Graves of civilians are seen next to residential buildings in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 10, 2022. ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO / Reuters
Ukrainian troops have repulsed several Russian attacks in the east of the country, British intelligence said on Monday, while President Vladimir Zelensky said thousands of Russian troops were gathering for a new offensive.
Russian forces have also called for control of the southern port city of Mariupol, a link between Russian-held areas to the west and east.
“There are tens of thousands killed, but the Russians are not stopping their offensive,” Zelenski told a South Korean parliament via video link.
Reuters could not verify the accuracy of his assessment.
Russia’s invasion – the most serious conflict in Europe since the Balkan wars in the 1990s – has left a mark on the death of destruction, which has drawn condemnation from Western countries and raised concerns about Putin’s broader ambitions.
About a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people have been forced to flee their homes, cities have been destroyed and thousands have been killed or injured – many civilians.
Austrian leader Karl Nechamer plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday and will call for an end to the conflict. This will be Putin’s first face-to-face meeting with an EU leader since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
Russian forces have abandoned their attempt to take the capital Kyiv, at least for now, but are redoubled their efforts in eastern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian shelling continues in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
However, Ukrainian forces have repulsed several attacks and destroyed Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery equipment, according to its regular intelligence bulletin.
Powerful explosions shook cities to the south and east, and air raids sounded in Ukraine early Monday.
MURAT YUKSELIR / GLOSS AND POST, SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS
Zelenski continued his campaign to generate international support and unite his compatriots, warning that next week will be important.
“Russian troops will move to even larger operations in the eastern part of our country. They can use even more missiles against us, even more air bombs. But we are preparing for their actions. We will answer, “he said in a late-night video address.
Addressing the South Korean parliament, he said Russia was concentrating tens of thousands of troops for the next offensive. He asked Seoul for any military assistance it could provide.
Following Russia’s invasion, Zelensky called on Western powers to provide more defense assistance and punish Moscow with tougher sanctions, including an embargo on its energy exports.
Zelenski also said that Mariupol was destroyed. Reuters reporters on Sunday saw several Russian tanks heading for the city.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the Russians were likely to try to disrupt supply lines and strike at transport infrastructure.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says high-precision missiles have destroyed the headquarters of the Ukrainian Dnieper Battalion in the town of Zvonetsky.
In a later statement, the ministry said Russian naval missiles on Sunday destroyed S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems delivered to Ukraine by a European country. The systems were hidden in a hangar on the outskirts of the Dnieper in central Ukraine, the statement said.
Reuters could not confirm the information.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nechamer said he would meet with Putin in Moscow on Monday.
“We are militarily neutral, but we have a clear position on Russia’s aggression against #Ukraine,” Nehamer wrote on Twitter. “He has to stop! There is a need for humanitarian corridors, a ceasefire and a full investigation into war crimes.
Rising civilian casualties have sparked widespread international condemnation and new sanctions.
Lyudmila Zabaluk, head of the Dmitrov village department north of Kyiv, said dozens of civilian bodies had been found in the area.
“There were more than 50 dead. They were shot at close range. There is a car in which a 17-year-old child was burned, only bones remain. One woman’s head was scattered. A little further on, a man lying near his car was burned alive, “she said.
Reuters could not confirm the information.
Moscow has dismissed allegations of war crimes from Ukraine and Western countries. She has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in what she calls a “special operation” to demilitarize and “denationalize” her southern neighbor. Ukraine and Western countries have dismissed this as an unfounded pretext for war. Speaking ahead of a meeting of European ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said Berlin saw “mass indications” of war crimes in Ukraine.
French bank Societe Generale became the last company to withdraw from Russia, agreeing to sell its stake in Rosbank and insurance subsidiaries to Russia’s lender Interros Capital, a company linked to billionaire Vladimir Potanin.
The Russian invasion sparked a series of financial sanctions from the United States, Europe and Britain, prompting Western companies to sell their Russian assets.
SocGen has faced growing pressure to sever ties with Russia and end its more than 15-year investment in Rosbank.
Several EU ministers said on Monday that the bloc’s executive branch was preparing proposals for an oil embargo against Russia, although there was no agreement yet to ban Russian crude oil.
The World Bank predicts on Sunday that the war will lead to a 45% drop in Ukraine’s economic output this year, with half of its businesses shutting down, and grain exports being largely interrupted by Russia’s naval blockade and destruction. economic activity is impossible in many areas.
The bank predicts that Russia’s GDP will shrink by 11.2% this year due to Western sanctions.
Villages dotted on the outskirts of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv bore significant damage on April 6th after shelling by Russian forces.
Reuters
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