At least 17 people died and more than thirty were injured by a Russian attack, yesterday at noon, against the central market of Kostiantínivka, in Donetsk province, and eastern Ukraine. Twenty shops, an electrical transmission line, an administrative building and another residential building were damaged in the attack, which destroyed cars and several market stalls, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
The killing was described by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as "inhuman" and "evil". "A normal market. Shops. A pharmacy People who had done nothing wrong. many injured Unfortunately, the number of dead and injured could increase", wrote the president, criticizing in his message those who "still try" to contemporize with Russia. "It means closing your eyes to this reality".
The attack coincided with a visit to Kyiv by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived to reaffirm his country's support for Ukraine, whose counter-offensive has already borne fruit, especially on the southern front. where he has broken through the first Russian defensive line.
"We are seeing progress on the counter-offensive," Blinken told the press in the Ukrainian capital, although he acknowledged that progress "is very complicated." The head of US diplomacy declared Washington's readiness to "ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs not only to successfully carry out the counteroffensive", but also to have "strong defensive capabilities so that similar aggressions do not happen again" to pass".
According to US media, in his third visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its military intervention in Ukraine, Blinken planned to announce a new aid package to Kyiv worth more than $1 billion.
The new Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, ratified yesterday by the Supreme Rada (Parliament), stated that the country's plan is victory without negotiations and pledged to do "everything possible and impossible" to "liberate every centimeter ” of the country's territory.
According to the General Staff (EMG) of Ukraine, the country's troops have made further progress in the south of the Zaporizhia region. In the Robótine-Novoprokorivka arc they have achieved success, they are fortifying the positions they have achieved, they are attacking enemy targets with artillery fire", said Pavló Kovaltxuk, EMG spokesman.
Several days after Ukraine announced the release of Robotine, the Moscow-imposed governor of the annexed Zaporizhia, Yevgeny Balitsky, finally acknowledged yesterday that Russian troops had withdrawn from this town, located on the first defensive line of Russia "The Russian army abandoned this town in a tactical move (...)", explained the politician, who admitted that it had been completely razed.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia took iron out of Balitski's statements pointing out that "there are no changes in the tactical situation of the Russian forces" on this front. "On the Zaporizhzhya front, Russian units, with the support of aviation and artillery, repelled four enemy attacks in the vicinity of the towns of Verbove and Robótine", said the spokesman of this portfolio, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, without offering further details.
According to the Ukrainian military command, its forces also made advances south of the city of Bakhmut (Donetsk region), which is controlled by Russian forces.
