The Russian army is increasingly attacking Ukrainian cities. More bombs exploded in Kyiv, the Russians from Mariupol were not spared, and Hirsun was already captured. Another round of peace talks was postponed from Wednesday to Thursday.
Those living in Kherson, Ukraine in a Russian-controlled settlement woke up Thursday morning after the Russian army occupied the strategically important port city on the Black Sea.
Russia intensified its bombing of Ukrainian cities. The mayor of Mariupol in the south described the attacks as cruel.
Those who stayed in Kyiv heard huge explosions again Thursday morning. The locals again had to look for an underground shelter.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, more than 2,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine. The bombings destroyed hundreds of buildings, including hospitals and kindergartens. The United Nations says more than a million people have fled Ukraine.
Prior to his visit to the Baltic states, Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said the Kremlin was deliberately targeting civilians.
“We have been able to make sure in the past that one of the means of Russian warfare is to brutally terrorize the country’s citizens, and that includes indiscriminate shooting,” said Anthony Blinken.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered unprecedentedly large-scale economic sanctions, which seem to have had an unexpected effect on Vladimir Putin. The Russian president began a series of talks with top Russian businessmen to discuss dealing with the consequences.
Instead of Wednesday, another round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks is expected on Thursday, this time in Belarus, but now near the Polish border.
