The principal square in Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, as well as other civilian targets, was bombarded by Russian fire. A 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened Kyiv on Tuesday, as Ukraine’s embattled president accused Moscow of using terror tactics to push Europe’s largest combat war in decades.
Russian military marched on Ukraine’s two largest cities as the Kremlin became increasingly isolated as a result of strong economic sanctions that have caused the ruble currency to plummet. Videos released online showed explosions hitting the region’s Soviet-era administrative buildings and residential areas in crucial Kharkiv, an eastern city with a population of approximately 1.5 million. During the bombardment, a maternity ward was moved to a shelter.
Ukrainian President called Russian actions as State Terrorism
The strike on Kharkiv’s main square was dubbed “frank, undisguised terror” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who blamed a Russian missile and labeled it a war crime. “No one is going to forgive you.” Nobody will ever forget. This is Russian Federation state terrorism.”
On the sixth day of a Russian invasion that has shattered the twenty-first-century world order, rumors emerged that Moscow had used cluster bombs on three populated locations. If proven, that means the fight has escalated to a dangerous new level. Despite evidence of shelling of houses, schools, and hospitals documented by AP reporters, the Kremlin denied using such weapons on Tuesday, insisting that its forces have only attacked military objectives.
After the first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia failed to bring the combat to a halt, Russia’s defense minister promised Tuesday that the attack would continue until its objectives were met. Both parties agreed to meet again in the near future.
Many Ukrainian people spent another night huddled in bunkers, basements, or hallways around the country. More than 500,000 people have fled the nation, and the United Nations human rights office reported the deaths of 136 civilians, including 13 children, on Tuesday. The true cost is almost certainly much higher.
“It’s a nightmare, and it engulfs you from the inside out.” “This cannot be explained in words,” said Ekaterina Babenko, a Kharkiv resident who had taken refuge in a basement with neighbors for the fifth day in a row. “We have little children and old people, and it is, frankly, terrifying.”
Belarusian Forces entered the Conflict
Belarusian forces entered the conflict in the Chernihiv region on Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian military spokesman who did not provide any specifics. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, on the other hand, has stated that he has no plans to join the conflict.
President Vladimir Putin’s options have shrunk as he seeks to redraw the global map — and pull Ukraine’s Western-leaning democracy back into Moscow’s orbit — with Western powers sending weapons to Ukraine and driving a global squeeze on Russia’s economy.
“I believe Russia is attempting to exert pressure (on Ukraine) through this simple method,” Mr. Zelensky said in a video address late Monday, referring to increased shelling. He didn’t go into detail about the talks between Ukrainian and Russian envoys, but he did say Kyiv was unwilling to make concessions “while one side is firing rocket artillery at the other.”
Several blasts could be heard in the capital as the talks along the Belarusian border came to a close, and Russian troops advanced on the city of nearly 3 million people. According to satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies, the convoy of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery, and support vehicles was 25 kilometers (17 miles) from the city center and stretched for 65 kilometers (40 miles).
“They want to destroy our nationhood,” Mr. Zelenskyy said, adding that the capital had been hit by three missile strikes on Monday and that hundreds of saboteurs were roaming the streets.
Kharkiv is important
Another important target is Kharkiv, which is close to the Russian border. In one video authenticated by AP, explosions erupted one after the other in a residential part of the city. A man pleaded with a woman to go, while the woman wailed in the background. Hospital employees in Kharkiv converted a maternity wing to a bomb bunker, determined to keep life going despite the shelling. Pregnant women roamed the cramped room, joined by the cries of dozens of infants, among makeshift electrical plugs and mattresses heaped up against the walls.
The government headquarters on the city’s main plaza was shelled by Russians, according to regional administration chief Oleh Sinehubov. The building’s front and inside were seriously damaged by a massive explosion that also blew out part of its roof, according to images uploaded online. According to the state’s emergency management office, the attack injured six persons, including a toddler.
During Monday’s shelling of the city, at least 11 people were murdered and scores more were injured, according to Sinehubov. The goals of Russia’s attack on central Kharkiv were not immediately obvious. Officials in the West believe it is attempting to entice Ukrainian forces to defend Kharkiv while a larger Russian force encircles Kyiv. They believe Mr. Putin’s overarching purpose is to destabilize Ukraine’s administration and replace it with one that is more friendly.
Human Rights Watch has reported a cluster bomb attack near a hospital in Ukraine’s east in recent days, which is a troubling development. Locals in Kharkiv and the village of Kiyanka near the northern city of Chernihiv have also claimed the use of the explosives, though there has been no independent confirmation.