Kiev: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv vowed to stay in Kiev on Friday as its troops battled Russian invaders who were marching towards the capital in the biggest attack on a European state since World War II.
Russia launched its offensive by land, air and sea on Thursday following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin, An estimated 100,000 people fled due to explosions and gunfire in major cities. Dozens are reported to have been killed.
US and Ukrainian officials say Russia aims to capture Kiev and topple the government, which Putin sees as a US puppet. Russian troops seize the Chernobyl East Nuclear Power Plant north of Kiev as they advance along the shortest route north from Belarus to Kiev.
“(The) enemy has marked me as the number one target,” Zelensky warned in a video message as heavy fighting was reported on several fronts. “My family is the number two target. They want to destroy Ukraine By destroying the head of state politically.”
“I will live in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine.”
Putin says Russia is conducting “a special military operation” to prevent the Ukrainian government from committing genocide against its own people – an allegation the West calls baseless. He also said that Ukraine is an illegitimate state whose land has historically belonged to Russia.
Asked if he was concerned about Zelensky’s safety, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS: “To the best of my knowledge, President Zelensky remains in his position in Ukraine, and of course we will do all our work.” Concerned for the safety of friends. In Ukraine – government officials and others.”
creation of restrictions
Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million people, voted for independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union and has recently stepped up efforts to join the NATO military alliance and the European Union, aspirations affecting Moscow.
The United States, Britain, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union unveiled more sanctions on Moscow on top of penalties earlier this week, including a move by Germany to block an $11 billion gas pipeline from Russia Is.
EU foreign policy chief josep borrell described the bloc’s measures as “the most stringent package of sanctions we have ever implemented”.
China came under pressure for refusing to call Russia’s attack an invasion.
us President Joe BidenSpeaking to reporters at the White House, he said: “Any nation that faces Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be tainted by the union.” He declined to comment directly on the situation in China.
Russia is one of the world’s largest energy producers, and both it and Ukraine are among the top exporters of grain. War and sanctions will disrupt economies around the world.
Oil prices rose by as much as $2 a barrel in the market on Friday due to the impact of trade sanctions on Russia, a major crude exporter.
US wheat futures rose to their highest level in nearly 14 years, corn hovered near an eight-month peak and soybeans bounced back on fears of a disruption in grain supplies from the key Black Sea region.
Airlines were also facing disruptions, with Japan Airlines canceling its flights to Moscow and the UK on Thursday evening and closing its airspace to Russian carriers.
military progress
Zelensky said 137 military personnel and civilians were killed in the fighting, while hundreds were wounded. Ukrainian authorities previously reported at least 70 people had been killed.
Ukraine’s military shot down a plane that crashed into a residential building and set it on fire over Kiev early Friday, said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister. It was not clear whether the plane was manned or not.
The border guard service said a missile struck a Ukrainian border post in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya, killing and wounding some guards.
The United States and other NATO members have sent military aid to Ukraine, but have made no move for fear of provoking a wider European conflict.
Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba called for “requests for more weapons to continue fighting … tanks, armored vehicles, airplanes, helicopters that Russia threw at Ukraine is unimaginable”.
Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator said that about 90 km (60 mi) north of Kiev, Chernobyl was captured without a trace by forces who disarmed a Ukrainian military unit guarding the station. .
It said there were no casualties, that nothing was destroyed and that radiation levels remained unchanged. It informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had lost control of the plant.
The UN Security Council will vote on Friday on a draft resolution condemning Russia’s aggression and requiring Moscow’s immediate withdrawal.
However, Moscow could veto the measure, and it was unclear how China would vote.
Russia launched its offensive by land, air and sea on Thursday following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin, An estimated 100,000 people fled due to explosions and gunfire in major cities. Dozens are reported to have been killed.
US and Ukrainian officials say Russia aims to capture Kiev and topple the government, which Putin sees as a US puppet. Russian troops seize the Chernobyl East Nuclear Power Plant north of Kiev as they advance along the shortest route north from Belarus to Kiev.
“(The) enemy has marked me as the number one target,” Zelensky warned in a video message as heavy fighting was reported on several fronts. “My family is the number two target. They want to destroy Ukraine By destroying the head of state politically.”
“I will live in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine.”
Putin says Russia is conducting “a special military operation” to prevent the Ukrainian government from committing genocide against its own people – an allegation the West calls baseless. He also said that Ukraine is an illegitimate state whose land has historically belonged to Russia.
Asked if he was concerned about Zelensky’s safety, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS: “To the best of my knowledge, President Zelensky remains in his position in Ukraine, and of course we will do all our work.” Concerned for the safety of friends. In Ukraine – government officials and others.”
creation of restrictions
Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million people, voted for independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union and has recently stepped up efforts to join the NATO military alliance and the European Union, aspirations affecting Moscow.
The United States, Britain, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union unveiled more sanctions on Moscow on top of penalties earlier this week, including a move by Germany to block an $11 billion gas pipeline from Russia Is.
EU foreign policy chief josep borrell described the bloc’s measures as “the most stringent package of sanctions we have ever implemented”.
China came under pressure for refusing to call Russia’s attack an invasion.
us President Joe BidenSpeaking to reporters at the White House, he said: “Any nation that faces Russia’s naked aggression against Ukraine will be tainted by the union.” He declined to comment directly on the situation in China.
Russia is one of the world’s largest energy producers, and both it and Ukraine are among the top exporters of grain. War and sanctions will disrupt economies around the world.
Oil prices rose by as much as $2 a barrel in the market on Friday due to the impact of trade sanctions on Russia, a major crude exporter.
US wheat futures rose to their highest level in nearly 14 years, corn hovered near an eight-month peak and soybeans bounced back on fears of a disruption in grain supplies from the key Black Sea region.
Airlines were also facing disruptions, with Japan Airlines canceling its flights to Moscow and the UK on Thursday evening and closing its airspace to Russian carriers.
military progress
Zelensky said 137 military personnel and civilians were killed in the fighting, while hundreds were wounded. Ukrainian authorities previously reported at least 70 people had been killed.
Ukraine’s military shot down a plane that crashed into a residential building and set it on fire over Kiev early Friday, said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister. It was not clear whether the plane was manned or not.
The border guard service said a missile struck a Ukrainian border post in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya, killing and wounding some guards.
The United States and other NATO members have sent military aid to Ukraine, but have made no move for fear of provoking a wider European conflict.
Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba called for “requests for more weapons to continue fighting … tanks, armored vehicles, airplanes, helicopters that Russia threw at Ukraine is unimaginable”.
Ukraine’s state nuclear regulator said that about 90 km (60 mi) north of Kiev, Chernobyl was captured without a trace by forces who disarmed a Ukrainian military unit guarding the station. .
It said there were no casualties, that nothing was destroyed and that radiation levels remained unchanged. It informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had lost control of the plant.
The UN Security Council will vote on Friday on a draft resolution condemning Russia’s aggression and requiring Moscow’s immediate withdrawal.
However, Moscow could veto the measure, and it was unclear how China would vote.
,