkiv region is occupied by Russian forces, and 5% have been liberated by Ukrainian defenders, said the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration. "We are not yet able to fully inspect some of the liberated settlements, conduct full demining and begin rebuilding critical infrastructure as the shelling continues. Where we can do it remotely, we do," Oleg Sinegubov said, according to a statement from the president's office.
Zelensky said that he fired the head of the State Security Service in Kharkiv because he did not work for the protection of the city, and added that now "law enforcement officers" are involved. "I came, understood and fired the head of the Security Service of Ukraine from the [Kharkiv] region for not working to protect the city from the first days of the full-scale war but thinking only of himself," the president said in his daily national address. "From what motives? Law enforcement officials will find out."
EU fails to agree on the embargo
The European Union failed to agree on an embargo on Russian oil during Sunday's talks as it debated whether to ease it to reassure Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, who is blocking recent European sanctions. However, diplomats said they would still try to make progress ahead of today's and tomorrow's meetings on the pipeline supplies to landlocked Central European countries. Zelensky will speak via video link to EU leaders in Brussels today.
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