Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine ahead of decision on EU membership

Russia has launched deadly missile strikes on eastern and southern Ukraine and warned that it will take unspecified “practical” measures against EU and Nato member Lithuania if it refuses to lift a ban on the transit of some cargo to the Kaliningrad region.

Icy relations between Moscow and the EU are under additional strain after Lithuania barred goods sanctioned by the EU from crossing its territory to reach Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, and as the bloc prepares for a summit starting on Thursday at which Ukraine hopes to receive candidate-member status.

Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed on Wednesday when several Russian missiles hit the southern port of Mykolaiv, and that overnight shelling had killed at least one person and injured several others in and around the eastern city of Kharkiv – where 15 civilians were killed in rocket attacks on Tuesday.

“I keep saying that it’s still dangerous in the city,” said Oleksandr Senkevych, mayor of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea port that has suffered severe damage to infrastructure during almost four months of all-out war.

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“During last night [Tuesday], the Russian occupiers continued to terrorise the city of Kharkiv and settlements in the region. Unfortunately, civilians died,” said Kharkiv governor Oleh Sinehubov.

The most intense fighting continues to be around the neighbouring cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in the eastern Luhansk region, where Russia has used its superior artillery power to slowly drive back Ukrainian forces after being forced to abandon its initial bid to seize Kyiv and Kharkiv.

“The Russians are approaching Lysychansk, gaining a foothold in nearby settlements, the city is being fired upon by aircraft. Street battles continue in Severodonetsk,” said Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk region, which with neighbouring Donetsk makes up the area known as Donbas.

Thousands of people have been killed and some 14 million displaced since Russia launched an all-out invasion of its neighbour on February 24th, which the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation” to protect Russian speakers and root out “Nazis” in Ukraine.

Moscow has reacted to sweeping western economic sanctions by cutting or halting energy supplies to European states, and it has vowed to retaliate after Lithuania warned that steel and iron goods could no longer cross its territory to Kaliningrad as EU sanctions on the products came into effect.

“The response will not be diplomatic but practical,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We are convinced that these illegal sanctions adopted by the European Union are in this situation absolutely unacceptable. And the application of these sanctions… to Kaliningrad simply contradicts fundamental agreements.”

The EU and member states including Lithuania say the Baltic country is not taking unilateral action against Russia but is implementing sanctions agreed by the whole bloc, which only apply to certain Russian products and do not affect passenger travel to and from Kaliningrad.

[ Why is Kaliningrad at the centre of a row between Russia and Lithuania? ]

The EU and Moscow are also at loggerheads over Russia’s naval blockade of Ukraine’s southern ports, which Kyiv and its western allies say is preventing the export of some 20 million tonnes of grain and threatens to spark a food crisis in parts of Africa and Asia.

“It is a lie — such accusations are complete lies,” said Ms Zakharova, repeating Russian claims that western sanctions on Russia are to blame for any food supply problems.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country “deserved” to become an official EU candidate member this week after defying a Russian invasion that was “an attack against the entire free Europe — against our common values.”

“I believe that together we can end the war … and rebuild everything Russia has destroyed,” he added. “United Europe is definitely stronger than any tyranny.”