Ukraine rejected on Monday the humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus proposed by Moscow and is preparing for new offensives in several areas of the country, including Kiev, after a night of violent bombing.
The Russian offensive, launched on February 24, has driven more than 1.5 million people out of Ukraine and many more have been displaced within the country or trapped in cities bombed by Russia. In addition, the worsening of the conflict is also causing financial turbulence and a dizzying increase in the price of oil and gold.
The Russian army announced this Monday morning the temporary suspension of attacks in some areas “for humanitarian purposes” and the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from Kiev, Kharkov, the besieged port of Mariupol and the town of Sumy, near the Russian border.
But half of these corridors go to Russia and Belarus and the Ukrainian government rejected the proposal outright.
“It’s not an acceptable option.” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said. Civilians evacuated from the cities of Kharkiv, Kiev, Mariupol and Sumy “They will not go to Belarus and then take the plane and go to Russia”, he warned.
“Kiev will resist!”
“The enemy continues the offensive operation against Ukraine, focused on surrounding Kiev, Kharkov, Chernigov, Sumy and Mykolayiv”, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had previously reported in a statement.
The Russian forcesbegan to accumulate resources to attack Kiev”, he added.
“The Russian occupiers try to concentrate their forces for a new series of attacks”, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Facebook.
In the capital, Ukrainian soldiers were seen preparing for a possible Russian attack. They planted explosives on what they say is the last intact bridge in the path of the Russian forces.
“The capital prepares to defend itself”, said the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, on the Telegram application. “Kiev will resist! He will defend himself!” he added.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing to bomb Odessa, a strategic port on the Black Sea.
In Lugansk, under the control of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, a massive explosion sparked a fire at an oil depot on Monday, according to the Russian Interfax news agency.
“Dead bodies everywhere”
The missile attack on Vinnytsia airport, some 200 km southwest of Kiev, killed five civilians and four military personnel on Sunday, according to Ukrainian rescuers.
Hundreds of civilians have lost their lives and thousands have been injured in this war. To the dead is added a painful exodus to neighboring countries that leaves images that challenge the entire world.
In the port city of Mariupol, a new attempt to allow civilians to leave failed on Sunday due to non-respect of an agreed ceasefire, of which the Russians and Ukrainians accuse each other.
In this strategic city on the shores of the Sea of Azov they live “devastating scenes of human suffering”, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
One family who made it out of the city described the dire conditions they endured.
“We spent seven days in a basement with no heat, electricity or internet, and we ran out of water and food”, said a person who requested anonymity upon arrival in Dnipro, in central Ukraine.
“On the road we saw corpses everywhere, Russians and Ukrainians… We saw that people were buried in their cellars”, he added.
In Irpin, a small town on the outskirts of Kiev, the mayor said he saw two adults and two children dead “before your eyes” when a bomb fell on them.
“They are monsters. Irpin is at war, Irpin has not surrendered”, Oleksandr Markushyn wrote on the Telegram network, however, admitting that part of the city is in Russian hands.
Stocks fall, oil and gas rise
Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions against companies, banks and oligarchs to stifle the Russian economy and pressure Moscow to stop its assault.
The United States admitted that it is considering the option of prohibiting the import of Russian oil, which caused the price of Brent crude to touch 140 dollars, very close to its historical record. The prices of aluminum and copper also registered unprecedented prices on Monday.
The price of oil, which could accentuate an already high inflation, caused the main European stock markets to register declines of more than 4% on Monday. Meanwhile, European natural gas soared 60%, to more than 300 euros per megawatt-hour, in a scenario of fear of a possible cut in deliveries from Russia.
Putin likened these economic retaliation to a declaration of war, promising that Russia will achieve “neutralize” to Ukraine, “either by negotiation or by war.”
A dissonant voice in this international context, China reiterated on Monday its “solid as a rock” friendship with Russia, but said it was willing to participate in a peace mediation “if necessary”.
A third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks is scheduled for Monday, but expectations are not good. The Russian president has set as a precondition the acceptance by Kiev of all Moscow’s demands, especially the demilitarization of Ukraine and a neutral status for the country.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation last week into the situation in Ukraine and the United States indicated that it had information “very believable” about war crimes committed by Russia.
“We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will punish all who committed atrocities in this war against our land.” Zelensky said on Sunday. “They will have no quiet place on this Earth except the grave.”
Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have asked Interpol to suspend Moscow from the international police organization, British Home Secretary Priti Patel said.
And at the beginning of the hearings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) this Monday, within a request launched by Ukraine, Russia was absent in the court based in The Hague.
Finally, the safety of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants is also causing great concern, following the Russian attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear facility, the largest in Europe. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the UN expressed on Sunday its “deep concern” due to the situation of the plant, now controlled by Russia and where the management and staff would not be able to carry out their work correctly.
Source: Gestion
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