The offensive against the military infrastructure left at least 35 people dead, according to the governor of Lviv

Russia shells Ukrainian military base near Poland, increasing tensions with NATO

photo_camera AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF - Image of Russian bombing in Ukrain

Russia's missile bombardment of a Ukrainian base 25 kilometres from Poland has further escalated tensions with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), as the Polish nation has been a member of the Western defence establishment since 1999.

The governor of Lviv in western Ukraine said the attack on the Yavoriv military centre near the Polish border left at least 35 people dead. "At least 35 people were killed and 134 wounded in a Russian attack on a military training centre near the Polish border," added Maxim Kosietzky, according to Reuters. 

Military officials in the Lviv region confirmed on Sunday via the Telegram social network that the centre of the international peace and security forces in Yavoriv had been attacked. This military training infrastructure is the largest in the Ukrainian country, with 360 square kilometres, and has served for the training of Ukrainian troops and to carry out a number of training programmes with NATO countries, as the newspaper El País recalled. 

Imagen de ataque ruso en Ucrania

"Russia attacked the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security near the city of Lviv. Foreign trainers work there. Information on the number of victims is currently being clarified," added the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, on the social network Twitter. 

With this bombing, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to seriously threaten Ukraine and continues to issue a strong warning to NATO and the European Union, of which Poland is also a member. The EU has already signalled its intention to send all necessary arms to Ukraine. Moscow has described the supply of arms to Kiev as a "legitimate objective", thus increasing the tension. Ukraine is not yet a member of NATO, which it has aspired to join since receiving an invitation in 2008. Ukraine's possible inclusion in the Atlantic Alliance is something that will not be allowed by the Russian government and is one of the pretexts used by the Kremlin to undertake the invasion of Ukrainian territory. 

Polish President Andrzej Duda warned against the possible use of weapons of mass destruction by Russia in Ukraine. President Duda said that if Vladimir Putin decides to use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine, it will be a "game changer" that will force NATO to reconsider its position on Russia's invasion of Ukrainian territory. The Polish president told BBC television that "the use of any weapons of mass destruction would be a game changer".

Vladimir Putin, presidente de Rusia, junto al ministro de Exteriores Sergei Lavrov

Also on Sunday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia could "use chemical weapons" in Ukraine and called Russian moves on Ukrainian territory a "war crime". "In recent days we have heard ridiculous accusations about chemical and biological weapons laboratories," the NATO secretary general said in an interview with the German daily Welt am Sonntag, adding that the Kremlin is using false arguments to justify its actions, as also reported by Asharq. 

This bombing by Putin's troops is the closest to the border with the European Union, and it should be recalled that last Friday Russia also attacked the Lutsk air base, some 80 kilometres from the Polish border, killing four soldiers and wounding six. 

Imagen de militar ruso

Several Western countries have already announced that they will continue to send defence material and funds for armaments to Ukraine, while Russia is warning about the situation. In fact, on Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Riabkov assured that any arms shipment to Ukraine would be considered a "legitimate military objective". Precisely, with the latest military movements, Russia is trying to cut off important supply points for the Ukrainian army in order to prevent this type of material from reaching the Ukrainian forces.

Meanwhile, the siege on Kiev also continues. Local authorities in the Ukrainian capital have indicated that food supplies are sufficient for two weeks in anticipation of a blockade by Russian armed forces. "The city has prepared for possible measures in case of a siege. Two million residents of Kiev who have not left their homes will not be left without support if the situation worsens," it said in an online statement. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had already anticipated that his country has sufficient quantities of basic foodstuffs for the coming months. 

Un combatiente de las Fuerzas de Defensa Territorial de Ucrania, la reserva militar de las Fuerzas Armadas ucranianas, monta guardia en la posición de la Plaza de la Independencia en Kiev

Meanwhile, the Russian army has announced that it has taken control of four towns in southern Ukraine. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, said Russian forces advanced up to 14 kilometres in one day and imposed their control over four towns in southern Ukraine. "Units of the Russian Armed Forces advanced a distance of up to 14 kilometres in one day, and, during the offensive operations, the towns of Blagodatnoy, Vladimirovka, Pavlovka and Nikolskoye were captured," the Russian defence ministry added in a report published by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.

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