The European Union (EU) responds that Russia’s decision to cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria is “unjustifiable blackmail” and that it will take “coordinated” measures. Meanwhile, Kremlin troops seized new locations in eastern Ukraine and The West announces that it is preparing to help Ukraine in the “long term”.
On the 62nd day of the war, Russia opened a new front. The state-owned Gazprom cuts off energy supplies to two member countries of the European Union and NATO: Poland and Bulgaria.
Simultaneously, Moscow troops struck territorial blows in some towns in the Donestsk region, eastern Ukraine, which kyiv recognized in the last few hours.
As armed clashes continue on Ukrainian soil, the pro-Russian breakaway region in Moldova, Transnistria, appears to be drawn into the conflict. A new assault was recorded there on April 27, after several days of explosions just after the Kremlin revealed that with its territorial aspirations it hopes to control territories that connect from Ukraine to the Moldovan rebel zone, located in southwestern Ukraine.
These are the main news of the day:
- 07:12 (BOG) Moscow reports explosions in the Russian city of Belgorod
Russia reported a series of explosions that caused a fire in an ammunition depot in the city of Belgorod, in the south of the country.
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov assured that no civilians were injured. Russian authorities had already accused Ukraine this month of attacking a fuel depot in that city from helicopters and opening fire on several villages in the province.
Belgorod borders the Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Sumy and Kharkiv, all of which have been the scene of intense fighting by Russian troops since February 24, when Putin ordered the war.
kyiv has denied the accusations. However, this April 27, without directly admitting that Ukraine is involved, the presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, referred to what happened as a “karma” and said that it is natural that the Russian regions where fuel and weapons are stored are learning about “demilitarization”. The word that the Putin government uses to justify the aggression in the neighboring country
“If you (the Russians) decide to massively attack another country, massively kill everyone there, massively crush peaceful people with tanks and use warehouses in your regions to enable killings, then sooner or later the debts will have to be paid. Podolyak said.
- 06:48 (BOG) Russia announces sanctions against 287 British MPs
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against 287 members of the UK House of Commons.
Legislators on the list “cannot now enter the Russian Federation,” said a statement from the ministry, carried by the state news agency Interfax.
The decision was made in response to the British measure on March 11 to sanction 386 parliamentarians from the Duma, the lower house of the Russian legislature, for their support for the separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine.
- 06:32 (BOG) New attacks reported in Transnistria, Moldova
The Interior Ministry of Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moscow-backed Moldova that borders Ukraine, said its fighters fired shots at a village that hosts a Russian weapons depot after drones believed to have come from Ukraine flew over the site.
“Last night, several drones were seen in the sky over the town of Kolbasna (…) The drones were launched into the territory of Transnistria from Ukraine,” said a note from the ministry.
This week there have been several explosions in the Russian-controlled zone, amid mutual accusations between kyiv and Moscow of responsibility.
The unrecognized region reportedly called the blasts “terrorist attacks,” raising fears of a spillover from the war in Ukraine.
kyiv, for its part, has referred to these events as “sabotage” by Russia, since the assaults occur just after last April 22,
The deputy commander of the Central Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, Rustam Minnekayev, will reveal that taking all of Donbass, in the east, and southern Ukraine, crossing to the southwest to create an “open gate” to Transnistria is the goal of his country in the second phase of the conflict.
- 6:15 (BOG) Ukraine denounces bombings against a plant in Mariupol where military and civilians take refuge
The Azovstal steel plant, the last bastion of the Ukrainian resistance, has once again been the target of air and artillery attacks, local authorities denounce.
An aide to the mayor of the port city said Moscow troops had renewed their attacks on the huge steel factory where 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are holding out and serves as a place of refuge for 1,000 civilians, mostly women and children, whose Images inside have been broadcast on local television.
On Tuesday, April 26, Moscow again announced a ceasefire at the site to allow civilians to leave. However, kyiv accuses him of not complying with it and of having continued the assaults against the site in recent days.
- 5:58 (BOG) Russia takes towns in eastern Ukraine; kyiv recognizes it
Ukraine’s General Staff has acknowledged that Russia has made gains in some areas of the east, capturing the outskirts of the towns of Velyka Komyshuvakha and Zavody and the settlements of Zarichne and Novoshtokivske, in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.
The governor of the region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported that at least two people were killed and six were injured by the bombing launched by Russian forces.
Russian fire continues on this front, the official added.
In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry said its missiles hit an arms depot in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine, which housed weapons supplied by the United States and European countries.
- 5:43 (BOG) EU responds that Russian gas cut is “unjustifiable blackmail”
The president of the European Commission (EU) condemned Russia for trying to “blackmail” Europe, after the Russian energy giant Gazprom confirmed that it cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.
“Gazprom’s announcement that it will unilaterally stop gas delivery to customers in Europe is another attempt by Russia to use gas as a blackmail tool (…) This is unjustified and unacceptable. And it shows once again the unreliability of Russia as a gas supplier,” Von der Leyen stressed.
Today Putin once again failed, in this attempt to sow division between Europeans.
The era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe will come to an end.
We are determined to make this happen as soon as possible.
Europe is moving forward on energy. pic.twitter.com/kZcBWbtNxU
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 27, 2022
However, the German diplomat pointed out that the bloc of 27 countries already foresaw this action by Moscow, which is why she says they have contingency plans.
“We are prepared for this scenario. We are in close contact with all member states. We have been working to ensure alternative deliveries and the best possible storage levels across the EU (…) Member states have put in place contingency plans for such a scenario and we work with them in coordination and solidarity. Right now a meeting of the gas coordination group is taking place,” explained the political leader.
- 05:31 (BOG) Russia withdraws gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria
A day after the United States and more than 40 Western countries promised to speed up and improve military supplies to Ukraine, the Kremlin upped the ante in the confrontation.
The governments of Bulgaria and Poland confirmed that the Russian state Gazprom has cut off their gas supplies. The Kremlin even warned that it could stop energy supplies to other European customers.
Gazprom Confirms that Natural Gas Shipments have been cut to Poland and Bulgaria as of this morning due to both Countries refusing to pay in Rubles, though Shipments still continue to other European Countries such as Italy and German. pic.twitter.com/wPi870Ntc0
—OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 27, 2022
Gazprom, controlled by the administration of Vladimir Putin, said it made the decision because the affected nations refused to pay in Russian rubles, as Moscow had demanded. The company said it had not received any such payments since the beginning of the month.
However, European leaders denounce that it is “blackmail” before the common front of the West against the war launched by Putin against Ukraine.
Gasoline prices in Europe soared on the news.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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