Russia’s military on Tuesday announced “massive strikes” on all fronts in response to a lightning counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops, who the Kremlin accuses of abuses in recaptured territories, while Kyiv accuses Russian soldiers of “up to 200 war crimes a day,” according to data. AFP.

The presidency of Ukraine reported that eight people were killed and 19 were wounded as a result of Russian shelling in the northeast of Kharkiv region and the east of Donetsk region in 24 hours.

“Ukraine records up to 200 war crimes committed by the Russians on its territory per day,” the General Staff of the Army reported, adding that the occupiers “mined more than 70,000 km² in ten regions of Ukraine.”

For its part, Russia has stated that the Ukrainian army has used harsh repressions against the civilian population in the areas it has won in recent days.

“According to our information, many punitive actions are being carried out against residents of the Kharkiv region, people are being tortured and treated badly. This is outrageous!” – said Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Peskov.

“Release” continues

“The air, ballistic and artillery forces of Russia are carrying out massive strikes against units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in all directions of hostilities,” the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on Tuesday.

In particular, he mentioned shelling near the cities of Sloviansk, Kostiantynivka and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, as well as in the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, and in Kharkiv, where Russian troops almost completely retreated in the face of an onslaught of Ukrainian troops.

The Russian offensive launched on February 24 will continue “until the goals are achieved”, the Kremlin said the day before, according to which there are currently no “prospects for negotiations” between the two warring parties.

Ukraine reported new military gains on Monday, saying it had reached its border with Russia and regained control of an area seven times the size of Kyiv in a month.

“The liberation of cities occupied by the Russian occupiers continues in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions,” the Ukrainian army reported on Tuesday.

“They killed my brother and sister-in-law”

In the village of Bogorodisne, which was once on the front line near Donetsk and was evacuated by the Russians a few days ago, almost every house bears traces of intense fighting, an AFP correspondent found.

58-year-old Mykola Gonchar and his mother Nina Gonchar, 92, remained in the city.

“The Russians came and killed my brother and sister-in-law,” the man told AFP outside his home, which was relatively untouched by the artillery fire and bullets that devastated the city before the war.

He buried the bodies himself.

The Ukrainian military first announced a counteroffensive in the south, and then made a lightning push to the northeast last week.

In general, “since the beginning of September, our soldiers have already liberated 6,000 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine in the east and south”, which is twice as much as was officially announced 24 hours ago, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Monday evening.

“And we continue to move forward,” he concluded.