Moscow seizes the majority of Severodonetsk after Biden guarantees superior weapons:
Following President Biden’s announcement that he was delivering advanced rocket systems to Ukraine in response to a request from Ukrainian leaders, Russia retaliated. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, any US guarantee would be seen “very badly” by Moscow and maybe “hazardous.”
Moscow appears to be on the verge of taking full control of Severodonetsk, a vital city in Moscow’s eastern Ukraine strategy. According to the commander of the region’s military administration, Russian forces now control almost 70% of the besieged city. Ukrainian troops appear to be departing from the city to focus on engagements elsewhere, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile:
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that its strategic missile units were practicing northeast of Moscow. They are said to involve Yars mobile launchers, an intercontinental ballistic missile, and 1,000 military personnel. In an essay published Tuesday, President Biden assured Russia that the US does not wish to escalate the conflict.
The Kremlin, on the other hand, has warned that any country that supplies Ukraine with modern weapons will face unspecified serious repercussions.
Military Aid to Ukraine:
On Tuesday, President Biden unveiled a package of military aid to Ukraine that will include HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, medium-range advanced rocket missiles. The action is in response to Kyiv’s requests for more heavy weapons to combat Russian forces as they advance eastward.
Nearly 50 kilometers away, the HIMARS can locate a target. Biden stated that Ukrainian officials assured him that the rockets would not be used to strike targets within Russia, which may elicit a retaliatory response from Moscow and exacerbate tensions. However, Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that “any arms supplies that continue to rise, enhance the risks” of a direct confrontation between the US and Russia over Ukraine.
The Russian official described US military assistance to Ukraine as “unprecedented” and “destructive.” Moscow seizes the majority of Severodonetsk after Biden guarantees superior weapons.
Special Military Operation:
“The traces of a reasonable, sensible attitude to the issue in Washington were simply shredded,” Ryabkov stated after Russia invaded Ukraine in a “special military operation.”
Separately, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia does not trust Ukraine’s promises that HIMARS weaponry supplied by the United States will not be used to hit Russian territory. “Unfortunately, there is no such experience at all,” he told reporters, adding that trust requires “experience of examples where promises were kept.”
Source: The Washington Post, By Rachel Pannett, Bryan Pietsch, Adela Suliman, and Annabelle Timsit.
