Severodonetsk remains the main point of fighting between Ukrainians and Russians. And the Azot plant is the last stronghold of resistance in the city. Nuno Rogueiro and José Milhazes analyze the successes and failures of this conflict.
As in Mariupol – with the Azovstal plant – in Severodonetsk, there are hundreds of military and civilian refugees in the plant. However, the Azot plants are not so ready to withstand such an attack.
“Mariupol was like a fortress, ready to withstand a military assault, a nuclear bomb. this is [Azot] it was not prepared for war, it is a makeshift fortress. But it is a symbol of what is happening: Ukrainians have determination, they know how to fight in the streets, they have ammunition – not much – but they do not have the necessary weapons. That is why the Minister of Defense of Ukraine said today [terça-feira] that Ukraine received from the Western allies only 10% of the weapons it requested,” says Nuno Rogueiro.
On the other hand, José Milhazes focuses on the threats coming from Russia: “A well-known member of the Russian parliament, who last week submitted to parliament a bill on Russia’s non-recognition of Lithuanian independence in 1991, saying that it was an illegal exit, today [terça-feira] came to announce that three more countries should join this country: Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine.
The commentator also quotes a Russian MP as saying that Russia “will only allow countries that are not adversaries to exist.” “We are facing threats that are on the rise,” Milhazes says, adding that “even if it’s 0.1% true, it’s dangerous.”
Another Russian MP also threatened Western embassies that exist in Kyiv. “He believes that the center of power in Ukraine is not in Kyiv and not in the presidential palace, but in embassies such as the US, UK and Germany. He threatens to land something there. This is also very serious,” says Milhazes.
Rogueiro also pays tribute to Roman Ratushi, a 24-year-old activist who died during the conflict. “He went to the Maidan when he was 17 years old, he was one of the first arrested and publicly beaten by the Berkut – the then Ukrainian security police, known for their brutality – he became an activist against illegal and unauthorized construction in Kyiv,” recalls the SIC commentator. “He also entered the armed forces as a member of the reconnaissance troops and special forces and died now, at the age of 24, and all Ukrainians pay tribute to him.”
Finally, Milhazes presents a video of Vladimir Putin’s “cult of personality” featuring the poet Kazakov. “The poet Kazakov decided to tell the story of Putin in verse and based on Russian folk tales. In other words, Putin is the ubiquitous who fights NATO, which is why this story is called “How the ubiquitous Putin defeated the dragon” – the dragon, of course, is born, not FC Porto.
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