Ukraine war: A Russian armored personnel carrier is burning in Ukraine (AFP)
new Delhi:
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that “Russia will pay” for an invasion of his country, as Russian forces continue to surround major Ukrainian cities backed by massive missile and rocket attacks.
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Mr Zelensky said he would work to rebuild Ukraine after the war, indicating that the phase of resistance would move to the next. Russian army Managing to completely capture Ukraine. “We have nothing to lose but our independence,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine was receiving daily arms supplies from its international allies.
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“We will restore every house, every street, every city and we say to Russia: learn the words of reparation and contribution. You will reimburse us for everything you did against our state, against every Ukrainian,” Mr Zelensky said in a video statement.
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Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western politicians of contemplating nuclear war. “I would like to point out that it is in the minds of Western politicians that the idea of nuclear war is constantly circulating, and not in the heads of Russians,” Lavrov told Russian and foreign media.
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On land, Russian forces have captured the Black Sea port of Kherson in southern Ukraine, the first major city to fall after several setbacks for Moscow. They also surround and encircle the strategic port city of Mariupol, which is without water or electricity.
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The UN refugee agency says more than one million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, with numbers rising rapidly. Russia’s defense ministry also announced “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to leave the most affected Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol.
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The United Nations has opened an investigation into alleged war crimes, as Russian forces bombarded Ukrainian cities with shells and missiles, forcing civilians to take refuge in dungeons.
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The EU is expected to swiftly approve a protection mechanism for war refugees fleeing Ukraine – numbering one million so far – and also to set up a humanitarian center in Romania, officials said.
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The EU’s move came in parallel with its muscular sanctions on Russia, which were imposed in successive waves during the invasion, now in its eighth day.
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According to the government, around 8,000 Indians, mainly students, are still stranded in Ukraine. India has been evacuating its citizens from Ukraine’s western neighbors by special flights since February 24.
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India has refrained from voting against Russia at the United Nations General Assembly, where a resolution demanding Russia to halt military operations in Ukraine was passed by 141 votes in favor. 35 votes were cast against it and five votes were cast against it.