Russian Army enters Kharkov

The Russian army is pushing its way through Ukraine. Early this morning the shelling has resumed, plunging Ukrainian citizens into another tragic episode. Early this morning Russian troops managed to penetrate the key city of Kharkov, Ukraine's second most populous city with 1.5 million inhabitants, located just 30 kilometres from the Russian border.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, "major explosions" have been reported in the city. Russian military vehicles are already on the streets of Kharkov and Interior Ministry sources indicate that Russian special forces teams are reportedly in the city. Moscow's presence in Kharkov is of concern to the state authorities, who have already instructed residents to stay off the streets and seek shelter. 

Russia remains unstoppable. However, in the face of Moscow's relentless offensives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to encourage Ukrainians to resist, both by his example and his words. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak assures that "Russia cannot take control of any Ukrainian city (...) We control the situation in the Ukrainian regions", he says. According to Podoliak, Russian troops are still "in the same places as three days ago". Despite these statements, the entry of Russian troops into Kharkov changes the rhetoric. In this sense, Kharkov is considered one of Ukraine's main industrial and cultural centres. It has a long history of arms production and was considered one of the most important industrial centres during the Soviet Union.

Attacks on gas pipelines near the city have also been reported. According to the authorities, it has not yet been possible to estimate the damage and how the damage will affect the supply of gas to households, something that could make life very difficult for families who, in the middle of winter, could be severely affected. 

While these new incursions are taking place, and according to Ukrainian authorities, "Kiev is completely controlled by the Ukrainian army", which seems to give Ukrainians some hope.

The Ukrainian president seeks dialogue with Moscow. That is, as long as it is not in Belarus, a country allied to the Kremlin, where Vladimir Putin sent a delegation. His rejection, moreover, stems from the support given by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to the Russian troops, who went so far as to cede part of their territory in order to proceed with the invasion.

Thus, Zelensky proposes other cities for possible peace negotiations. "Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku. We propose any of these. And any other city in a country from which missiles are not launched at us is fine with us," he concludes.

Hours earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that a delegation had been sent to the Belarusian city of Gomel, near the Russian-Ukrainian border. He said that 'the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence and other services, including the presidential administration, arrived in Belarus for negotiations with the Ukrainians'. 

On the other hand, the international community continues to send both military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The United States has authorised the delivery of weapons, an arsenal valued at 350 million dollars. Along with this shipment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has expressed her willingness to approve a bill to provide the Ukrainian government with 600 million dollars.

For its part, Germany has abandoned its more pacifist policy and decided to deliver a thousand anti-tank rocket launchers and 500 surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has taken the same line, declaring that "the defence of the European Union is mobilised in support of Ukraine and will facilitate the delivery of military aid". In this way, the West will join in sending military support, thus taking a new and more significant step in its support for Ukraine.