NATIONAL SYMBOL
In Russian-occupied Sievierodonetsk, residents have emerged from basements to sift through the rubble of their city.
“Almost all the city infrastructure is destroyed. We are living without gas, electricity, and water since May,” Sergei Oleinik, 65, told Reuters. “We are glad that this ended, and soon maybe reconstruction will start, and we will be back to more or less normal life.”
The Ukrainian victory at Snake Island is a major success – it has become a national symbol since the first day of the war when a Ukrainian guard ordered by Russia to surrender radioed back: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”
Russia has used its control of the sea to impose a blockade on Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest grain exporters, threatening to shatter Ukraine’s economy and cause global famine. Moscow denies it is to blame for a food crisis, which it says is caused by Western sanctions and Ukrainian sea mines.
Pushing the Russians off Snake Island could be a step towards reopening Odesa’s port, although military analysts say Russia could still threaten cargo ships at sea.
Despite yielding ground and taking punishing losses in the eastern Donbas in recent weeks, Ukraine hopes to inflict enough damage to exhaust Russia’s advancing army, and turn the tide in coming months with advanced weapons arriving from the West.
The United States announced a further US$800 million in weapons and military aid. US President Joe Biden, speaking after a NATO summit in Madrid, said America and its allies were united in standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it will not end with Russia defeating Ukraine,” Biden told a news conference. “We are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
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