Captured British Aid Workers To Stand Trial As Mercenaries
Belarus appears poised to actively support Russian troops
Day 129 (2 July)
Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill are two more British men who have been captured by pro-Russians and who will stand trial as mercenaries like Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. Healy is said to have been captured while he was working as a volunteer aid worker.
The battle for Lysychansk is wavering as the last Ukraine held city in Luhansk. Ukraine concedes that it may fall because of a lack of heavy weapons. That would mean that the Russians would effectively control the Donbas region. This creates an issue, as Russians will have taken control of the majority of the south and eastern flank of Ukraine. The question is, how much more will NATO allow to be taken before proactive measures are taken? The heavy weapons came too late as they are just arriving now, and soldiers are being trained while the region is already occupied.
The Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr visited Ukraine yesterday, pledging 1 billion euros in aid over the next year, and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. He also stated that Ukraine is fighting for Europe and the world and how important it is to support neighbours.
Lviv and other nearby cities are preparing for an attack from Belarus. There is propaganda being spread that Ukraine has attacked Belarus, and this seems to be a justification for Belarus to use their armies in Ukraine. No one knows the truth as yet, but Belarus have been armed and ready to support Russia for some months now, and many believe it is a matter of time before Belarus officially participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Day 130 (3 July)
The city of Belgorod (on the border with Ukraine in Russia) has been hit by missiles, and three other occupied regions have also been hit including Melitopol . The Ukrainian army has been targeting Russian ammunition depots and military bases in order to disrupt their infrastructure.
This is a difficult situation, as Ukrainian troops are basically having to attack their own cities that are occupied, but it is necessary to ‘starve’ out the Russians in terms of ammunition and supplies.
Zelenskyy states that Russia has temporarily occupied over 2,600 settlements which would include villages, towns and cities. Liberating them takes time, and 1,027 to date have been retaken as Russia tries to implant Russian infrastructures in the occupied areas.
Zelensky sounds realistic and determined to liberate those territories occupied by Russia. I like that Ukraine's neighbouring countries are prepared for the long haul and proclaiming their alliance and military aid to the Ukraine. We have to expect Putin to ignore internationally accepted 'protocols' around humanitarian aid volunteers. Belarus, hopefully, will regret siding with Russia.