On Tuesday, the sixth day of the conflict, a 40-mile convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles attacked Ukraine’s capital. Moscow has found itself increasingly diplomatically isolated as it continues bombardment of Ukraine’s second-largest city despite heavy economic sanctions that have left Russia’s ruble tumbling.
Ukraine and Russia agreed to another meeting after a five-hour first round of negotiations failed to bring an end to the conflict. To his credit, Ukraine’s embattled president said that the increased bombardment was aimed at pressuring him into submission.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated late Monday that “I believe Russia is attempting to exert pressure (on Ukraine) using this easy way.” Though he did not go into specifics, he stated Kyiv was unwilling to make compromises “when one side is striking another with rocket fire” during Monday’s discussions.
“Kyiv is the primary aim for the adversary,” Zelenskyy stated. “Because we refused to allow them to breach the capital’s defences, they sent saboteurs our way. All of them will be destroyed by us.”
Vladimir Putin’s “special operation” in Ukraine is targeting a thermal power plant that supplies electricity to the city of Kyiv, which has a population of three million.
Ferocious ground opposition and an unexpected inability to command skies has slowed Russia’s military down six days into the invasion. Meanwhile, many Ukrainian people spent another night in shelters, basements, or subway passageways as the conflict raged on in Ukraine.
With tears streaming down her face and her cat in her arms, Alexandra Mikhailova said, “I wish that these discussions succeed so that they find a deal to cease the massacre.” Parents huddled their children close to them to provide comfort and warmth.
Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also claimed to have been hit by a Russian airstrike, killing scores of civilians. The casualty statistics could not be independently verified.
Military Minister Oleksiy Reznik remarked on Facebook that “barbaric rocket assaults and MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems) on peaceful cities are proof that they can no longer resist armed Ukrainians”.
The Kremlin has raised the danger of nuclear war twice in the space of a few days and put its nuclear weapons on high alert. President Vladimir Putin escalated his vitriol, calling the US and its allies an “empire of falsehoods.”
Invasion of Kherson by Russian forces
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops have arrived in Kherson, a southern Ukrainian city that is near Moscow-controlled Crimea, and are establishing checkpoints around the city.
According to Igor Kolykhayev, mayor of Kherson: “The Russian army is building up checkpoints at the exits to Kherson.” He declared, “Kherson has always been and always will be a Ukrainian.”
The Russian military was filmed entering Kherson by local media outlets.
“It is my duty to safeguard the people of our city in whatever manner that I am able,” Kholykhayev stated.
A curfew was imposed, and he encouraged residents to stay inside their houses.
“Your lives are the most valuable resource our city has. A conflict has broken out between the two factions,” he stated. About 280,000 people live in Kherson, which is north of the Crimea peninsula, which was taken by Russia in 2014. On Sunday, Russia said that the city was under siege.
The port city of Berdyansk, located on the Azov Sea north-west of Crimea, is likewise claimed by the Russian military.
Violence tore apart other cities and towns. According to Zelenskyy advisor Oleksiy Arestovich, the Sea of Azov port city of Mariupol is “hanging on.” In the eastern city of Sumy, an oil storage was claimed to have been attacked.
They killed more than 70 Ukrainian servicemen as Russian fire struck an army post in Okhtyrka, a city located between Kharkiv and Kyiv. A four-story building’s burned shell and rescuers digging through the debris were seen on camera by Dmytro Zhyvytskyy.
Numerous Russian servicemen and some local citizens were also slain in Sunday’s conflict. Confirmation of the report was not possible amid ongoing hostilities.
Talks aimed at ending the hostilities
Monday’s ceasefire talks between Russia and its southern neighbour failed to produce a breakthrough; negotiations have not yet been scheduled for a second round.
According to Vladimir Medinsky, a senior advisor to Vladimir Putin and leader of the Russian delegation, there were “some topics on which similar stances may be anticipated” during the first talks between the two countries since the invasion. According to him, they’ve decided to continue talking about it in the coming days.
The troubled Ukraine, meanwhile, took a symbolic step toward closer relations with the West by asking to join the European Union. Putin, who has long accused the United States of attempting to remove Ukraine from Moscow’s orbit, will be troubled with this move.
As international sanctions on Russia continue to escalate, Vladimir Putin’s actions last week have resulted in the worst attack on a European country since World War II, which has resulted in a near 30 percent drop in Russia’s currency on Monday.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ [email protected]
