-Britain says it will impose further sanctions on Moscow over advance in Ukraine
KYIV: Russian forces pushed deeper into Donbas Tuesday with Ukraine announcing the capture of the frontline village of Toshkivka near the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, the site of fierce weeks-long fighting.
“As of today, according to our information, Toshkivka is controlled entirely by the Russians,” Roman Vlasenko, the head of the Severodonetsk district told media, adding that the battle for Donbas is “now in full swing”.
Toshkivka, with a pre-war population of around 5,000 people, is approximately 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of Severodonetsk, where Russian troops and have been battling for weeks against Kyiv´s Army.
“The entirety of the Lugansk region is now the epicentre of fighting between Ukraine and the Russian army,” he said.
Meanwhile, the British government said it was determined to impose further sanctions on Russia and will continue to do so until Moscow fully withdraws from Ukraine.
“We are determined to provide more weapons, impose more sanctions and back Ukraine in pushing Russia out of their territory,” Foreign Minister Liz Truss told Parliament on Tuesday.
Truss said she would be travelling to Turkey on Wednesday to discuss options to help get grain out of Odesa, saying that there was only a matter of weeks to find a solution.
Britain, the United States, and the European Union have coordinated in imposing massive sanctions on Moscow for what they call an invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has termed it a military operation.
“We will continue to impose sanctions, we will continue to stop importing goods from Russia until we see Russia fully withdraw from Ukraine,” Truss said.
Britain has targeted Russian businessmen, politicians, religious leaders, and businesses as part of its wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow.
Meanwhile, Russia has threatened Lithuania with serious consequences if the Baltic country prevents it from exporting EU-sanctioned goods to the exclave of Kaliningrad by rail.
Nikolai Patrushev, Russia’s security council secretary and one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest confidants, said during a trip to Kaliningrad on Tuesday that Russia would “react to such hostile actions” after Lithuania began enforcing the sanctions.
Patrushev warned that “appropriate measures” would be “taken in the near future”, adding that “their consequences will have serious negative influence on the population of Lithuania”, according to the Interfax news agency. –Agencies
