Russian forces fired rockets at a ringed steel complex in Mariupol, Ukraine’s southern port city, and dense smoke clouded the skies above the plant, where officials estimated 200 citizens were stranded despite evacuations on Tuesday.
After failing to conquer the capital of Kyiv, Russia launched an offensive in the east and south, prompting promises from Western nations to arm Ukraine with more powerful weapons. In an effort to pinch Moscow’s war fund, the European Commission is set to finalise a ban on buying Russian oil on Tuesday.
The United States Congress is proposing a $33 billion military aid package, while the United Kingdom announced this week that it will provide an additional $375 million in defence funding.
On Monday, Reuters photos from the outskirts of Russian-occupied Mariupol showed volleys of rockets fired from a Russian truck-mounted launcher towards the massive Soviet-era steel plant.
Following a UN-brokered ceasefire outside the complex, multiple groups of residents have been able to flee Mariupol’s last stronghold of Ukrainian fighters in recent days. It was unclear whether new fighting was impeding other evacuations.
Vadym Boychenko, the mayor of Mariupol, said he hoped a first column of evacuees would arrive in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday, but that additional citizens were trapped in bunkers and tunnels beneath the complex and that 100,000 people remained in the city.
‘You cry when you wake up in the morning. In the evening, you cry. I’m at a loss for where to go ‘Tatyana Bushlanova, a Mariupol resident, was sitting near a burned apartment building, chatting over the sound of shells exploding nearby.
Russia wants to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea and connect Russian-controlled territories in the south and east, therefore Mariupol is a primary target.
Since Russian military entered Ukraine on February 24, cities have been levelled, thousands of civilians have been dead, and more than five million people have fled the nation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s battle has now moved to the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists previously controlled sections.
Russia’s troops are attempting to encircle a big Ukrainian force in the area, striking from three directions and bombarding the front with enormous artillery fire. Russia’s actions in Ukraine are described as a ‘special operation’ aimed at disarming Ukraine and protecting it from fascists.
The allegations of fascism are unfounded, according to Ukraine and the West, and the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.
Ukraine’s Western allies have increased deliveries of more heavier weapons. Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s First Lady, has begged the West to retain its support.
‘We implore you not to stop; we ask you to speed up the delivery of heavy weapons,’ she said on British television, adding that she hadn’t seen President Volodymyr Zelenskiy since the invasion began.
In an interview released on Tuesday, Pope Francis said he had requested a meeting with Putin in Moscow to try to end the war but had not gotten a response. According to Macron’s office, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
On Tuesday in Brussels, the European Commission is set to finalise a proposed sixth package of EU penalties on Russia, which could include a ban on buying Russian oil. In a significant move, Germany stated that it was willing to support an immediate oil embargo.
Kyiv claims that Russia’s energy exports to Europe, which have mostly escaped international sanctions so far, are fuelling the Kremlin’s war effort.
In his nightly video message, Zelenskiy added, ‘This package should include concrete steps to prevent Russia’s earnings from energy resources.’
According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, EU countries have paid Russia more than 47 billion euros ($47.43 billion) for gas and oil since the invasion of Ukraine.
When EU ambassadors gather on Wednesday, they will consider the proposed measures. On Tuesday, Putin retaliated with economic measures on ‘unfriendly’ foreign countries.
According to the publication, Pope Francis was told by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that Russia intended to conclude the war on May 9, which Russia commemorates as ‘Victory Day,’ celebrating Nazi Germany’s capitulation in 1945.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, stated earlier this week that Moscow would not rush to meet the symbolic deadline.
The Ukrainian military stated on Tuesday that Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, was being bombarded, as it had been since the invasion began.
The European Commission is expected to finalise a proposed sixth package of EU sanctions on Russia on Tuesday in Brussels, which could include a ban on buying Russian oil. Germany made a strong statement by stating that it would support an immediate oil embargo.
According to Kyiv, Russia’s energy exports to Europe, which have so far mostly eluded international sanctions, are funding the Kremlin’s war campaign.
‘This package should contain tangible actions to restrict Russia’s earnings from energy resources,’ Zelenskiy stated in his nightly video message.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, EU countries have paid Russia more than 47 billion euros ($47.43 billion) for gas and oil, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Heavy fighting erupted in the Luhansk suburb of Popasna. According to regional governor Serhiy Gaidai, the shelling was so heavy that collecting bodies was impossible.
If you’re looking for a unique ‘I’m not even going to mention what’s going on with the residents of Popasna, Rubizhne, and Novotoshkivske right now. These cities are no longer in existence. They’ve absolutely annihilated them.’
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