Between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers die every day, another 500 are injured according to Zelensky

Russian forces “now control 70% of Sievierodonetsk”, said Wednesday, Serhi Haïdaï, governor of this region of the Donbass basin. “If, in two, three days, the Russians take control of Sievierodonetsk, they will install artillery and mortars there and will bombard Lysychansk more intensely”the neighboring town on the other side of the Donets River, according to him more difficult to take, because “located on heights”.

The conflict could last “many months”according to Washington. “It could end tomorrow, if Russia ends its aggression”but “We don’t see any signs in that direction at this stage”US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday at a press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington. This assessment of the duration of the war was confirmed on Wednesday by a Western security official on condition of anonymity: “The conflict is expected to last until the end of this year, and probably beyond. »

Senior White House official says US aid announced by Joe Biden is for Himars (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armored vehicles, with a range of around 80 kilometres. This equipment is part of a new larger component of US military assistance to Ukraine, totaling $700 million. The American president assures us that he “does not encourage” and “does not give Ukraine the means to strike” in Russian territory. kyiv has also given “insurance” on this point, according to Mr. Blinken, who fears that the conflict will continue “many months”. But the Kremlin considered that this decision ” [renforçait] the risk “ of a military confrontation between the United States and Russiaaccusing Washington of ” add fuel to the fire “.

Germany, criticized by kyiv for its limited arms shipments, will also deliver an advanced air defense system susceptible to “protect a big city from raids” Russians, announced its chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Wednesday.

Russian diplomacy considered that only kyiv and the West could act to allow the export of Ukrainian and Russian cereals, whose blockage raises fears of a global food crisis. “Western countries, which have created a ton of man-made problems by closing their ports to Russian ships, cutting logistics and financial chains, need to think hard about what matters most”said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pleaded in Stockholm on Wednesday to “decisive actions” guaranteeing “a steady flow of food and energy”.

More than eight million Ukrainians are internally displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Added to this are 6.8 million who have fled abroad, more than half of them – 3.6 million – to Poland. Prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine had a population of 37 million people in areas under its government’s control.