War UkraineUkrainian President Zelensky confirmed last night that 60 civilians were killed in a Russian attack on a school. And all eyes are on the great military parade in Moscow. What will Vladimir Putin say?
The world has reacted with shock to the bombing of a school building in Bilohorivka, a village in eastern Ukraine. About ninety people took shelter there from the violence of war when they were hit by Russian grenades. President Volodimir Zelenksi said in his daily speech last night that 60 of them were killed. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “shocked” by the attack: “It is another reminder that in this war, like so many other conflicts, it is the civilians who pay the highest price.”
Victory Day
The Russian attack was part of the escalating conflict in eastern and southern Ukraine. The port city of Odessa, not so far from the Romanian border, was also hit again. And the attacks on the remaining defenders of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol continued unabated this weekend. It seems that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is in extra hurry because of the Victory Day celebrations.
Today, May 9, the Russians commemorate their victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. In Moscow, but also elsewhere in the country, this day is celebrated with a big parade. For weeks there has been speculation that Putin can hardly avoid coming up with a special announcement. This could be an announcement of an important victory (eg the ‘liberation’ of the eastern region of Donbas, but also the total conquest of Mariupol). He may also officially declare war on Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, that is still not the case, because it maintains that it is a ‘special military operation’. In the event of a war, general mobilization can be announced, so that conscripts can also be called up to the front. That would massively increase the number of Russian combat troops.
‘Stop the war’
On Victory Day, NATO has once again asked Russia to end the war. “I call on President Putin to immediately end the fighting, withdraw his troops from Ukraine and start peace talks,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with the German newspaper. Die Welt that appears today. “We still stand with Ukraine and fully support its right of self-defense.” He expects Putin to “tell lies about NATO and the West again” during his speech today.
All civilians who were still trapped in the factory complex in Mariupol have now been evacuated. Last night, the last of them arrived safely in territory controlled by Ukraine. The 200-kilometer journey took them two days, as the buses were held up for a long time at Russian checkpoints. Photos include deadly tired children. The soldiers left behind in the Azovstal factory assume they will be executed by the Russians, one of them, Lieutenant Ilia Samoilenko, said. “Surrender is not an option. Russia is not interested in our lives.”
G7: No more Russian oil
The G7, the organization of the major industrialized countries, has decided to stop importing Russian oil. That won’t happen immediately, but it will happen “in the short term and in an organized manner,” according to a statement. Japan, a country that relies heavily on Russian oil, also agrees. “This is a very difficult decision for us,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. “But agreement in the G7 is now the most important thing.” He didn’t say when things will happen.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank, Ukraine’s counter-offensive at Kharkov has forced the Russians into a different tactic. More troops must now move to the area around Ukraine’s second city to prevent the battle from reaching the border with Russia. That also means that other Russian operations are delayed. The ISW also expects Russia to potentially change the status of the separatist ‘people’s republics’ of Donetsk and Luhansk. These could possibly merge into one large Donbas Republic or immediately be added to Russia.
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