Delhi : Russia and Ukraine are at war for the 25th day in a row. On Monday, the Russian military once again targeted Ukrainian military targets with long-range hypersonic and cruise missiles. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that I am ready for talks with Putin (President of Russia), but if these talks fail, there could be a third world war.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack on the port city of Mariupol would go down in history because what Russian troops did was a war crime. Addressing the nation, Zelensky said that what the invaders did to a peaceful city was a terror that would be remembered for centuries to come. Russian troops have reached the hinterland and heavy shelling in the city forced the closure of a major steel plant. Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that Russian forces have bombed an art school in the port city of Mariupol, killing less At least 400 people had taken refuge. The President of Ukraine said that the Russian action will be remembered for centuries to come.
This is the second time in a week that Russia has targeted a building where civilians have taken refuge. Earlier on Wednesday, Russian troops also bombed a theater in Mariupol. It is believed that there were about 1300 people inside it. There was no immediate information on casualties in the alleged attack on the art school. Earlier officials said 130 people had been evacuated after the theater was bombed Russian troops have been bombing the strategically important port city of Mariupol for three weeks and that the situation in the city had worsened. At least 2,300 people have died and some of them are buried in mass graves. There is a shortage of food, water and electricity in the city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the invasion of Mariupol would go down in history. Addressing the nation via video, Zelensky said, "What those invading a peaceful city did is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come." Russian forces have already cut off Mariupol's contact with the Azov Sea and destroyed a major steel plant. The fall of Mariupol would be a significant but costly victory for Russia. Its forces have been stationed outside other major cities for more than three weeks. This Russian operation is the largest military ground action in Europe since the Second World War.
Hundreds of men, women and children have been killed in Russian bombings of major cities in Ukraine. At the same time, lakhs of citizens are in underground shelters or have moved out of the country. At least 20 children are trapped in a makeshift orphanage in the capital Kyiv. For a few days, these children are being looked after by the nurses there, who could not get out due to the continuous bombing. The Russian military said on Saturday that it used its latest hypersonic missile for the first time in combat. Major General Igor Konashenkov said the Kinjal missiles destroyed an underground warehouse of Ukrainian missiles and aircraft-launched ammunition in the western region of Vano-Frankivsk. The missile is capable of hitting a target 2,000 km away at a speed of 10 times that of sound. However, John Kirby, press secretary of the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, said that the US could not confirm the use of the hypersonic missile.
Unexpected resistance from Ukraine has dashed Russian President Vladimir Putin's hopes of a quick victory. He ordered his troops to invade Ukraine on 24 February. UN organizations have confirmed more than 847 civilian casualties since the start of the war, although they believe the actual number is likely to be much higher. The United Nations says more than 3.3 million people have fled Ukraine.
Mariupol city council claimed that Russian troops forcibly relocated thousands of the city's residents, mostly women and children, to Russia. However, he did not specify where the people were taken and the AP could not immediately confirm the claim. Some Russian citizens have also fled their country amid crackdowns on dissidents. Police have arrested thousands of anti-war protesters since the invasion of Ukraine began. At the same time, government agencies have banned independent media and blocked access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has ordered the suspension of activities of 11 political parties that have links with Russia. In a video address, Zelensky said the activities of many political parties have been suspended for the duration of the martial law in view of the widespread war launched by Russia and the relations of some political parties with Russia. He said that the activities undertaken by the leaders of political parties for the purpose of discord will not be successful.
