Russian Missiles Kill 11 in Ukraine After Tank Pledge - The Moscow Times

A blistering question of Russian strikes targeting Ukraine's vigor infrastructure killed 11 radical connected Thursday, a time aft Germany and the United States pledged dense tanks for Kyiv.

The stepped-up subject assistance swept speech long-standing misgivings among allies and signalled a surge of Western enactment for a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion.

The latest question of Russian attacks came arsenic the Kremlin said it perceived the tanks "as nonstop engagement successful the conflict."

Many Ukrainians welcomed the move, with a doc who lone gave her archetypal sanction Liza telling AFP adjacent the frontline metropolis of Bakhmut that "this should person happened sooner and successful bigger quantities."

As a effect of Russia's latest rocket strikes, 11 radical were killed and 11 others were wounded, Ukraine's exigency services said.

Earlier successful the day, officials said that a 55-year-old antheral was killed successful Kyiv by fragments of a rocket that was changeable down by Ukrainian aerial defence systems.

The Ukrainian service said its forces destroyed 47 retired of the 55 missiles launched by Russia.

Since October, Russia has launched regular strikes against vigor infrastructure crossed Ukraine, wherever temperatures are adjacent freezing.

Energy Minister German Galushchenko accused Russia of seeking to "create a systemic nonaccomplishment successful Ukraine's vigor system."

Emergency shutdowns

The energy proviso successful Kyiv stabilised by the afternoon, but successful the confederate portion of Odessa connected the Black Sea, "emergency powerfulness outages volition continue," vigor supplier DTEK said.

The attacks delayed the sojourn of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who arrived successful Odessa to sermon assistance with Ukraine's apical diplomat Dmytro Kuleba.

The United States said Wednesday it would supply 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine portion German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave the greenish airy to nonstop 14 Leopard 2 tanks -- a determination that opened the floodgates to respective different European countries equipped with Leopards to nonstop their ain contributions.

Britain's authorities said it was aiming to nonstop tanks astatine the extremity of March, with grooming starting adjacent week.

Although Western countries person already sent Ukraine everything from artillery to Patriot anti-missile defence systems, tanks were agelong considered a measurement excessively far, risking a widening backlash from Russia.

But with Ukraine gearing up for a counteroffensive to propulsion backmost progressively entrenched Russians successful the eastbound and south, the allies are present scrambling to respond.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Thursday that Leopard tanks pledged by Berlin would get successful "late March, aboriginal April."

Training of Ukrainian troops connected German Marder infantry warring vehicles volition commencement successful the adjacent fewer days, helium added, and "a small later" for the Ukrainian soldiers who volition beryllium trained connected the Leopard.

'Offensive operation'

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the vessel deliveries represented "direct engagement successful the conflict." 

But Paris insisted that neither France nor its allies are warring a warfare against Russia.

"We are not astatine warfare with Russia and nary of our partners are," said overseas ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre.

"The transportation of subject equipment... does not represent co-belligerence."

After a bid of battlefield setbacks, Russia has claimed gains connected the eastbound front, wherever Ukraine conceded that its troops had pulled retired of the municipality of Soledar successful the Donetsk region.

Russian forces and units with the Wagner mercenary radical claimed 2 weeks agone they had captured the tiny salt-mining town.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar said Moscow was besides intensifying unit on the eastbound front, successful the combat for adjacent Bakhmut.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia was engaging successful "spoiling attacks crossed astir of the frontline successful Ukraine successful bid to disperse and distract Ukrainian forces."

Those measures, it said, were to "set conditions to motorboat a decisive violative operation" successful the eastbound Lugansk region.

With Russian forces pushing forward, the main of the UN exile bureau told AFP that Kyiv and European governments should hole for a imaginable question of radical fleeing the fighting.

He said that, contempt repeated offers of assistance, Russia was inactive lone granting the bureau constricted entree to Ukrainians there.

"Any exacerbation of warfare risks causing further displacement, 1 mode oregon another, and we request to beryllium acceptable for that," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said successful Kyiv.

Separately, Ukraine threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics successful Paris if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to instrumentality part.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said ways to let competitors from Russia and Belarus should beryllium "further explored," contempt them being sidelined from astir Olympic sports since the penetration of Ukraine past February.

"Such a concern is unacceptable for our country," Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Goutzeit said.