Zelensky’s powerful message, new sanctions for Russia… update on the war in Ukraine

The United States decided on Tuesday to impose an embargo on Russian oil and gas, marking a new milestone in the sanctions imposed on Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine, where thousands of inhabitants of cities bombarded or surrounded fleeing from the offensive of the Russian troops.

The conflict that started on February 24 has prompted more than two million people to leave Ukrainian territory to seek refuge abroad, mainly in Poland, according to the UN. Europe expects to receive five million exiles. “In close coordination” with Washington’s allies, President Joe Biden has announced that he has ordered a halt to American imports of Russian hydrocarbons in order to “deal another powerful blow to (Vladimir) Putin”. The United Kingdom will cease by the end of the year its purchases of Russian crude oil and petroleum products. On the other hand, with the exception of the British, the Europeans, who are 30% dependent on Russian crude oil, have so far refused to go that far.

– Evacuation of civilians –

The day after Russia announced on Monday evening that it was setting up humanitarian corridors in five particularly vulnerable cities, including the capital Kiev and the second city, Kharkiv, civilians began to evacuate Sumy, a city in the north -is where at least 21 people were killed the day before in Russian airstrikes.

After a first convoy in the morning, a second set off during the day towards Poltava, further south, announced the governor of the region, Dmitry Lunin. Evacuations also continued in the Kyiv region, despite fire on humanitarian corridors, according to the head of the local administration Oleksiy Kuleba. In Irpin, AFP saw hundreds of people waiting to cross the river of the same name on foot, on makeshift footbridges made of planks, wooden pallets and metal carcasses, in the direction of Kiev, by the only axis not yet occupied by the Russian army. About 2,000 residents were able to escape from this locality, according to the Ukrainian police.

“I didn’t want to leave, but there is no one in the houses around and no more water, gas or electricity,” testified Larissa Prokopets, 43, who said she had been in hiding for several days. in the basement of his house.

At the northern gates of the capital, the population is desperately trying to leave Boutcha. “The most important thing is to get the children out. There are a lot of children and women,” resident Anna told AFP. In the southeast, at Mariupol, a major strategic port on the Sea of ​​Azov, some 300,000 civilians were also stuck, the Ukrainian government said.

“The enemy launched an attack exactly in the direction of the humanitarian corridor,” denounced the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

In the south, in Mykolaiv, near Odessa, lines of cars filled with civilians fleeing the fighting stretched for miles, while shots echoed from the front line, noted another AFP journalist.

At the local hospital, the victims of the bombings were pouring in. “The first two days, we had 160 wounded soldiers, but for the past few days civilians have been arriving, some seriously injured,” said Dmytro Sykorsky, the chief surgeon.

– “We will fight until the end” –

The Russian forces continued to deploy around the metropolises or intensified their bombardments, on the thirteenth day of their offensive, assured Ukrainian officials.

Three adults were killed on Monday evening and three children were injured in an anti-personnel mine explosion in the Chernihiv region north of Kiev, said Liudmyla Denisova, human rights officer at the Ukrainian parliament, stressing that the he use of these weapons was prohibited by international law.

Intense fighting took place in Izium in the east, but Russian troops retreated, the Ukrainian general staff reported. The central hospital is totally destroyed there, announced the town hall.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has also claimed that a Russian general, Vitali Guerassimov, had been killed near Kharkiv, information which has not been confirmed in Moscow and was immediately unverifiable from independent sources. According to the Pentagon, “2,000 to 4,000” Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the offensive.

On March 2, Russia had reported 497 dead in its ranks, but it gave no new assessment of its losses. Russian army spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced that the military airfield south of Zhytomyr, 150 km west of Kiev, had been decommissioned.

“We will fight to the end,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Britain’s parliament on Tuesday. “Putin may pursue his progress at all costs at an appalling price, it is clear that Ukraine will never be synonymous with victory” for him, judged for his part the American president Joe Biden. “Putin can eventually take over a city, but he can never hold the country.”

In an interview with the American television channel ABC, Mr. Zelensky also declared that he no longer insisted on Ukraine joining NATO, one of the issues invoked by Moscow to justify the invasion.

Mr. Zelensky also said he was ready for a “compromise” on the status of the separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, whose independence Vladimir Putin unilaterally recognized just before his army began hostilities.

– McDonald’s and L’Oréal suspend business in Russia –

The Western sanctions taken by Westerners against Moscow continue to grow.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) wants to suspend Russia, the International Union of Railways (UIC) has targeted the Russian public companies RZD and Belarusian BCh.

The British oil giant Shell has meanwhile decided that it will withdraw “gradually” from Russian oil and gas and the American fast-food chain McDonald’s will temporarily close its 850 establishments in Russia, following in the footsteps of the global giant. L’Oreal cosmetics.

As a result, oil prices rose and, in London, the quotation of nickel, used in electric car batteries, had to be interrupted after reaching 100,000 dollars per ton, due to fears over Russian supplies.

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