Heavy bombardment continues in eastern Ukraine, civilians threatened

Kyiv, Apr 21 (EFE).- Kyiv denounced Thursday that the east of the country continues to come under heavy bombardment by Russian forces, while citizens in some occupied areas are being threatened.

“The full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against our State continues. The enemy is trying to continue offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone in order to establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on its Facebook page on 57th day of war since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24.

The Russian Army has focused this second part of its offensive on the two pro-Russia regions that make up the area known as the Donbas.

“The enemy continues to launch missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine,” it added.

One of the areas suffering the most intense attacks from the Russians is Kharkiv, where “the enemy continues to partially block and shell” the country’s second largest city, the General Staff said.

And in Kherson region, north of Russian-occupied Crimea, Russia “plan(s) to organize the forced mobilization of the population for war with Ukraine. At the same time, the occupiers set a goal to completely stop the humanitarian support of the region from the Ukrainian authorities. The terror of the population continues.”

According to the General Staff, Russian troops have prohibited civilian populations from leaving occupied areas in the region and threaten the shelling of their villages if Ukrainian forces bomb Russian positions.

Meanwhile, four Russian air targets were hit by the Ukrainian Air Force in the last 24 hours: three drones and a cruise missile, the General Staff said.

Likewise, in the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, “nine enemy attacks have been repulsed in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts over the past 24 hours, one tank, ten armored units and two vehicles, one artillery system, two special engineering units, an anti-aircraft missile system and an enemy ammunition depot have been destroyed.” EFE

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