Ukrainian forces have continued to make substantial advances in Kherson Oblast while advancing simultaneously in Kharkiv and Luhansk Oblast.
Vladimir Putin has signed laws incorporating four Ukrainian districts into Russia, completing the annexation of the occupied areas in defiance of international condemnation.
It follows the so-called referendums in Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia, which Ukraine and the West denounced as fraudulent.
The territories being annexed are not even fully governed by the Russian military.
Together with Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, President Putin’s entire claim encompasses more than 22 percent of Ukrainian territory, but the precise borders of the four territories he is annexing have yet to be confirmed.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the move comes despite the Ukrainian military making “rapid, forceful” gains in the south and east of the country and liberating “dozens” of communities during the previous week.
While concurrently advancing in Kharkiv and Luhansk Oblast, the defense troops have continued to make substantial gains in Kherson Oblast.
Multiple explosions on the battlefield shook Bila Tserkva on Wednesday morning, igniting flames at what was described as infrastructure sites in the city south of the capital Kyiv, regional head Oleksiy Kuleba stated on Telegram.
Initial evidence suggests that the city was hit by so-called “kamikaze” or suicide drones, he stated.
Bila Tserkva is located approximately 80 kilometers south of Kiev.
In his Tuesday night video message, President Zelenskyy stated: “In the context of the ongoing defense operation, the Ukrainian army is moving rapidly and with considerable might in the south of the country.
“Since the Russian pseudo-referendum, dozens of population centers have been liberated just this week.
“These are in Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk areas altogether.”
The Czech EU president announced Wednesday that EU member states have agreed to a new round of sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.
In addition, a senior American specialist told that President Putin’s escalating troubles in Ukraine increase the likelihood of Russia employing a tactical nuclear weapon.
John Bolton, a former US national security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations, stated that the Russian president faces “more difficulty than at any time since the invasion.”
