Direct – Ukrainian army claims to have taken more than 400 km² in Kherson region in less than a week

Ukraine said on Thursday that Russian troops had taken more than 400 km² of territory occupied by Russia within a week of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

“Since the beginning of October, the armed forces of Ukraine have liberated more than 400 km² in the Kherson region,” Natalia Goumenyuk, spokeswoman for the military command in the south, told Ukrainian developments for the first time.

The first investigations by Swedish authorities this week at the site of the leak at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea “reinforce the suspicion of sabotage”, declaring that “explosions” had caused “significant damage”. Floor this Thursday.

“We can see explosions near Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the Swedish exclusive economic zone, which have caused significant damage to gas pipelines,” the Swedish special prosecutor in charge of the investigation said in a press release.

“Crime scene investigations have strengthened the suspicion of aggravated vandalism. A seizure has been made at the scene and will be investigated,” he added.

As humanitarian crises mount, Europeans must “learn lessons” from displaced Ukrainians to open their doors to other refugees, the UN said. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stressed in an interview with AFP.

“Don’t forget the others!” He appealed to the Italian diplomat on Wednesday in Paris, where he was received at the Elysee Palace by Emmanuel Macron the day before.

“Not to say that Ukrainians should be given less. Everyone understands why they are fleeing. But other refugees are also fleeing bombs. The terror they experience, the suffering war inflicts on civilians, the human rights violations have the same impact. Ukraine, Syria, Yemen or elsewhere,” He said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised that the military situation will be “stabilized” in the Ukrainian regions, but where his forces have suffered repeated setbacks against the Ukrainian military.

“We feel that the situation will stabilize and we can develop these areas peacefully,” he said.

The regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia were annexed to Russia after “referendums” whose legitimacy has been questioned by Ukraine and its Western allies.

Ukraine has signed new victories against Russia. After the conquest of Kherson (south) and Kharkiv (northeast), kyiv announced its re-establishment in Luhansk region (east).

Despite retreating on the ground, Russia has announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya), partially curbing ongoing “referendums” condemned by Kiev and its Western allies.

At least one person was killed and seven others were injured in strikes in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya, where local authorities blamed Russia on Thursday.

“One woman died” and another was “saved” by doctors, Ukrainian regional governor Oleksandr Staruk said on social networks. He had earlier reported that two people were killed in the first estimate.

Seven people, including a 3-year-old child, were injured, and the number could change, he indicated.

Welcome to this live dedicated to news in Ukraine on Thursday, October 6, 2022.