More Flee As Ukraine Warns Of Stepped Up Russian Attacks

In the aftermath of the attack in Kramatorsk, several European leaders made efforts to show solidarity with Ukraine, with the Austrian Chancellor and the British Prime Minister visiting Kyiv – the capital that Russia failed to occupy and where troops had retreated for days. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a surprise visit, during which he promised new military assistance, including 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems. Zelensky noted the growing support in an interview with the Associated Press, but expressed disappointment when asked if the weapons and other equipment Ukraine has received from the West are enough to change the outcome of the war. “Not yet,” he said, switching to English for emphasis. “Of course it is not enough.” More than six weeks after Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine, it has withdrawn its troops from the north of the country, around Kyiv, and refocused on the Donbas region in the east. Western military analysts say an arc of land in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control, from Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest city – in the north to Kherson in the south. However, Ukrainian counterattacks threaten Russian control of the Kherson, according to Western estimates, and Ukrainian forces repel Russian attacks in other parts of the Donbas region in the southeast. Ukrainian authorities have called on civilians to come out in the face of an impending, intensified attack by Russian forces in the east. With trains not running out of Kramatorsk on Saturday, panicked residents boarded buses or looked for other ways to escape, fearing the kind of relentless attacks and squatting by Russian invaders that caused food shortages and demolition in other parts of the country. of Ukraine. “It was scary. “Horror, horror,” a resident told Britain’s Sky television network, recalling Friday’s attack on the train station. “Heaven, let me live it again. No, I do not want to”. The Ukrainian state railway company said in a statement that residents of Kramatorsk and other areas of the disputed Donbas region of the country could leave other railway stations. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 10 evacuation corridors were scheduled for Saturday. Zelensky described the attack on the train station as the latest example of war crimes by Russian forces and said he should urge the West to do more to help his country defend itself. Russia has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia’s intelligence have been made more than once. A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry detailed the rocket’s orbit and the positions of Ukrainian troops to reinforce the argument. Western experts and the Ukrainian authorities insisted that Russia fired the weapon. The remains of the rocket had the words “For the children” painted in Russian. The phrase seemed to indicate that the rocket was sent to avenge the loss or submission of the children, although its exact meaning remained unclear. Western experts have rejected Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov claiming that Russian forces “do not use” Tochka-U missiles, the type that hit the railway station, which is located on Ukrainian government-controlled territory in Donba. The attack took place as Ukrainian authorities worked to locate the victims and document possible war crimes by Russian soldiers in northern Ukraine. The mayor of Bucha, a city near Kyiv where graphic evidence of civilian killings has surfaced since the Russians withdrew, said search teams were still finding the bodies of people shot close to yards, parks and city squares. Workers discovered the 67 bodies Friday from a mass grave near a church, according to Ukraine’s attorney general. Russia falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged. Ukrainian authorities and Western officials have repeatedly accused Russian forces of committing atrocities in the war that began with Russia’s invasion on February 24. A total of 176 children have been killed and another 324 injured, the Attorney General’s Office said on Saturday. Speaking to the AP inside the heavily guarded complex of presidential offices in Kyiv, Zelensky said he was committed to negotiating a diplomatic end to the war, even though Russia had “tortured” Ukraine. He also acknowledged that peace was unlikely to come soon. Talks so far have not included Russian President Vladimir Putin or other top officials. “We have to fight, but we have to fight for life. You can not fight for dust when there is nothing and there are no people. “That’s why it’s important to end this war.” Ukrainian authorities say they expect to find more mass killings as soon as they reach the southern port city of Mariupol, which is also in Donbass and has been under siege and heavy fighting for a month. As journalists who were largely absent from the city began to return, new images emerged from last week’s disaster by an airstrike on a theater that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians seeking refuge. Military analysts had predicted for weeks that Russia would capture Mariupol, but said Ukrainian defenders were still fighting. The location of the city in the Sea of ​​Azov is crucial for the construction of a land bridge from the Crimean peninsula, which Russia occupied from Ukraine eight years ago. Many civilians now trying to evacuate are accustomed to living in or near a war zone because Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014 in Donbas, a predominantly Russian-speaking industrial area. Ukrainian officials have been urging Western powers almost daily to send more weapons and further punish Russia with sanctions, including the exclusion of Russian banks from the global financial system and a full European Union embargo on Russian gas and natural gas. The deaths of civilians at the train station have brought new expressions of indignation from Western leaders and pledges that Russia will retaliate further. On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry tried to confront the dominant international narrative by once again raising the ghost of Ukraine to plant false flags and misinformation. A spokesman for the ministry, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, claimed that Ukraine’s security services were preparing a “cynical organized” media operation in Irpin, another city near Kyiv. Konashenkov said the plan was to show – falsely, he said – civilian casualties at the hands of the Russians and to organize the assassination of a fake Russian intelligence team that intended to kill witnesses. The claims could not be independently verified. Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehammer said during a visit to Kyiv that he expected more EU sanctions against Russia, but defended his country’s opposition so far to the suspension of Russian gas supplies. A package of sanctions imposed this week “will not be the last”, the chancellor said, acknowledging that “as long as people die, any sanctions are still insufficient”. Austria is militarily neutral and is not a member of NATO. Johnson’s visit came a day after the United Kingdom pledged an additional εκατο 100 million ($ 130 million) in high-quality military equipment to Ukraine. Johnson also confirmed further financial support, pledging an additional $ 500 million in World Bank lending to Ukraine, raising Britain’s total loan guarantee to $ 1 billion. ——— Anna reported from Bukha, Ukraine. Robert Burns in Washington, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London, and Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report. ——— Follow the AP coverage for the war at

title: “More Flee As Ukraine Warns Of Stepped Up Russian Attacks " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-14” author: “Dorothy Moorman”

In the aftermath of the Kramatorsk attack, several European leaders tried to show solidarity with Ukraine, with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting Kyiv – the capital Russia has failed to seize. days. Johnson met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a surprise visit, during which he promised new military assistance, including 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems. Zelensky noted the growing support in an interview with the Associated Press, but expressed disappointment when asked if the weapons and other equipment Ukraine has received from the West are enough to change the outcome of the war. “Not yet,” he said, switching to English for emphasis. “Of course it is not enough.” Zelensky later thanked Johnson and Nehamer during his nightly video speech to the nation. He also thanked the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of Canada for a global fundraising event that raised more than 10 billion euros ($ 11 billion) for Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes. He added that democracies are united in their efforts to end the war. “Because Russian aggression was not meant to be limited to Ukraine. “The whole European project is a goal for Russia.” Zelensky reiterated his call for a full embargo on Russian oil and gas, calling it a source of “Moscow’s confidence and impunity.” More than six weeks after the invasion, Russia has withdrawn its troops from the northern part of the country, around Kyiv, and has refocused on the Donbas region in the east. Western military analysts say an arc of land in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control, from Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest city – in the north to Kherson in the south. But counterattacks threaten Russian control of the Kherson, according to Western estimates, and Ukrainian forces repel Russian attacks elsewhere in Donbas. Ukrainian authorities have called on civilians to come out in the face of an impending, intensified attack by Russian forces in the east. With trains not running out of Kramatorsk on Saturday, panicked residents boarded buses or looked for other ways to leave, fearing the kind of relentless attacks and squatting by Russian invaders that brought food shortages, demolition and demolition. “It was scary. “Horror, horror,” a resident told Britain’s Sky television network, recalling Friday’s attack on the train station. “Paradise, to live it again. No, I do not want to”. The Ukrainian state railway company said residents of Kramatorsk and other Donbas districts could leave other railway stations. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 10 evacuation corridors were scheduled for Saturday. Zelensky described the attack on the train station as the latest example of war crimes by Russian forces and said he should urge the West to do more to help his country defend itself. Russia has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia’s military have been made more than once. A spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry detailed the rocket’s orbit and the positions of Ukrainian troops to reinforce the argument. Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov has claimed that Ukraine’s security forces were preparing a “cynically organized” media operation in Irpin, another city near Kyiv, to inflict civilian casualties on Russian forces – he falsely said – and to carry out the assassination. fake Russian intelligence service. group intending to kill witnesses. The claims could not be independently verified. Western experts and Ukrainian authorities insisted that Russia had attacked the station. The remains of the rocket had the words “For the children” painted in Russian. The phrase seemed to indicate that the rocket was sent to avenge the loss or submission of the children, although its exact meaning remained unclear. Ukrainian authorities have been working to identify the victims and document possible war crimes in the north of the country. The mayor of Bucha, a city near Kyiv where graphic evidence of civilian killings has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces, said search teams were still finding the bodies of people shot close to yards, parks and town squares. Workers discovered 67 bodies Friday from a mass grave near a church, according to Ukraine’s attorney general. Russia falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged. Ukrainian and Western officials have repeatedly accused Russian forces of atrocities. A total of 176 children have been killed and another 324 injured, the Attorney General’s Office said on Saturday. Speaking to the AP inside the heavily guarded complex of presidential offices in Kyiv, Zelensky said he was committed to negotiating a diplomatic end to the war, even though Russia had “tortured” Ukraine. He also acknowledged that peace was unlikely to come soon. Talks so far have not included Russian President Vladimir Putin or other top officials. “We have to fight, but we have to fight for life. You can not fight for dust when there is nothing and there are no people. “That’s why it’s important to end this war.” Ukrainian authorities say they expect to find more mass killings as soon as they reach the southern port city of Mariupol, which is also in Donbass and has been under siege and heavy fighting for a month. As journalists who were largely absent from the city began to return, new images emerged from last week’s disaster by an airstrike on a theater that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians seeking refuge. Military analysts had predicted for weeks that Russia would capture Mariupol, but said Ukrainian defenders were still fighting. The location of the city in the Sea of ​​Azov is crucial for the construction of a land bridge from the Crimean peninsula, which Russia occupied from Ukraine eight years ago. Many civilians now trying to evacuate are accustomed to living in or near a war zone because Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014 in Donbas, a predominantly Russian-speaking industrial area. Ukrainian officials have been urging Western powers to send more weapons almost daily and further punish Moscow with sanctions, including the exclusion of Russian banks from the global financial system and a full EU embargo on Russian gas and oil. Nehamer said during a visit to Kyiv that he expected more EU sanctions against Russia, but defended his country’s opposition so far to a halt to Russian gas supplies. A package of sanctions imposed this week “will not be the last”, the chancellor said, acknowledging that “as long as people die, any sanctions are still insufficient”. Austria is militarily neutral and is not a member of NATO. Johnson’s visit came a day after the United Kingdom pledged an additional εκατο 100 million ($ 130 million) in high-quality military equipment to Ukraine. Johnson also confirmed further financial support, pledging an additional $ 500 million in World Bank lending to Ukraine, raising Britain’s total loan guarantee to $ 1 billion.

Anna reported from Bukha, Ukraine. Robert Burns in Washington, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London, and Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.

Follow the AP coverage for the war at