Fighting Heats Up in East and North Ukraine Following Tank Pledges

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KYIV — Ukraine on Friday battled Russian troops trying to pierce its lines in the east and northeast before Kyiv takes delivery of tanks from its Western allies, saying the fighting showed it needed more weapons to repel the invaders.

Kyiv declared that fierce battles are underway, just a day after 11 people were killed by missile and drone strikes. These strikes were widely seen as an answer to promises made by key allies to send tanks to Ukraine.

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After weeks and weeks of negotiation, Germany, the United States, and Ukraine agreed this week to send dozens of modern tanks back to Russia to assist in pushing back Russian forces.

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Poland promised Ukraine an additional 60 tanks, in addition to 14 Leopard 2 tanks made by Germany, Friday.

Both sides in the war are widely expected to launch spring offensives though Washington has advised Ukraine against doing so until the latest weapons are in place and training has been provided – a process expected to take several months.

Russia claimed that the United States was a terrorist nation “pumping weapons into Ukraine,” which Moscow says does Washington’s bidding, and chided President Joe Biden, saying he held the key to ending the conflict but had not used it.

Volodymyr Zeleskiy, President of Ukraine, thanked allies for supporting him but reiterated calls for stronger sanctions against Moscow and more weapons during the twelfth months of war.

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“This evil, this Russian aggression can and should be stopped only with adequate weapons. The terrorist state will not understand anything else,” Zelenskiy spoke in his Thursday evening television address.

Hours after he spoke, Ukrainian officials reported fierce battles in the northeast and east of the country, scene of some of the heaviest combat since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

“Fierce fighting continues along the front lines,” Oleh Synehubov was the governor of Kharkiv’s northeastern region. He said that Ukrainian forces were still holding out.

POWER SHORTAGES

Millions of Ukrainians faced electricity shortages after Thursday’s missile and drone strikes, the latest to target energy facilities and deprive people of heat, light and water.

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Russia has been accused of repeatedly attacking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. Moscow refutes this accusation.

Russia stated that the strikes were centered on “facilities that operate Ukraine’s defense industrial complex and transport system,” and limited Ukraine’s ability to repair military hardware and transport arms provided by its allies.

“The goals of the massive attack have been reached. All the assigned targets have been neutralized,” It said.

Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports.

The front lines of Russia have been mostly frozen for the past two months. Russia has been trying to gain ground east of Ukraine, occupying large areas of territory and protecting a corridor that it has seized from southern Ukraine.

Oleskandr Musiyenko was the head of Ukraine’s Military and Strategic Research Centre. He said Russia was sending more reinforcements, mainly conscripts. This is to block Ukrainian advances.

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“But they do not have the level of artillery and tank support they had on Feb. 24,” Musiyenko said this to Ukrainian television.

Britain claimed in an intelligence update that Russian forces likely conducted probing strikes near Orikhiv, southeastern Ukraine, and Vuhledar, east. But it was unlikely they could have succeeded. “substantive advances.”

DEPORTATION OF CHILDREN

Kyiv also accuses Moscow deporting children and adults from occupied territories, and issuing them Russian passports.

Filippo Grandi, the U.N.’s refugee agency chief, said this violated “the fundamental principles of child protection in situations of war” It must be stopped by Russia.

Japan increased sanctions Friday and expanded an export ban list. It also frozen assets of Russian officials.

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But Ukraine’s hopes that the European Union will impose sanctions affecting nuclear energy were dealt a blow by Hungary, which said that it would veto such moves. Hungary plans to expand a Russian-built nuclear power plant.

Russia reacted strongly to Western entities with Roskomnadzor, the communications regulator, stating that it had blocked websites of the CIA, FBI and other U.S. agencies.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, visited Eritrea as the final stop on a tour through Africa. The tour was designed to boost support and started in South Africa. South Africa plans joint military drills between Russia and China.

Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury Secretary, said that she had discussed Russian economic sanctions during each stop and hoped to reach an agreement soon about the next price cap for Russian oil.

Kyiv and its allies say Russia’s oil profits can be used to fund Moscow’s war effort.

Russia has moved the emphasis of its rhetoric away from “denazifying” And “demilitarizing” Ukraine should confront the NATO alliance of aggressive and expansionist U.S. The West and Ukraine both claim that the invasion was unprovoked.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus, Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing By Frank Jack Daniel