Russia corners Kiev after a new night of bombings -more than 50, according to ‘The Kiev Independent’-. The Ukrainian capital has managed to resist at dawn that was anticipated to be key in the Russian invasion, which continues its slow advance towards the city center.
On the morning of this Saturday, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has insisted that they will not lay down their arms. “We will defend our state“, he asserts on his Twitter account. This Friday, Zelensky denied who had left Kiev: “We are here. We are in Kiev. We are defending Ukraine”.
And it is that Kiev has lived a new night of gunshots, explosions and alarm sirens, with the Ukrainian authorities urging citizens to defend the city against the Russian advance. During the night, shootings have been heard near government buildings, with the Ukrainian Army repelling the offensive of Russian troops, as confirmed.
This defense comes after the words of Vladimir Putin in which he called on the Ukrainian Army to stage a coupcalling “drug addicts” and “neo-Nazis” to the country’s leaders. “Do not allow these nationalists to use your women, your children, your elderly as human shields. Take power with your own hands,” insisted the Russian president.
Ukraine assures that more than a thousand Russian soldiers have died so far in the war, a figure that Russia has not transferred. The UN, for its part, places the number of Russian victims in this conflict at 25.
The US joins the sanctions
For his part, the President of the United States, Joe Bidenhas asked the State Department to provide Ukraine with military supplies worth $350 million. This announcement comes on a night in which the US Government has announced sanctions to Putin and the foreign minister, Sergey Lavrovas well as members of the Russian national security team.
From the White House, Congress has been asked to approve an aid package worth 6.4 billion dollars. Zelensky has spoken with Biden in recent hours to ask for tougher sanctions and help defending Kiev.
In addition, the United States has imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest financial institutions – Sberbank and VTB. US investors will not be able to finance the debt or equity of 13 of Russia’s largest state-owned companies, which together amass assets worth almost €1.33 billion.
Russia vetoes condemnation of its invasion at the UN: China abstains
On this Friday night, Russia has exercised its veto power at the United Nations Security Council, which raised a US resolution to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to CNN, the vote had 11 votes in favor, three abstentions (China among them) and one vote against.
“China advocates a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. China believes that the security of one country cannot be at the expense of the security of other countries, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs,” the Chinese delegation said in a statement.
NATO has announced that it will deploy more troops to the east of allied forces, distributing more weapons to Ukraine in a conflict that could lead to more than five million people to leave the country.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
