Ukraine was expecting a new Russian military strike against strategic cities in the east of Donbass, which Moscow considers a priority target, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Canada of undermining sanctions against Russia. For its part, Europe entered a period of uncertainty over the continuation of Russian gas supplies when Russian giant Gazprom Group began repairs to two Nord Stream 1 oil pipelines that can supply Germany and other Western European countries.
The General Staff of Ukraine warned of signs of the readiness of parts of the Russian army to intensify hostilities in the direction of Kramatorsk and Bakhmut.
Kramatorsk, the administrative center of Donbass still under Ukrainian control, and the neighboring city of Slovyansk are the next two targets for the Russian army in its plan to take Donbass under full control four and a half months after the outbreak of hostilities. invasion of Ukraine. Moscow-backed separatists have partially controlled the Donbas basin since 2014 after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
For their part, Russian occupying forces claimed seven people had been killed and about sixty wounded in the Ukrainian strike. “The numerical superiority of the Russian army is compensated by the accuracy of Ukrainian missiles and artillery,” said Alexei Danilov, Secretary General of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during his visit to Kyiv on Monday that “this war may last longer than we expected or hoped (…) We must remain focused and continue to support Ukraine with all possible means.”
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday that “our intelligence indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to deliver up to 100 drones, including combat aircraft, to Russia at very short notice.”
Drones have played an important role since the beginning of the war on February 24, carrying out reconnaissance missions, launching rockets and dropping bombs.
Ukrainian protest against Canada
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government had summoned the Canadian ambassador to protest Ottawa’s decision to hand over the main turbine to Germany to operate Russia’s Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, despite sanctions imposed on Moscow.
“The Foreign Ministry was forced to summon the Canadian ambassador to our country due to the absolutely rejected exception to the sanctions imposed on Russia,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
He added that Canada’s decision “will be perceived in Moscow only as a sign of weakness.”
On Saturday, Canada announced that it had decided to hand over the turbine, which had been sent to Germany for maintenance, to Germany to alleviate Germany’s energy crisis. The Canadian decision was taken despite Kyiv’s call to Ottawa not to “succumb to the Kremlin’s blackmail.”
New European sanctions against Russia
Informed sources said that the European Union intends to propose a new package of sanctions against Russia in the coming weeks, according to a Bloomberg report.
The information indicated that some countries want the EU to impose sanctions affecting the Russian gas sector, while most countries do not support such a move.
And media reports indicated that new EU measures against Moscow could include restrictions on gold imports. These developments come at a time when Russia argues that lifting sanctions is the best way to address the high energy and food prices that have recently hit the world.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov considered that the lifting of restrictions imposed by the West on Russia against the background of the military operation in Ukraine would lead to a decrease in world prices for energy and food products.
The Russian minister called for the maximum expansion of the practice of paying for export goods in rubles.