Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of carrying out a “genocide” in the eastern region of Donbas, where the city of Severodonetsk is suffering an onslaught of Russian shelling.
In his daily televised address, Zelensky condemned Moscow’s brutal assault on the Donbas – where it has redirected its forces after having failed to capture Kyiv – adding that its bombardment could leave the entire region “uninhabited”.
In the address, Zelensky added: “All this, including the deportation of our people and the mass killings of civilians, is an obvious policy of genocide pursued by Russia.”
Since 2014, pro-Moscow separatist groups have controlled parts of Donbas, but Russia now appears set on taking the whole region.
Invading forces are closing in on several cities, including the strategically located Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which stand on the crucial route to Ukraine’s eastern administrative centre in Kramatorsk.
According to Kyiv’s Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar, the fighting in the east has reached “its maximum intensity” since Russia invaded on 24 February.
The region’s governor has reported that the Russian army “has thrown all its forces at taking the Lugansk region.”
Sergiy Gaiday said in a video on Telegram: “Extremely fierce fighting is taking place on the outskirts of Severodonetsk. They are simply destroying the city, they are shelling it every day, shelling without pause.”
Occupying forces have reportedly cancelled school holidays to prepare students to switch to a Russian curriculum.
Over the summer, children in occupied zones will have to study the Russian language, literature and history as well as math classes in Russian.
The United States has branded the plan an “attempt to subjugate the people of Ukraine”.
Meanwhile, the intensified fighting across the country prompted Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to voice Kyiv’s increasing frustration with the West, accusing allies of dragging their feet on arms deliveries and telling his German counterpart that Ukraine needs heavy weapons “as soon as possible.”
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin became the latest Western official to visit Kyiv on Thursday, where she said it would take Russia decades to repair its standing in the world after invading Ukraine.
Marin told a press conference that “trust is lost for generations.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has faced criticism over Berlin’s slow response, also weighed in Thursday, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin will not negotiate seriously until he realises he might not win in Ukraine.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Sholz said: “Our goal is crystal-clear – Putin must not win this war. And I am convinced that he will not win it.”
The flow of grain exports from Ukraine – known as Europe’s breadbasket – has been disrupted since Russia’s invasion, threatening food security around the world and sending prices soaring.
On Thursday, the Kremlin pointed the finger at Western countries for stopping grain-carrying vessels from leaving ports in Ukraine rejecting accusations that Russia was to blame.
In a phone call with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to make a “significant contribution” to averting a looming food crisis if the West lifts sanctions imposed on his country over Ukraine.
The United States has scoffed at the offer.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby retorted: “Now they’re using economic tools as weapons. They’re weaponizing food. They’re weaponizing economic assistance.”
“I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by that, since they’ve weaponized everything else, including lies and information,” he said.
