Invasion of Ukraine ‘intended only as a beginning’, president says, as Moldova summons Russian ambassador over military commander’s comments on breakaway region
- Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 59 of the invasion
- Motivated but outgunned: Ukrainian soldiers discuss life on the southern front
- Fears for hundreds of civilians trapped in Mariupol steel plant
- Russian military chief suggests full occupation of south planned
Many people around the world have been surprised at how Ukraine has withstood Russia’s attack on its territory, even successfully repelling its assault on the capital, Kyiv. Guardian reporters Isobel Koshiw, Ed Ram and Dan Sabbagh report here on the bravery of Ukraine’s armed forces and their determination to fight:
A group of Ukrainian infantry soldiers stood in a warehouse in south-western Ukraine when they were shelled by Russian artillery. Serhiy was hit in the face with shrapnel. He and his recent best friend Hennadiy took a selfie clutching part of the shell which did not hit them.
Moments later, Russian tanks appeared on a hill opposite and fired across the village in front of them, including at the warehouse. Hennadiy and the rest of the group – all natives of the Zaporizhzhia region – were also hit by shrapnel and all of them suffered hearing damage.
“They had three tanks on the hill and they were just shooting down at us. We just had rifles,” said Hennadiy. “We had some equipment that the Americans and Poles gave us, but it wasn’t enough to fight.”
This only confirms what I have said many times: the Russian invasion of Ukraine was intended only as a beginning, then they want to capture other countries
Although, to be honest, the territory in which Russia should take care of the rights of Russian-speakers is Russia itself. Where there is no freedom of speech, no freedom of choice. Where there is simply no right to dissent. Where poverty thrives and where human life is worthless. To the extent that they come to us, go to war to steal at least something that resembles a normal life.
You know they used to talk about their biggest dream: to see Paris and die. And their behavior is now just shocking. Because their dream now is to steal the toilet and die.
These statements are unfounded and contradict the position of the Russian Federation supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, within its internationally recognized borders,” Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
