The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, participated this May 23 via the Internet in the Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in which he called for stronger measures to suffocate Moscow’s economy. Or else, he pointed out that a precedent will be set with which the Kremlin will be an inspiration for other war actors in the future. Meanwhile, a kyiv court has sentenced the first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian.
On the 89th day of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, kyiv urges the world’s economic leaders to issue greater financial sanctions against Moscow, in the framework of the Davos summit.
Also, a Ukrainian court issues its first war crimes sentence against a 21-year-old Russian soldier, found guilty of murdering a 62-year-old man. The young man has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Meanwhile, fighting continues between the forces of the two countries, especially in eastern Ukraine.
These are the main news this May 23:
- 07:01 (BOG) More than 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled the war
In its most recent update on the numbers of refugees left by the conflict, the United Nations Organization indicated that 6,538,998 Ukrainians have been forced to leave their country, since Moscow began large-scale attacks on February 24.
Most of the refugees are in neighboring Poland. Others have fled to nations such as Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, among others. However, the situation also leaves thousands of internally displaced persons.
- 06:40 (BOG) Kyiv reports 87 military dead, worst loss in a single attack
The Ukrainian government acknowledged this Monday, May 23, its worst military losses in a single attack. He claimed that 87 people were killed on May 17 when Russian forces attacked a military barracks housing troops at a training base in the north of the country.
Ukraine had previously said that at least eight people were killed in the assault, though it has provided few details. The death toll is more than double that recorded in a similar attack on a Ukrainian training base in Yaraviv, in the west, last March.
- 6:33 (BOG) Russia says it would resume peace talks if Ukraine is “constructive”
Speaking on the issue of the exchange of prisoners captured by Russia at the Azovstal steel mill, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko did not rule out further discussions with kyiv for an eventual end to the conflict.
The official assured that his country will be ready to return to negotiations with Ukraine “as soon as kyiv shows a constructive position.”
Although it did not specify its position, Moscow has called for the demilitarization of Ukraine, the cession of territories, the recognition of the separation of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, in the east of the nation, and guarantees that kyiv would never join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
For its part, Ukraine ratifies the defense of its sovereignty and democracy and this May 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that his country is not willing to hand over territories.
- 06:12 (BOG) Ukrainian soldiers who left Azovstal to be tried in Donetsk court
The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, assured that the Ukrainian fighters who fought for weeks at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, and who finally surrendered to the Russian troops, will be brought to trial before a court of the pro-Russian separatist region.
“Azovstal prisoners are detained on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (…) The organization of an international court on the territory of the republic is also planned,” Pushilin was quoted as saying by the Russian state news agency, Interfax.
However, he did not specify what charges the Ukrainian soldiers would face. Azovstal, one of the largest steel factories in Europe, became a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. Around 2,000 military personnel endured weeks of intense Russian bombardment there, and close to 1,000 civilians took refuge with them.
The military insisted on fighting to the end and later, according to kyiv, they engaged in direct combat with Russian soldiers who entered the place, although Moscow denies this. Surrounded by explosive mines and in the midst of a shortage of weapons, food and with dozens of them wounded, the Ukrainian government affirms that it asked its soldiers to leave there to save their lives, while Moscow speaks of a surrender.
- 5:55 (BOG) Ukraine extends martial law until August 23
After the Ukrainian Parliament voted on Sunday May 22 by an absolute majority in favor of the decree, the country extends martial law for three months, until next August 23.
It is the third extension of martial law in Ukraine, while Russia continues its offensive, especially concentrated in the Donbass region, east of the attacked country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky first signed the decree along with a call for general military mobilization on February 24, the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he calls a “special military operation” against his neighboring nation. .
- 5:45 (BOG) First Russian soldier sentenced to life in prison for war crimes in Ukraine
The Russian soldier, Vadim Shishimarin, 21, must spend the rest of his life behind bars, as sentenced on Monday, May 23, by a kyiv court, in which he was tried for war crimes.
The young man was specifically convicted of murdering a 62-year-old man, a fact to which he pleaded guilty during the trial.
The events occurred on February 28, four days after the Kremlin ordered the war, in the village of Chupakhivka, in northeastern Ukraine.
Judge Serhiy Agafonov stated that Shishimarin, following a “criminal order” from a higher-ranking military officer, fired several shots at the victim’s head with an automatic weapon.
Shishimarin, wearing a blue and gray hoodie, watched the proceedings quietly from a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
The trial has huge symbolic meaning for Ukraine, which accuses Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during its attempt to invade the country. Local authorities say they have identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes, including rapes against women and children, torture and executions of civilians, among others.
Despite the complaints of the victims, and evidence pointed out by organizations such as the United Nations, Moscow insists on rejecting the accusations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said his government is “concerned” about his military situation, “but we do not have the ability to protect his interests in person,” he said.
- 5:33 (BOG) Zelensky asks Davos for stronger economic sanctions against Russia
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, assured through a virtual link to the world’s business leaders, at the forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the world is facing a turning point, for which “maximum sanctions” against Russia are necessary. as a warning to other countries considering using brute force.
“History is at a turning point (…) This is really the moment when it is decided whether brute force will rule the world,” said the Ukrainian head of state.
Zelensky noted that not taking enough action to hit Moscow’s economy for launching war against its neighboring country would serve as “inspiration” for other war actors who could make the same decision without fear of strong reprisals.
He also pointed out that in the midst of the experience left by the conflict in Ukraine, it is necessary for the world to create an economic and military cooperation fund, among other aid, for any nation that is attacked.
Zelensky added that his country’s armed forces are pushing back Russian troops from some areas, but further support is still needed for Ukraine to overcome the war.
The president denounced that, meanwhile, between 50 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers die every day at the front of the battle, only in the east of the nation.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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