Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised on Wednesday that Russia would not overthrow his government hitting the cities of Ukraine and civilians with missiles, but with the pressure of unprecedented international sanctions against Moscow, which swell with each passing day, this increasingly seemed to be Vladimir Putin’s strategy.
Zelensky says nearly 6,000 members of Russia’s invading forces have been killed since Putin launched his unprovoked war against Ukraine a week ago. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state emergency service said more than 2,000 civilians had been killed since the Russian invasion began, and a government official said at least 21 children were among the dead.
Putin’s forces continue to push slowly into Ukrainian territory, but after seven days of war, Russia has not yet taken full control of any major Ukrainian city. Russian authorities say they have “complete control” over Kherson, on the south coast, but both Ukrainian and US officials have denied the allegations, saying Zelensky’s adviser said “the city has not fallen, our country continues to defend itself”.
U.S. officials say a huge convoy of Russian troops and weapons currently about 20 miles north of Kyiv could move to encircle the capital within a week and then capture it within a month.
But the Russian war from a distance – an increasingly relentless volley of heavy artillery hitting large settlements – is already wreaking havoc on Ukrainian civilians. Nearly 700,000 have fled their homes in neighboring countries. Tens of thousands more are waiting in long lines at the borders, freezing with children and pets, fleeing the Russian attack, which the United States said Wednesday looks set to worsen.
In his first speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday night, the president Biden expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people and criticizes Putin, whom he promised to “pay a long price in the long run” for his decision to unleash “violence and chaos” on his neighbors.