As a result of the first seven days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians have died during the bombardment and clashes that besiege the country., as reported on Wednesday by the State Emergency Service (DNS) of that nation. The figure, however, three days ago did not reach half a thousand, an example of how the Russian military offensive has intensified in recent days.
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(Due to the public interest that the events between Russia and Ukraine arouse, all our coverage of that invasion and related actions will have free access for all readers of EL TIEMPO)
“During the seven days of the war, Russia has destroyed hundreds of transport infrastructure, homes, hospitals and nurseries. In this time, more than 2,000 Ukrainians have died, not counting our defenders,” the official statement said.
Among them, 21 children have died and 55 have been injured, according to Liudmila Denísova, Ombudsman, who advocated creating a no-fly zone over Ukraine, considering that it would save many lives.
The Russian bombings are beginning to take their toll on the civilian population, especially in the Russian-speaking regions, which are offering much more resistance than the Kremlin expected. In the midst of this fighting, both countries are preparing today to meet in Belarus for a second round of negotiations.
Russian operations in Ukraine, however, have run their course. The Moscow army advanced this Wednesday in the east and south of the country, where it is trying to build a land corridor between Donbas and the annexed Crimean peninsula, and also announced that they took control of Kherson.
Kharkiv, one of the country’s main cities, was once again the scene of intense fighting on Wednesday. Once again, government buildings and military academies were the epicenter of Russian bombing.
The building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), one of the priority objectives of the Russian army during this military campaign, was also destroyed. During the early morning Russian airborne forces landed in the city, taking control of the train station and the river port, according to the mayor, Igor Kolijáyev.
What’s more, Russian troops increased pressure in the siege on Mariupol, a strategic city located in the Donetsk region and bathed by the Azov Sea coastas is the case with Nikolayev, while they already control Melitopol, in the Zaporozhye region.
“The Russian military does not put obstacles to the exit of the civilian population,” assured the Ministry of Defense, although Moscow does not intend to stop its offensive, as several senior officials have already assured this week.
However, the advance of a Russian military convoy towards Kiev was stalled between the last 24 and 36 hours by the Ukrainian resistance and because the Russians would be regrouping and evaluating the progress they have not achieved, the Pentagon reported on Wednesday.
The spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, assured in a press conference that another reason for the stagnation of that military caravan is “logistical and maintenance challenges.”
at the time, The United States said it fears a rise in civilian casualties, at a time when the Russian military appears determined to bomb major cities to bolster the Ukrainian surrender.yes
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“We anticipate more use of artillery when they approach urban centers and when they try to surround them,” an official who requested anonymity told reporters.
On the other hand, and for the first time in seven days of military offensive, Russia admitted the death of 498 of its soldiers in the war, in addition to 1,597 wounded soldiers, according to Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashénkov.
In the midst of this new day of military offensive, Russia and Ukraine are preparing for a second round of negotiations. Today there will be talks on Belarusian territory, but this time in Belovézhskaya Puscha, in the Brest region, closer to Poland.
“We are ready for negotiations, we are open for diplomacy, but we are by no means ready to accept Russian ultimatums,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said. For its part, Russia assured that the negotiations with Ukraine will include discussions on a ceasefire.
UN repudiation and sanctions
The United Nations General Assembly adopted this Wednesday by an overwhelming majority a resolution to demand that Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine and “deplore” the aggression inflicted on its neighboring country. With 141 votes in favor, 5 against, (Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria) and 35 abstentions (China, Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua and Pakistan, among others) the non-binding resolution was approved.
Brazil, despite the fact that its president, Jair Bolsonaro, affirmed on Sunday that he will continue “in neutrality” in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, voted in favor of the resolution. Like Mexico and the rest of the Latin American countries that did not abstain.
The text “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” in violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits its members from resorting to the threat or use of force and urges all members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of any State.
On the other hand, the UN also assured that more than 874,000 Ukrainians have been forced to leave the country in search of a safe place.. “End hostilities in Ukraine, now. Open the door to dialogue and diplomacy, now”, said António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Wednesday the opening of an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. “I have just notified the ICC Presidency of my decision to immediately proceed with active investigations into the situation in Ukraine,” the prosecutor, Karim Khan, wrote.
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On the other hand, the West continued to tighten its sanctions against Russia. The United States announced on Wednesday that it has sanctioned 22 entities related to the Russian defense sector and established restrictions on the export of technology that Moscow can use to refine oil. And the US Commerce Department extended to Belarus the export controls it has imposed on Russia, in order to “significantly degrade” Minsk’s ability to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
For their part, the countries of the European Union (EU) excluded seven Russian banks, sanctioned for the invasion, from the Swift financial transaction system, according to a decision published this Wednesday in the bloc’s Official Gazette. In the list of sanctioned banks, VTB stands out, the second largest in Russia.
However, the measure does not affect the largest Russian bank, Sberbank, or Gazprombank, through which European payments for Russian oil and gas imports are processed. Banks Ban Otkritie, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, Rossiya Bank, Soccombank and VEB were also sanctioned.
However, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, gave some harsh statements about the sanctions. Lavrov said that US President Joe Biden knows that the only alternative to sanctions against Russia is a third world war and that it would be “a devastating nuclear war”, in statements to Qatari television Al Jazeera.
By the way, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, María Zajárova, affirmed this Wednesday that her country under no circumstances intends to press “the red nuclear button”, after the recent order of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to put in a “regime special service” the Russian nuclear forces.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and Efe
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