Category: Russia-Ukraine conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered a daily minute of silence to remember the soldiers and civilians who have died in Russia’s attack on the country.

“Every morning at 9.00 a.m. we will remember the Ukrainians who gave their lives,” Zelensky said in a video posted on social media on Wednesday.

READ ALSO: Ukraine says over 100 children killed so far

Zelensky also called for Russia to be internationally outlawed as a terrorist state.

“The Russian state has turned into an open terrorist and it is not embarrassed by this.

“Kidnapping of mayors and lawmakers in Russian-occupied territories, as well as the case of a hospital in the port city of Mariupol where the Russian military is said to be holding about 400 employees,” he said. (dpa/NAN)

Over 100 children have been killed since the Russian attack on Ukraine began, according to Kiev.

“Today, a tragic bloody line was crossed,” the Ukrainian Defence Ministry tweeted on Wednesday, referring to the figure.

“Russia will be held to account and will pay for everything,” the ministry said.

Ukraine’s prosecutor general later said that 103 children had been confirmed dead so far and another 100 were wounded.

READ ALSO: Ukraine war: Zelensky urges Russian troops to surrender

“The invaders are killing at least five children every day,” Iryna Venediktova, member of the Parliament of Ukraine wrote in a Facebook post.

She added that the numbers were not complete as authorities did not have access to information in contested areas.

Around 400 school buildings and teaching facilities were attacked and about 60 were completely destroyed, Venediktova said, calling on the UN to investigate.(dpa/NAN)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russian soldiers to surrender.

In his nightly TV address, he said Russian forces had suffered worse losses during their invasion of his country than in the Chechnya conflict.

He said they had already begun to understand that they would not achieve anything by war.

“I know that you want to survive,” he said, adding that those who surrendered would be treated “as people, decently”.

Mr Zelensky also paid tribute to Marina Ovsyannikova, the woman who interrupted Russian state TV news by holding up an anti-war sign.

He said he was “grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to convey the truth” and who fought disinformation.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are expected to continue on Tuesday, with Mr Zelensky saying “pretty good” progress had been made so far.

Later, in a video call to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and representatives from the multinational Joint Expeditionary Force, the Ukrainian leader once again berated Nato over its refusal to implement a no-fly zone.

Mr Zelensky said Nato was “the strongest alliance in the world” but “some of the members of this alliance are hypnotised by Russian aggression”.

He added that Vladimir Putin’s invasion had undermined European security infrastructure and that fears of World War Three were allowing Russia to bombard peaceful cities.

Read Also: World Court to rule on emergency measures in Ukraine, Russia case

In another diplomatic move, the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers are on their way by train to Kyiv to meet Mr Zelensky.

The Polish government said in a statement that the visit was intended “to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and to present a broad package of support for the Ukrainian state and society”.

However, authorities in the beleaguered capital have announced a 35-hour curfew to begin at 20:00 local time on Tuesday.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said it would last until 07:00 on Thursday, adding that it came at “a difficult and dangerous moment”.

In other developments:

The Russian bombardment of Kyiv is continuing, with a residential building set ablaze after explosions were heard in the capital
Russia’s defence ministry spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, said Russian forces had taken full control of all territory in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region
The death toll from Monday’s air strike on a TV tower in Ukraine’s northern Rivne region has risen to at least 19, local governor Vitaliy Koval said
Addressing the Russian invaders, Mr Zelensky said: “We hear your conversations in the intercepts, we hear what you really think about this senseless war, about this disgrace and about your state.”

Therefore, he said, he was offering them a choice on behalf of the Ukrainian people.

“If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated. As people, decently.

“In a way you were not treated in your army. And in a way your army does not treat ours. Choose!”

 

BBC

International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday would rule on emergency measures sought by Ukraine in a case against Russia, including an order for Moscow to stop its military campaign.

The decision by the top United Nations court, also known as the “World Court”, would be read out in The Hague’s Peace Palace at 4 p.m. local time (1500 GMT).

Although the court’s rulings are binding, it has no direct means of enforcing them and in rare cases; countries have ignored them, in the past.

Ukraine filed its case shortly after Russia’s invasion began on Feb. 24, saying that Russia’s apparent justification that it was acting to prevent genocide in Eastern Ukraine, was unfounded.

At the hearings, Ukraine said there was no threat of genocide in Eastern Ukraine, and the U.N.’s 1948 Genocide Convention, which both countries have signed, does not allow an invasion to prevent one.

Read Also: U.S. government to provide extra $186m for Ukrainian refugees

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the invasion as a “special military action” needed “to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide”, meaning those whose first or only language was Russian in eastern Ukraine.

Russia said it skipped World Court hearings on March 7 “in light of the apparent absurdity of the lawsuit”.

However, Moscow did file a written document with the court saying the ICJ should not impose any measures.

Russia argued that Putin’s use of the word “genocide” does not automatically imply that it was basing its actions on the Genocide Convention.

Without a dispute over the interpretation of the treaty, the court has no jurisdiction, Russia argued.

In an urgent situation the court can order emergency measures in a matter of days, even before it decides on whether it has jurisdiction in a case.

It usually takes many months, while decisions on the actual merits of a case take years.

 

(Reuters/NAN)

The U.S. government announced it would provide an additional 186 million dollars in humanitarian aid for refugees that have fled the war in Ukraine.

“The additional humanitarian assistance for refugees in Ukraine’s neighboring countries supports the provision of food, safe drinking water, protection, accessible shelter, and emergency health care.

“Through the support of our international and non-governmental partners,” a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Blinken noted the U.S. has provided nearly 293 million dollars in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and in the region since Russia started its invasion in late February.

Read Also: Ukraine: Kyiv Mayor to impose curfew as Russia steps up attacks

He said that makes it the largest single-country donor of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The top U.S. diplomat reiterated calls for an immediate end to Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine.

He urges Russia to facilitate humanitarian access and safe passage to those in Ukraine who wish to leave.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday also signed a bill providing Ukraine with 13.6 billion dollars to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the impact on surrounding countries.

It is part of a 1.5-trillion-dollar measure funding the U.S. government for the year.(dpa/NAN)

United States is supporting Ukrainian Internally Displaced People (IDPs) with an additional over $186 million.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken made the announcement on Tuesday.

Blinken, in a statement, said the additional humanitarian assistance would support internally displaced persons and the more than three million refugees affected by Russia’s “premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified war in Ukraine”.

He added: “This will provide further support for humanitarian organisations responding to the crisis and complement the generosity of the neighboring countries that are welcoming and supporting refugees.

“We call for an immediate end to Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine and for Russia to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access in Ukraine and safe passage for those who seek to leave the cities where they are trapped.  Humanitarian aid deliveries must be allowed to continue without interference, and humanitarian workers must have safe passage to deliver aid and assistance to those in need.”

The United States, Blinken noted, is the largest single-country donor of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, including providing nearly $293 million in humanitarian assistance both inside Ukraine and in the region since late February.

“Our funding to-date amounts to nearly $644 million to vulnerable communities in the region since Russia first invaded Ukraine eight years ago.  Our humanitarian assistance flows through independent humanitarian organisations that deliver needs-based assistance with impartiality, humanity, neutrality, and independence.

“The additional humanitarian assistance for refugees in Ukraine’s neighboring countries supports the provision of food, safe drinking water, protection, accessible shelter, and emergency health care through the support of our international and non-governmental partners. This funding will also help victims of this conflict maintain contact with family members who have been separated and promote family reunification when possible,” he said.

He hailed the hospitality of the neighbouring countries hosting fleeing Ukraine and urged the international community to respond to the needs of those seeking protection.”

He called for the contributions of other donors toward the humanitarian needs in Ukraine and the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed directly to Russian soldiers to surrender in his latest video address.

In a video posted early on Telegram early Tuesday, Zelensky told the invading forces to surrender and have a chance to live.

He said: “On behalf of the Ukrainian people, we give you a chance, a chance to survive.

According to the translation provided with the video, Zelenskyy said: “If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you as people are supposed to be treated, as people, decently. Somehow you weren’t treated in your army. And somehow your army doesn’t treat ours.”

He added that his country’s fighters continue to resist the invasion and have inflicted significant damage on the Russian army.

“You have it all figured out already. You won’t take anything from Ukraine. You will take lives. There’s a lot of you. But your life will also be taken. But why should you die? Why? I know you want to survive,” he said.

He added that the Russian forces will face a new trial for committing war crimes.

READ ALSO: Zelenskyy warns of ‘new stage of terror’ as Russian troops kidnap city’s mayor

“Responsibility for the Russian military’s war crimes is inevitable,” Zelenskyy warned. “Responsibility for a deliberate humanitarian disaster in Ukrainian cities is inevitable.”

Zelenskyy also pleaded with ordinary Russians to continue to resist Russian President Vladimir Putin’s disinformation campaign.

State media in Russia used the term “special military operation” instead of “war” to describe the fighting and falsely claim Ukraine is ruled by neo-Nazis, according to the BBC.

Zelenskyy made a special mention of Marina Ovsyannikov, the TV editor who stormed the Channel One news set with a poster saying, “Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They lie to you,” in Russian.

“Until your country has completely closed itself off from the whole world, turning into a very big North Korea, you have to fight. You must not lose your chance,” he said.