A disguised occupation: Russia wants to capture Kostyantynivka under the pretext of a humanitarian mission
фото: Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized Russia’s proposal to organize a humanitarian mission in Kostyantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. He said Moscow seeks to force Ukrainian troops out of the city in order to occupy it and advance further toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
This is reported by RBC-Ukraine .
Zelensky called Russian rhetoric about protecting civilians in Kostyantynivka an attempt to justify the impossibility of capturing the city by military means.
“The Russian story about the “civilian population” in Konstantinovka is Putin’s reflections on the fact that he was unable to capture Konstantinovka. An absolutely primitive move, because otherwise he cannot get this city,” the president said.
According to Zelensky, he explained Ukraine’s position on Kostyantynivka to the American negotiators. He emphasized that fighting between Ukrainian military and Russian occupiers is ongoing in the city, and Ukraine has done everything possible to allow civilians to evacuate.
The president also mentioned the situation in Oleshki, where, he said, Ukrainian forces were able to unblock people and take them out. At the same time, he said that after that, Russian troops strengthened their positions in the town and brought in weapons.
Zelensky stressed that the transfer of Konstantinovka to Russia would pose a threat to other cities in the Donetsk region. According to him, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk could be the next targets.
The president also said that Russia has been unable to capture Konstantinovka for a year and a half. According to him, Russian troops lost 54,000 soldiers during the assaults in October.
By the way, the Russian command is considering the possibility of using a humanitarian mission to covertly transfer troops to the Kostyantynivka district of Donetsk region . According to the plan of the occupiers, the fighters should enter the city under the guise of workers or volunteers in order to take up positions and advance into residential areas.
It was previously reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin proposed organizing a humanitarian mission in Konstantinovka, Donetsk region. To this end, he proposed involving ombudsmen from Ukraine and Russia, and also voiced the conditions under which the Russian side is allegedly ready to ensure its implementation.
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