[The Epoch Times, January 27, 2023](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Zhang Ting) After the United States, Germany and other Western allies announced support for Ukraine’s modern tanks, Russia tried to break through Ukraine’s defenses and increased its firepower in northern and eastern Ukraine . The Ukrainian army said on Friday that intense fighting was ongoing between the two sides.
A senior European Union official accused Russia on Friday of taking the war in Ukraine to a “different stage” by targeting civilians and non-military targets, prompting Germany and the United States to supply Ukraine with military equipment in order to Enable Ukraine to better protect itself.
Stefano Sannino, secretary-general of the European External Action Service, told a news conference in Tokyo on Friday that Russia had “moved from the concept of (military) special operations to now The concept of war against NATO and the West”.
“I think this latest development in terms of armed supplies is just an evolution of the situation,” Sannino said.
Russian military ramps up attacks
Local officials reported Friday heavy shelling in northern, northeastern and eastern Ukraine, amid one of the heaviest fighting since Russia invaded on February 24 last year.
“Intense fighting continues along the front lines,” said Oleh Synehubov, governor of the northeastern Kharkiv region. “Our defenders are holding their positions firmly, inflicting losses on the enemy. .”
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russian forces fired 70 missiles into Ukraine on Thursday (January 26), 47 of which were intercepted.
The Russian military also carried out 44 airstrikes, including 18 using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. The Ukrainian armed forces said all drones that blew themselves up were shot down.
The Epoch Times was unable to verify the Ukrainian army’s statement.
Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the Russian military’s main target was energy facilities.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported Thursday that at least 11 people were killed and 11 others were injured across Ukraine. At the same time, emergency power outages were implemented in some areas.
The new round of missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities came hours after Germany and the United States announced plans to send modern tanks to Ukraine to help drive Russian troops out.
The Canadian Ministry of National Defense stated that after obtaining the approval of Germany, Canada will support the German-made “Leopard 2” (Leopard 2) main battle tanks to Ukraine. Countries such as Poland, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Spain have also indicated that they will provide Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Britain said earlier this month that it would supply Ukraine with a batch of Challenger 2 tanks. France has pledged to supply the AMX-10 wheeled armored vehicle.
Russia condemned this practice by Western countries. The Kremlin said the pledge to deliver Western tanks was evidence of the growing “direct involvement” of the United States and Europe in the 11-month war. But the United States and Europe have denied this.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked allies for their support and reiterated his call for tougher sanctions on Moscow, while Ukraine also sought more weapons from allies to repel the Russian invasion.
Britain said in an updated intelligence report that Russian forces may have carried out tentative attacks near Orikhiv in southeastern Ukraine and Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine, but were unlikely to have achieved “substantial progress”.
Russian forces are stepping up fighting on the eastern front, using their recently captured town of Soledar to put pressure on the besieged nearby city of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian army has held off the offensive there for months.
Russia asks four Ukrainian regions to use Moscow time
According to a message posted on Telegram by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, which Russia announced its annexation last September, will be ordered to use Moscow time .
Moscow has said it will recognize four Ukrainian regions as Russian territory, a claim that is opposed by Western countries.
Monitors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported explosions near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant as Russia launched a new wave of attacks on Ukraine.
The head of the agency, Rafael Grossi, has repeatedly called for a safe zone around the plant. The power plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, is currently occupied by Russian troops.
A representative of Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosenergoatom, Renat Karchaa, called the comments baseless and a “provocation”.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#