Russia claimed on Sunday that it continued to besiege the Ukrainian army, while Ukraine, on the same day, said that it was holding its defensive lines.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its latest report that the Russian forces had taken control over two more settlements in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions in the past day.
In the early morning on Sunday, the Russian army launched strikes against Ukraine's transportation infrastructure using precision-guided weapons, including Kinzhal missiles and drones.
Russian forces said that they continued to encircle Ukrainian troops in the settlement of Dimitrov in the Donetsk region while clearing Ukrainian forces from the settlement of Grishino. It also struck Ukrainian military infrastructure, including military airfields and fuel depots.
On the same day, the Ukrainian East Operational Command reported that its forces were conducting search and mop-up operations in downtown Pokrovsk. In Myrnohrad, the Ukrainian army was holding the defensive lines and struck the Russian forces on the way to the city.
Additional logistics corridors were currently being established for the Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad to guarantee the continuous delivery of materials needed.
According to National News Agency of Ukraine (or Ukrinform), the Russian forces struck the Pechenih Reservoir dam in the Kharkiv region on Sunday, disrupting road traffic along the dam.
Russia claims controlling 2 more settlements; Ukraine holds defensive lines
More than 1,000 people gathered in Berlin over the weekend to protest against U.S. threats of military intervention in Venezuela and voice support for the Venezuelan government.
The demonstrations, held on Saturday and Sunday in the German capital, drew participants who condemned the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and the naval deployments in the Caribbean.
Protesters said that the United States, under the pretext of counter-narcotics, deployed several warships in the Caribbean near Venezuela, and such a military threat was aimed at interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs.
"The military threat brings a great danger. The United States and Western countries, including Europe, are targeting at Latin American countries that refuse to yield to U.S. pressure and stick to pursue independent policies. They are trying to interfere in Latin American politics and install governments that are obedient to them," said Diedrich Franck, organizer of the protest.
Some protesters said the United States' open threat of ground operations to topple the Maduro government was aimed at seizing Venezuela's oil resources.
"The United States has long been treating Latin America as its backyard to exploit its raw materials and also the Latin American people. Venezuela is the country with the largest oil reserves in the world. There are very obvious interests for the United States to seize its resources and at the same time control the entire Latin American continent. Therefore any leftist, anti-imperialist government in Latin America is seen as a problem by the United States," said Max, a German scholar of modern history.
Washington has deployed around a dozen warships and 15,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea, which shares a significant amount of coastline with Venezuela. U.S. forces have carried out at least 21 known strikes since Sept. 2 on boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean and East Pacific, killing at least 83 people.
Protesters gather in Berlin against U.S. intervention in Venezuela
Protesters gather in Berlin against U.S. intervention in Venezuela
