"It's hell": Zelenskyj accuses Russia of "brutal" and "senseless" violence in the Donbass

Created: 05/22/2022, 16:39

By: Sandra Kathe

The case of the city of Mariupol demonstrates how brutal the attacks by the Russian military in Ukraine are.

Zelenskyi extends martial law.

KIEV - In a speech to the population, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented the "senselessness" of Russian warfare and the "complete" destruction of Donbass.

"It's hell there, and that's no exaggeration," Zelenskyj described the situation in the region in south-eastern Ukraine, which has been the focus of Russian attacks for weeks.

Zelenskyy said in a speech on Thursday (May 19) that the aim of the Russian attacks under ruler Vladimir Putin was to kill as many Ukrainians as possible and cause as much destruction as possible.

While the Ukrainian military is still busy liberating the region around Kharkiv, east of Kyiv, Russian troops have increased the pressure on the Donbass.

"The Donbass is completely destroyed," the British newspaper Independent quoted the President of Ukraine as saying.

After weeks of violent attacks by the Russian military, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy last week described the Donbass region as "completely destroyed".

© Ukraine Presidency/AFP

After the fall of Mariupol in the Ukraine war: Russian attacks on Donbass continue

The city of Mariupol, which has since been occupied by the Russian military and had a population of almost 500,000 until a few months ago, experienced particularly violent attacks.

In the steelworks there, the last of more than 2,400 Ukrainian fighters gave up on Friday evening after many weeks.

Her fate is uncertain.

According to media reports, Russia is also trying to take control of the cities of Sievjerodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region.

In response to the Russian attacks, Zelenskyy announced that martial law in Ukraine would be extended by another three months until the end of August.

This means, for example, that the general mobilization currently in force in the country is still valid until August 23rd.

So far, Zelenskyy had declared the state of emergency three times for 30 days each.

Ukraine War: Zelenskyy appeals to Ukrainian troops

At the same time, Zelenskyy appealed to the morale of the Ukrainian troops, stressing that every day Russia's plans are thwarted is an important step on the road to victory.

It is assumed that Russian soldiers who were previously tied up in Mariupol are now deployed elsewhere.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russians tried unsuccessfully to storm towns around Sieverodonetsk.

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Fighting was just as fierce for villages south of the Lysychansk-Bakhmut route.

It is believed that Russia wants to gain complete control over the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in order to secure a land corridor to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

(ska with dpa)