On Tuesday, Russia invaded Ukraine for the sixth time. A huge convoy of Russian tanks, armored vehicles was seen on the road to Kyiv’s capital. Fighting is intensifying in these cities and other large ones.
Russia attacked several sites in Kyiv as well as Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city. At least 11 people were killed and dozens more were injured, Ukrainian officials claimed. The main TV tower in Kyiv and the Holocaust memorial were among those that were damaged.
According to the U.K. Ministry of Defense, although Ukrainian forces have slowed Russia’s advance and continue to control Kharkiv, the coastal cities of Kherson, and Mariupol respectively, they are all encircled.
These are the key facts to understand about the conflict.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN UKRAINE’S PRIMARY CITIES?
Officials in Ukraine said that Russian shelling destroyed a regional administration building in central Kharkiv shortly after sunrise Tuesday. It also severely damaged other structures and killed at least six people.
This was the first time that the Russian military attacked the city’s center, despite the fact that shells had been hitting residential areas for several days.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed the Russian missile to the attack and called it a war crime. … No one will forget. “No one will forget.”
According to Ukrainian officials, Russian shelling destroyed Kyiv’s main TV tower, and the Holocaust memorial. Five people were killed and five more were injured. Shortly after the blast, TV broadcasts were cut off.
WHERE IS THE MASSIVE RUSSIAN CONVOY?
Satellite images show that the Russian military convoy is much larger than originally thought. It threatens Kyiv and its almost 3 million inhabitants.
According to Maxar satellite imagery, the convoy was within 17 miles (25 km) of the city center Monday.
WHAT IS THE BATTLE LIKE AT UKRAINE’S NORTHERN FRONT?
Many people were seriously injured in Russian strikes against Mariupol, a crucial southern port on the Azov sea. Separatist forces in Donetsk claimed they had established two corridors to evacuate civilians from Mariupol. This suggests that an attack could be imminent.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces have blocked Kherson’s port city. The head of the region posted on Telegram that Russian forces struck Okhtyrka’s military base, killing more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers.
Although the death toll from fighting is not known, it is clear that the attacks have caused some injuries.
Martin Griffiths, U.N. humanitarian coordinator, stated Tuesday that bombings and shelling in Ukraine have caused damage to pipes, electricity lines, and basic services. This has led to hundreds of thousands of people without accessing water.
What DOES PUTIN WANT? AND HOW ARE NATO Allies REACTING TO IT?
Day 6 of Europe’s largest ground war since World War II saw Russia becoming increasingly isolated. According to Western officials, Putin is trying to overthrow the Ukrainian government and replace it by a more compliant one. This would bring back Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
The United States of America and the European Union have placed sanctions against Russia’s largest banks and its elite. They also frozen the assets of Russia’s central bank, which is located outside of the country. However, they have allowed oil and natural gas to continue flowing freely to the rest the world.
U.S. President Joe Biden said that dictators who don’t “pay a cost for their aggression” create more chaos. Biden claimed that Putin believed he could split the NATO alliance in prepared remarks for Tuesday’s State of the Union speech. But he was wrong.
Experts in sanctions believe Russia will try to minimize financial penalties by relying upon energy sales and relying on its reserves of gold and Chinese currency. Putin is also expected to transfer funds through smaller banks, accounts of elite families that are not subject to sanctions, trade in cryptocurrency, and rely upon Russia’s relationship towards China.
Russia is the third largest oil producer in the world. The 31 members of the International Energy Agency agreed to release 60 million barrels from their strategic reserves Tuesday. This was to send “a strong message” to oil markets that Russia won’t invade.
Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Russia will be referred to the International Criminal Court. She was referring Russia for war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the invasion of Ukraine. This will accelerate the investigation of the court’s top procuror.
WHAT ARE THE RANDOM OPPORTUNITIES TO GO TO UKRAINE?
According to the U.N. refugee agency, 660,000 Ukrainians have fled Ukraine in search of safer places since the invasion. Shabia Mantoo, a spokeswoman for the agency, stated that “at this rate,” the situation could become Europe’s most severe refugee crisis in this century.
Filippo Grandi, U.N. High Commission for Refugees, stated that the U.N. anticipates the total to exceed 4 million within the next few weeks. Poland is the country that has received the most refugees. Romania, Hungary, and Moldova have also accepted tens to thousands of people. German’s national train company offered a free ticket to Ukrainian refugees in order to allow them to visit their relatives.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY?
France Info radio’s Bruno Le Maire, French Finance Minister, stated Tuesday that sanctions are “going to cause Russia’s economy to collapse.”
The Russian central bank took drastic measures to support the plummeting ruble but foreign investment continues to fall.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated Tuesday that the government has taken measures to temporarily prevent foreign investors from acquiring Russian assets. He said the move would allow them to make “a thoughtful decision.”
Oil companies like BP and Shell have withdrawn their stakes in Russian energy ventures. Norwegian Oil and Gas, an association of oil and supplier companies located in the third largest natural gas exporter in the world, followed suit Tuesday and suspended two Russian companies. TotalEnergies, a French energy conglomerate, said it would not fund new projects in Russia but did not abandon its existing holdings. ExxonMobil said Tuesday that it will not invest in any new developments in Russia. It will also exit the Sakhalin-1 oil-and-gas project, which it described as one of the most significant international direct investments in Russia.
Apple has announced that it will no longer be selling its iPhone or other products in Russia. Other tech giants have also reduced their Russian business.
RUSSIA IS OTHERWISE CULTIVATED?
After its teams were removed from international soccer and hockey matches, including qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, Russia was banned from participating in international ice skate, skiing, basketball and track events.
The International Olympic Committee requested that Russian athletes be excluded from the events.
The International Skating Union has banned athletes from Russia and Belarus. This means that Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova, and her 15-year old teammate Kamila Valieva will not be able to compete in this month’s French world figure skating championships.
According to the Cannes Film Festival, no Russian delegations will be accepted this year. Venice Festival announced that free screenings would be given of a film about Ukraine’s 2014 conflict in the eastern Donbas.
Last week, the European Broadcasting Union stated that Russia would not be permitted to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. It was revealed that Jamala, a Ukrainian singer, had fled Ukraine to Turkey with her children on Tuesday.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT UNITED NATIONS
Wednesday’s vote at the U.N. General Assembly is for a resolution requesting that Russia cease using force against Ukraine, withdraw its military forces from the country and condemning Moscow’s decision to “increase the readiness of its nukes forces.”
Tuesday saw the 193-nation General Assembly meet for a second day’s worth of speeches on the war. More than 110 states have signed up to speak. The General Assembly does not allow vetoes, unlike the U.N. Security Council. General Assembly resolutions, unlike Security Council resolutions have no legal binding status, but they can be used to reflect international opinion.
U.S. Secretary-of-State Antony Blinken also called for accountability from Russia’s top human rights organization at the U.N. He also called on the Human Rights Council to issue a message to Putin urging him to unconditionally end the “unprovoked attacks” and to withdraw his troops from Ukraine in recorded remarks.
