After seven days of war, Ukraine launched its first offensive against the Russians

After seven days of defending against Russian attacks, Ukraine for the first time launched a counterattack to try to drive Russian military forces out of its territory. According to a statement issued on Wednesday (2) by the Ukrainian government, the response took place in the outskirts of Horlivka. The city is located in the Donetsk region, one of the sites occupied by pro-Russian separatists and recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as an independent territory.

The announcement of the Ukrainian attack comes after Russian military forces carried out more attacks on several Ukrainian cities in the early morning and early hours of Wednesday.

In Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, a Russian missile destroyed part of the building of a police station. The upper structure of the building caught fire and firefighters went to the scene to control the fire. Four people were killed.

There were also reports of attacks on Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine close to Crimea. Forces led by Russian President Vladimir Putin say they have captured the city. But the local government denies this and says the city was cordoned off but not captured.
Today, in an interview with CNN, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not only a war for the country, but “a challenge for the whole modern world, for the whole democratic world.”

He stated that he was “very proud to be Ukrainian”. “We stand at the head of one of the strongest armies in the world,” said the former world heavyweight boxing champion. The capital is experiencing tense moments as a Russian column of more than 60 kilometers in length approaches, according to satellite information.

The president says Russia wants to wipe out its country

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of wanting to “erase” his country and its history. “They have orders to erase our history, to erase our country, to erase us all,” he said in a video posted on social media.

In his speech, Zelensky urged countries not to remain neutral in the conflict and also appealed to the world’s Jews “not to remain silent” after yesterday’s Russian attack on the Kyiv TV tower, which was built on the site of the Holocaust massacre.