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| Photographs by Manu Brabo for The WSJ |
Ukrainian forces are ousting Russian troops from a string of villages that were used to strike the country’s second most-populous city, Kharkiv, regaining strategic terrain that could blunt Russia’s attempt to conquer the eastern Donbas region.
The recent Ukrainian gains, to the north and northeast of Kharkiv, build on previous successes in forcing Russia’s military from the immediate outskirts of the city, a major industrial and transportation hub with a prewar population of 1.4 million.
Another setback for Russia came when the European Union on Wednesday proposed a ban on Russian crude and refined oil products, and prepared to impose sanctions on Russian military figures whom EU officials accuse of war crimes. With the tighter restrictions pending, Europe stocked up on oil and natural gas. Brent crude futures for July delivery on Wednesday gained $5.17 per barrel, or 4.93%, to $110.14.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian troops on Friday captured the village of Ruska Lozova just north of Kharkiv, according to residents and the Ukrainian military. In the following days, a separate group pressing northeast expelled Russian forces from the village of Kutuzivka. The group has now reached the town of Staryi Saltiv, some 25 miles away, said Ukrainian officials. Pursuing the offensive farther east of Staryi Saltiv would threaten Russian supply lines toward Izyum, the staging ground of Moscow’s main military effort to seize Donbas.
While some Russian units remain on the edge of Kharkiv, these offensives have led to a dramatic decrease in the shelling of the city, said Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region’s military-civilian administration. The number of Russian shelling and rocket attacks on Kharkiv in the past week fell to between two and five a day, he said, from between 50 and 80 before then. --->READ MORE HERE
The first Ukrainian forces learning how to use a new U.S.-based weapons system have returned to their country after being trained in Grafenwoehr, Germany, defense officials said Wednesday.
The soldiers were artillery forces who were already familiar with Howitzer tanks and armored vehicles on their own system but were trained to use a U.S.-based system as well. A second wave is currently being trained, according to Brig. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commander of the 7th Army Training Command.
“They understand how to operate it and employ it as effectively as they can on their own and in accordance with their own tactics and their own doctrine,” Hilbert said in a press briefing. “The soldiers that we are receiving here are absolutely motivated, incredibly professional.”
Ukrainian troops will return to their bases and teach other soldiers to use the U.S.-based systems being delivered. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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