The shelled school blackboard in Kharkiv. The inscription “23rd of February. Classwork. The topic is the Black Sea” is still written here. June 2022. By Pavlo Huk
War updates
By Venkatesh Raghavan*
Even as Ukraine suffered heavy casualties on the war front in its Western and Northern regions, it finally had something to look up to, with the European Union (EU) acting decisively by granting it the status of an official candidate to their 27-member club. The chips seemed to be up for both Ukraine and the neighbouring nation of Moldova, who are currently bearing the brunt of Russian aggression on the geopolitical front.
Though this augurs well in the geopolitical context, it may take more than a decade for the formalities to get completed and for Ukraine turning an official member of the EU. With the EU flexing itself by describing it as a ‘historic moment’, it’s become increasingly clear that the decision will further aggravate the situation in the war zone as the Russian side perceives an expansionist strategy.
On the war front, several dozens of Russian missiles targeted both civilian and military installations in Ukraine with the land conflict intensifying and entering the 112th day today. The Ukrainian troops lost ground in the industrial township of Sieverodonetsk following heavy shelling from the Russian artillery units. The retreat occurred after several weeks of fierce street battles that included Russian troops inflicting casualties on civilians who had sought shelter in the warzone.
The humanitarian situation in Mariupol, the Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andriushchenko claimed, was rapidly deteriorating and due to the decline in humanitarian aid, there was a critical food shortage. “People stand in thousands of lines for bread,” Andriushchenko said today.
A top General of the war-ravaged Ukrainian military meanwhile, disclosed that they have already pressed into service US-supplied HIMARS to strike targets in territories that were occupied by the Russian forces. Claiming that they met with moderate success in targeting the Russian military presence on Ukrainian soil, the General also emphasized that the Ukrainian army was able to skillfully deploy the American missiles.
Even as the country continues to be in the throes of unceasing missile and rocket attacks, the soft targets, meaning children and teens of Ukraine who have sought refuge in neighbouring Poland are faced with an uncertain future after being kept out of school for nearly two years owing to the pandemic. As the incessant bombing from the Russian side rendered life unsafe in their townships, they fled to foreign lands for survival. It resulted in many families getting split and having no means for sustenance for the children.
Furthermore, the casualties and heavy shelling spread from Sieverodonetsk to the neighbouring Lysychansk city, where the Russian fighters along with separatist elements attempted a total blockade. Reports from the war zone stated that the Russian troops had entered the heart of the city, with house-to-house fighting taking place.
With the fighting continuing to rage on in the eastern parts as well, the EU’s ambition to increasingly bite into the independent states that were formerly part of the Soviet Union has struck a discordant note with the Kremlin officials.
The United Nations Human Rights reported that since the war began on February 24, 2022, a total of 4,677 people were so far killed. This included 1,793 men, 1,208 women, 132 girls, and 148 boys, as well as 41 children and 1,355 adults whose sex was yet unknown. Besides, a total of 5,829 were injured including 1,183 men, 821 women, 130 girls, and 171 boys, as well as 182 children and 3,342 adults whose sex was yet unknown.
Top Photo: The shelled school blackboard in Kharkiv. The inscription “23rd of February. Classwork. The topic is the Black Sea” is still written here. June 2022. (Photo source: The official website of Ukraine). Photo by Pavlo Huk.
*Senior Journalist
