This has been the first week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

After months of tension, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine nine days ago, which has left 2,000 civilians dead, according to calculations by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service.

This Friday, in an emergency meeting, the UN Human Rights Council approved the creation of a independent commission of experts to investigate human rights violations perpetrated by Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.

The Council, made up of 47 countries, adopted this Friday the resolution to create that commission with 32 votes in favor, 13 abstentions (including those of China, Cuba and Venezuela) and only two votes against (Russia itself and Eritrea).

According to a senior US defense official, Russia has already launched some 500 missiles at Ukraine since the invasion began more than a week ago.

US intelligence data says Russian forces have barely advanced since Thursday and are 25 kilometers away from the country’s capital, Kiev.

However, only 10 kilometers separate them from the center of the cities of Chernigov and Kharkov, in the north of the country, which means that the soldiers are really on the outskirts of those cities, since they are very widespread on the surface, added the aforementioned official.

According to the United States, Moscow is having more success in its invasion of the southern part of Ukraine.

Attack on nuclear power plant

The Thursday night, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, considered the largest in Europe, suffered a fire after being attacked by Russian forces.

This Friday, the Russian forces announced that they occupy the Ukrainian nuclear territory of Zaporizhia, indicated the inspection agency of the atomic plants of Ukraine, which assured that no radioactive leak was detected.

Regarding the attack on the nuclear power plant, the foreign ministers of the G7: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany -president on duty-, They urged Russia to end the attacks, in particular “in the immediate vicinity of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.” In addition, they expressed their support for the initiative of the IAEA director general to reach an agreement between Kiev and Moscow that guarantees the safety of nuclear power plants.

Putin confident in his actions

“The special military operation is proceeding according to schedule, as planned,” Putin said. at a meeting of its Security Council.

In a previous conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Putin promised to continue his offensive “without concessions”. After that conversation, Macron concluded that “the worst is yet to come” in the conflict in Ukraine.

In response, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr ZelenskyHe called for greater support from Western powers and warned that if his country is defeated, Russia will not hesitate to attack the Baltic states and the rest of Europe.

More than 1 million have fled Ukraine

More than 1.2 million refugees in nine days. About 134,000 on average every 24 hours. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused an unprecedented exodus in Europe in decades, which is spreading from bordering countries, such as Poland and Romania, to Germany or the Czech Republic.

The number of people who have left Ukraine has been growing as the Russian attack increases in violence and the invading troops penetrate further into the country: if on Monday there were 500,000, two days later they were already 875,000 and today they are 1.2 million, according to reports UNHCR, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

First humanitarian flight arrives in Quito with 248 Ecuadorians evacuated from Ukraine

By comparison, in the whole of 2015, a million people arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean Sea fleeing poverty and bloody conflicts in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan.

The UN assessed this week that the war in Ukraine could cause up to ten million people, almost 25% of the country’s population, to have to flee their homes. Of these, four million would seek refuge in neighboring countries. Ukraine borders seven countries: Russia to the north and east, Belarus to the north, Poland and Slovakia to the west, and Romania, Hungary, and Moldova to the southwest.

humanitarian corridors

A second meeting between representatives of Russia and Ukraine on Thursday approved a temporary humanitarian ceasefire to allow the passage of civilians. For this reason, this Friday Ukraine asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to help “urgently” in the creation of nine humanitarian corridors.

Ukraine and Russia agree to a temporary ceasefire with humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians

The Russian Ministry of Defense, under the command of Sergei Shoigú, assured the UN secretary, Antonio Guterres, that its troops have already created humanitarian corridors in the areas under their control, through which they have evacuated almost 150,000 people.

The possible opening of humanitarian corridors was the main result of negotiations held on Thursday between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, which the Kiev Government wants to establish in nine places: Sumy in the northeast, Chernyov (northeast), Kharkov (east), Kiev (north), Mykolaiv (south), Zaporizhia (southeast), Kherson (south), and the Lugansk and Donetsk regions (east).

Italian hospitals are already working to create a humanitarian corridor and be able to care for the wounded and sick fleeing from Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, announced the president of the Italian Federation of Health Authorities and Hospitals (Fiaso), Giovanni Migliore.

They also work to create corridors and allow orphaned children from Ukraine to reach the country safely as soon as possible, and to be welcomed in the best possible conditions once they are on Italian territory.

Refugees from 170 countries

More than half of those who have fled so far have reached Poland. His president, Andrzej Duda, promised today that his country will take in whoever needs it, but also announced that if the numbers continue to grow, he will have to ask other countries for help.

Ukraine has been a study destination for many young people from countries in Africa, Central Asia and India for years. There were an estimated 80,000 international students in the country in 2020, who are also now trying to escape the war.

In fact, the The UN has reported “racist” episodes in which citizens of African or Asian countries were discriminated against when trying to leave Ukraine.

From Moldova to Romania

With just 8,000 inhabitants, the city of Siret has become the gateway for many of the 167,000 refugees who have passed through Romania on their flight from Ukraine. More than half had previously passed through Moldova.

After entering Romania, most continue their way to countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

According to a volunteer, only in the Romanian province of Suceava there are more than 8,500 offers of these accommodations (pensions, hotels, community centers), even more than the number of refugees to be accommodated.

“So far we have given shelter in our center to more than 3,000 refugees”tells Efe Ovidiu Ursaciuc, from the religious organization Fight for Freedom.

This NGO has enabled the center where prisoners were housed in the phase of social reintegration to deal with the emergency, and also helps refugees find and finance transportation to their final destination. (I)