# Russia strikes cities across Ukraine, gas supplies in focus
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-07-19
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: Russian Forces Continue Intense Bombardment Across Ukraine
Meta Description: Russian forces bombard cities across Ukraine, causing devastation and civilian casualties. Get the latest updates on the ongoing conflict.
URL: https://financedigest.com/russia-strikes-cities-across-ukraine-gas-supplies-in-focushtml

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By Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder

KYIV (Reuters) -Russian forces kept up their bombardment of cities across Ukraine, with intense shelling of Sumy in the north, cluster bombs targeting Mykolaiv and a missile strike in Odesa in the south, authorities said on Tuesday.

After failing to capture the capital Kyiv at the outset of the invasion on Feb 24, Russia has shifted to a campaign of devastating bombardments to cement and extend its control of Ukraine’s south and east.

Ukraine [says Russian forces have intensified long-distance strikes](https://www.financedigest.com/british-doctors-strikes-risk-patient-safety-minister-says.html "British doctors’ strikes risk patient safety, minister says") on targets far from the front, killing large numbers of civilians. Moscow [says it is hitting military targets](https://www.financedigest.com/electric-car-maker-lucid-on-track-for-2022-2023-output-targets-ceo-says.html "Electric car maker Lucid on track for 2022, 2023 output targets, CEO says").

[Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says](https://www.financedigest.com/turkey-says-five-more-grain-ships-leave-ukrainian-ports.html "Turkey says five more grain ships leave Ukrainian ports") Russia had fired more than 3,000 cruise missiles and uncountable artillery shells during the five-month conflict.

Over the weekend, Zelenskiy suspended the country’s security chief and top prosecutor, [saying they failed to purge Russian](https://www.financedigest.com/citigroup-says-will-close-russian-consumer-commercial-business.html "Citigroup says will close Russian consumer, commercial business") spies from their organizations.

[Despite his disclosure of Russian](https://www.financedigest.com/some-wounded-russian-soldiers-find-compensation-elusive-despite-putins-pledge-sources.html "Some wounded Russian soldiers find compensation elusive, despite Putin’s pledge – sources") penetration of the SBU, U.S. officials on Monday said [Washington would continue sharing intelligence](https://www.financedigest.com/former-general-counsel-for-the-u-s-intelligence-community-joins-morrison-foerster-in-washington-d-c.html "Former General Counsel For The U.S. Intelligence Community Joins Morrison &Foerster In Washington, D.C.") that U.S. officials have said Kyiv uses to [respond to Moscow’s attacks](https://www.financedigest.com/institute-of-risk-management-responds-to-global-wannacry-ransomware-attack.html "Institute of Risk Management Responds to Global WannaCry Ransomware Attack").

This week could be pivotal for [European countries](https://www.financedigest.com/four-european-countries-call-for-special-treatment-of-defence-in-eu-debt-rules-document.html "Four European countries call for special treatment of defence in EU debt rules – document") concerned about the impact of war and sanctions on gas supplies.

Russia is due to reopen its main natural gas pipeline to Germany, [Nord Stream](https://www.financedigest.com/denmark-invites-nord-stream-operator-to-help-salvage-unidentified-object.html "Denmark invites Nord Stream operator to help salvage unidentified object") 1, in coming days after regular maintenance, but Europeans are worried Moscow could keep it closed.

Russia’s Gazprom, which operates the pipeline, has told customers in [Europe it cannot guarantee gas supplies](https://www.financedigest.com/germanys-uniper-to-restart-coal-fired-power-plant-as-gazprom-halts-supply-to-europe.html "Germany’s Uniper to restart coal-fired power plant as Gazprom halts supply to Europe") because of “extraordinary” circumstances, according to a letter seen by Reuters, upping the ante in an economic tit-for-tat with the West.

HEAVY BOMBARDMENT

In Odesa, a Russian [missile strike](https://www.financedigest.com/g7-leaders-arranging-emergency-summit-after-poland-missile-strike-kyodo.html "G7 leaders arranging emergency summit after Poland missile strike – Kyodo") injured at least four people, burned houses to the ground and set other homes on fire, Oleksii Matsulevych, a spokesman for the regional administration, said on his Telegram channel.

Russian forces targeted Mykolaiv with cluster shells Monday, injuring at least two people and damaging windows and roofs of private houses, the Ukrainian city’s mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said in a [social media](https://www.financedigest.com/saudi-snitching-app-turns-citizens-into-social-media-police.html "Saudi snitching app turns citizens into social media police") post.

More than 150 mines and shells had been fired on the Sumy region, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy regional military administration, said on Telegram.

“They fired mortars, barrel and rocket artillery. The [Russians also opened](https://www.financedigest.com/russian-rouble-opens-flat-sticks-to-60-mark-against-u-s-dollar.html "Russian rouble opens flat, sticks to 60-mark against U.S. dollar") fire using machine guns and grenade launchers,” he said.

[Russian troops have tried unsuccessfully to advance towards](https://www.financedigest.com/russian-rouble-firms-towards-60-vs-dollar-stocks-up.html "Russian rouble firms towards 60 vs dollar, stocks up") the city of Avdiyivka north of Donetsk, the head of Avdiyivka’s military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said on Tuesday.

He said [Ukrainian forces have pushed back the Russians](https://www.financedigest.com/ukrainian-volunteers-recount-three-weeks-in-russian-captivity-allege-beatings.html "Ukrainian volunteers recount three weeks in Russian captivity, allege beatings") after the latter attacked for several days.

“Enemy losses are much bigger than ours,” he said, and include about 40 dead.

[Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports](https://www.financedigest.com/thomson-reuters-report-reveals-risk-compliance-staff-expect-to-see-significant-benefits-from-artificial-intelligence-ai-and-distributed-ledger-technologies.html "Thomson Reuters Report Reveals Risk & Compliance Staff Expect to See Significant Benefits from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Distributed Ledger Technologies")

Kyiv hopes the war is at a turning point, with Moscow having exhausted its offensive capabilities in seizing a few small cities in the east, while [Ukraine now fields long-range Western](https://www.financedigest.com/analysis-russian-gold-removed-from-some-western-funds-after-ukraine.html "Analysis-Russian gold removed from some Western funds after Ukraine") weapons that can strike behind Russian lines.

Kyiv cites a string of successful strikes on 30 Russian logistics and ammunition hubs, which it says are [crippling Russia’s artillery-dominated forces that need to transport](https://www.financedigest.com/in-inflation-hit-germany-massive-strike-over-pay-to-cripple-transport.html "In inflation-hit Germany, massive strike over pay to cripple transport") thousands of shells to the front each day.

In a Facebook post on Monday, [Ukraine’s top](https://www.financedigest.com/ukraine-grants-citizenship-to-top-russian-journalist-who-denounced-war.html "Ukraine grants citizenship to top Russian journalist who denounced war") military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, credited U.S.-supplied advanced long-range rocket systems known as HIMARS with helping to “stabilize the situation” through “major strikes at enemy command points, ammunition and fuel storage warehouses.”

Russia said on Monday that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered the military to concentrate on destroying Ukraine’s Western-supplied rockets and artillery.

European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to provide Ukraine with another 500 [million euros](https://www.financedigest.com/germanys-merck-to-invest-300-million-euros-in-us-gas-plant.html "Germany’s Merck to invest 300 million euros in US gas plant") ($504 million) in EU funds for arms, raising the bloc’s support to 2.5 billion euros since Moscow invaded on Feb. 24.

In the south, [Ukraine is preparing a counterattack to recapture the biggest swath of territory taken since](https://www.financedigest.com/euro-zone-economy-sentiment-rises-in-dec-first-time-since-start-of-ukraine-war.html "Euro zone economy sentiment rises in Dec, first time since start of Ukraine war") the invasion. Ukraine [reported destroying Russian](https://www.financedigest.com/russian-threat-to-baltic-security-rising-estonian-intelligence-report.html "Russian threat to Baltic security rising – Estonian intelligence report") missile systems, communications, radar, ammunition depots and armoured vehicles in strikes in the southern Kherson region.

In the east, Ukrainian forces withdrew at the start of July from Luhansk, one of two provinces Russia claims on behalf of its separatist proxies.

Kyiv says Moscow is planning another assault to capture the last Ukrainian-held pocket of neighbouring Donetsk province.

President Vladimir Putin [says his assault on Ukraine is a “special military operation”](https://www.financedigest.com/britain-sets-5g-goal-says-no-magic-number-of-operators.html "Britain sets 5G goal, says no ‘magic number’ of operators") to demilitarise Russia’s neighbour and root out dangerous nationalists. Kyiv and the West [call it an attempt to reconquer a country that broke free of Moscow’s rule](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-businesses-call-for-looser-immigration-rules-to-boost-growth.html "UK businesses call for looser immigration rules to boost growth") in 1991.

[(Reporting by Reuters](https://www.financedigest.com/thomson-reuters-announces-suite-of-reference-data-capabilities-to-help-financial-industry-meet-mifid-ii-transparency-and-reporting-requirements.html "Thomson Reuters Announces Suite of Reference Data Capabilities to Help Financial Industry Meet MiFID II Transparency and Reporting Requirements") bureaux; Writing by Jonathan Landay and Lincoln Feast; Editing by Michael Perry)


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