Day 51. Russia claims Ukrainian forces shelled a Russian border town. It hit a military factory that produces the missiles Ukraine claims sunk the warship Moskva.
But Russia is also aiming for Kyiv over the alleged attacks on its border towns.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) traveled to Bucha with Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who was born in Ukraine, and witnessed the war crimes committed by Russia. He went to Ukraine. President Joe Biden has not stepped foot in the country.
We’ve seen world leaders go to Kyiv and meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Our president won’t go.
But Daines and Spartz went to Ukraine:
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., became the first U.S. senator to visit Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, touring the mass graves in the city of Bucha and reporting “indisputable evidence of Putin’s war crimes.” He traveled with Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., who was herself born in Ukraine.”While meeting with leaders in NATO countries bordering Ukraine, I was invited to meet Ukrainian officials in Kyiv and Bucha and see firsthand the butchery and war crimes committed by Putin,” Daines said in a statement. “There is indisputable evidence of Putin’s war crimes everywhere—the images of shallow mass graves filled with civilians, women and children are heart-wrenching.”Daines told Fox News’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto” on Thursday, “I’ve seen a lot of horrific things over the years in terms of storm damages and accidents. I’ve never seen anything like this. I mean, these were children. These were children who were murdered.”He went on: “It’s atrocities. It’s war crimes… there’s an irrefutable case being made right now for the war crimes of Vladimir Putin and the soldiers who committed them.”
Those defending Mariupol will not give up. But Russia is getting closer to capturing the important port city. The forces took over steel works in Mariupol:
Russia’s defence ministry has claimed it had captured the Ilyich steel works in Mariupol, one of the last industrial areas holding out in the besieged eastern city that has seen the war’s heaviest fighting and the worst humanitarian catastrophe.Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had repelled Russian offensives in the town of Popasna and Rubizhne, in an area north of Mariupol. Both reports could not be independently confirmed.Moscow now says its main war aim is capturing the Donbas, an eastern region of two provinces that are already partly held by Russian-backed separatists and that Russia wants Kyiv to cede. It has sent a new column of thousands of troops into the east for what Ukraine anticipates will be a major assault.Moscow says it hopes to seize all of Mariupol soon, which would be the only big city it has captured so far.
The Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, sunk on Thursday. Ukraine claims it hit it with Neptune missiles. Russia said ammunition exploded onboard.
I’m guessing it’s the former because Russia hit a missile factory near Kyiv. The factory produces the missiles that supposedly hit the Moskva.
But Russia also insists that Ukraine shelled some of its border towns. Therefore Russia must step up its attacks and target Kyiv:
Russia’s defence ministry warned Friday it will intensify attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in response to strikes on Russian soil, after accusing Ukraine of targeting Russian border towns.”The number and scale of missile strikes against targets in Kyiv will increase in response to any terrorist attacks or sabotage committed by the Kyiv nationalist regime on Russian territory,” the ministry said in a statement. Russia hit a “military” factory outside Kyiv late Thursday using Kalibr sea-based long-range missiles, it added.
Russia also threatened the U.S. if we keep arming Ukraine: “We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which implies unpredictable consequences for regional and international security.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY