In response to the attack on one of its main ships, Russia again fired missiles at Kyiv, stepped up its offensive to the east and demanded the enemy’s surrender at Mariupol; Ukrainians say they will fight “to the end.”
SERGEY BOBOK/AFP
Firefighters try to put out a fire in a residential building after a bomb attack in the center of Kharkiv
On April 1, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrovhe said during his official visit to the Indiathat negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine they were advanced. Moscow expected a neutral stance from the neighboring country, a renunciation of attempts to join NATO and the abandonment of the Donbass region in the east of the country. The statement expressed optimism with signals from both sides pointing to a ceasefire. However, everything collapsed when that morning a fuel depot in the city of Belgorod, Russia, was bombed by Ukrainian forces. From then on, the word “agreement” was dropped from interviews and speeches by the authorities of both countries.
Also this August 1st pictures of civilians killed in the Ukrainian city Rifleon the outskirts of Kyiv, shocked the world. More than 400 civilians were found dead, scattered about the streets or buried in shallow graves. The event led to new sanctions against Russia and rejection from the West. Joe Biden, President of the United States, has called for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes. Moscow was suspended from the UN Human Rights Council by 93 votes in favour, 24 against and 58 abstentions (including Brazil).
The Kremlin denies the allegations, but Ukrainians are adamant, urging Western countries to impose tough sanctions on enemies. “We know of thousands of people who have been killed and tortured, with limbs severed, women raped and children murdered,” he said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. “It’s very difficult to talk when you see what they’ve done here,” he said, making it clear that an agreement has become more difficult.
The result of Belgorod and Bucha was a breathtaking escalation of wartime violence. Bombings by both sides eliminated the already remote chances of a ceasefire agreement. According to the Kremlin, Ukrainian forces have bombed two towns on the border between the two countries in recent days, injuring dozens. Kyiv denies the allegation. Putin’s troops have stepped up the offensive Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, and attacked Kyiv again. Rockets were fired at the Ukrainian capital between Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th. At least five people were killed in a Russian attack on Kharkiv this Sunday the 17th. At least 503 Ukrainian civilians have died in the city since the conflict broke out.
The intensity of the attacks is linked to the shelling of the Russian cruiser Moskva, which sank in the Black Sea after being hit by two Ukrainian missiles. Knowing it had offended the enemy’s pride, Ukraine issued commemorative stamps. Huge queues formed outside the Kyiv post office on Friday the 15th to grab a “souvenir” of the incident that renewed hope in the country. An example of this is the battle in Mariupol, a major port city in eastern Ukraine. Russia is demanding the surrender of Zelenskyy’s forces, but Ukrainians say they will resist. “Our soldiers are still here and will fight to the end,” Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said. “Ukraine is ready for big battles and can win them, including in Donbass,” said Advisor to the President of Ukraine Mikhailo Podoliak.