The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday that Russia is not abandoning its plans to surround Kiev as Moscow's military invasion continued for the 15th day.
In its latest update on Facebook, the military said that Ukrainian forces are repelling and holding back Moscow's offensive operation in all directions despite attempts by Russian troops to advance towards the capital city.
It said the Russian troops have "lost their military capacity and are being introduced into the operation of reserves".
"To increase combat capacity, the enemy is moving to the borders of Ukraine unions and military parts from other strategic directions."
The military added that Moscow was not abandoning plans to surround Kiev and it its continuing the offensive from the Polissya and Siversky directions.
It also accused Belarus of providing support to Russia in ensuring the supply of fuel and oil, the use of railway infrastructure and airfield network.
"Sabotage of military and civilian infrastructure remains likely."
Meanwhile, Russian military operation is underway in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, while is also increasing troops in the Mykolayi region.
A top official in the Sumy region claimed on Thursday that Russia carried out overnight strikes in the city of Okhtyrka, the BBC reported.
The strikes hit residential areas and a gas pipeline at about 12.30 a.m., the official added.
About 10 minutes later the suburbs of the regional capital Sumy and the village of Bytytsia were also bombed, he said.
The official further said that three humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians are expected to open from 9 a.m. (local time) onwards.
On Wednesday, about 5,000 people were evacuated from Sumy, that has been under heavy Russian bombardment for days.
--IANS
ksk/
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU