Day 92 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia Attacked 40 Cities in Donbas, Kyiv Criticizes NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with wounded soldiers in Ukraine

Russia has raised the age for recruiting new soldiers, Kuleba has criticized NATO, Putin has met with wounded soldiers. Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia attacked 40 cities in Donbas in the span of hours

A total of 40 cities have been attacked by Russian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Ukrainian army said.

Official information coming from Russia's adversary is a sign that Moscow is stepping up its offensive in eastern Ukraine two months after announcing that it was Donbas that is the focus of hostilities during the so-called "special operation".

In an updated Facebook post, the armed forces explained that the occupiers fired on more than 40 cities and damaged or destroyed 47 civilian sites, 38 of which were homes and one a school.

Five civilians were killed and twelve were injured in the attacks, according to the same publication. Ten enemy attacks have been repulsed by Ukrainian forces, according to the same report.

On Sunday, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai accused Russia of using "scorched earth tactics" in an effort to seize Sievierodonetsk, a city of about 100,000 people (pre-war).

The fall of Sievierodonetsk and the nearby city of Lysychansk would leave the entire Luhansk region under the control of Russia and the separatists. Confirmation that Russia is advancing in Donbas and that its army is "significantly superior" to Ukraine's in some parts of the east also came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This week, he warned that Russia was destroying Donbas and called for more weapons.

According to NV.ua, Russian forces also fired on the center of Lysychansk while intensifying the attack on Sievierodonetsk.

According to Haidai, the police in Lysychansk are collecting the bodies of the dead to be buried in mass graves - nearly 150 people are needed in one district of the city, he explains, but does not specify for what period.

Residents of occupied cities receive Russian passports

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that makes it easier to obtain a Russian passport for residents of Russian-occupied parts of southern Ukraine. The move is aimed at people in the city of Kherson, which was the first to fall by Russian forces, and the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially controlled by Moscow.

Moscow has said both regions could become part of Russia.

Ukraine has criticized the "passport plan" drafted in 2019 for parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists as "a clear violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

The US State Department believes the plan is part of "Russia's attempt to subdue the people of Ukraine - to impose its will by force."

Putin met with wounded soldiers

President Putin visited wounded soldiers in Ukraine for the first time since the invasion.

Dressed in a white medical apron, he shook hands with them and told a man that his son "would be proud of his father".

Then, in a meeting with government officials, Putin declared the wounded "heroes", saying: "These are people who risk their health and lives in the name of the people and children of Donbas, in the name of Russia."

Russia announced on March 25 that 1,351 soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded in Ukraine. Four days earlier, Ukraine said Russia had lost 28,850 troops.

Zelensky bashed the West’s disunity

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized the West for lacking unity in the war during a video link to an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

He reiterated calls for heavy weapons from his foreign partners, saying the billions of dollars already provided were not enough to help Ukraine's forces.

And Kuleba criticized NATO

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused NATO of "literally doing nothing" in the face of the Russian invasion while praising the EU for its "revolutionary" decisions to support Kyiv.

"NATO as an alliance, as an institution is completely isolated and does literally nothing. I'm sorry to say that," Kuleba told the World Economic Forum.

Russia has raised the age for enlistment in the army

Russia's parliament has passed a law removing the upper age limit for people joining the army. Experts interpreted this as a sign that Moscow was seeking to deploy more troops for its invasion of Ukraine.

Under current law, only Russians between the ages of 18 and 40 and foreign nationals between the ages of 18 and 30 have the right to sign a contract for military service.

Chelsea FC takeover approved

The UK government has approved a proposed takeover of Chelsea Football Club by Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich released Chelsea on the market in early March.

A consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, has agreed to buy the club for a record $5.3 billion. The Premier League also approved the deal.

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