Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: EU Imposes New Sanctions, Moscow Increases Aggression, Hundreds of Civilian Victims

Another difficult night around the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A series of international reactions and new sanctions mark the fourth night of shelling.

Sanctions

Western countries have adopted a new set of sanctions, aimed in particular at excluding many Russian banks from the Swift interbank platform, an essential mechanism in global finance, said the German government, which chairs the G-7 forum.

This action will “prevent banks from carrying out most of their global financial transactions, and therefore Russian exports and imports will be blocked,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Western partners have also decided to limit Russia's central bank's access to capital markets and “damage the assets of Russia's central bank” to prevent Moscow from using it to finance the conflict in Ukraine, von der Leyen said.

The new sanctions also target Russian oligarchs and their families, who will prevent them from obtaining citizenship in Western countries.

These measures have been taken by the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and the European Commission.

The war in and around Kiev

On Saturday night against Sunday, air defense sirens sounded again in Kyiv, which has become a ghost town with curfew until eight o'clock on Monday. Residents of the city were called to take refuge in shelters in the capital.

Russian forces “continue their offensive against Kyiv” after “completing their regrouping” on the northern front, the Ukrainian army confirmed on Saturday night.

The Kyiv metro is closed and serves as “refuge” for residents.

The oil base near Vasilkiv, about 30 kilometers southwest of Kyiv, was hit, causing a huge fire, as well as a gas pipeline in Kharkiv (east), the official special communications service said.

Russian Troops have Entered Kharkiv

Russian army “expands the offensive”

The Russian army was ordered on Saturday to expand its offensive against Ukraine “in all directions.”

Russian forces have penetrated deep from the north, east and south, but are facing resistance from the Ukrainian army and have so far not taken full control of any Ukrainian city, according to several Western sources.

Russia has deployed in Ukraine “more than 50%” of the forces it has concentrated on the country's borders and appears “increasingly disappointed” by the strong resistance of the Ukrainian army, a senior Pentagon official said.

Two hundred civilians killed, refugee wave

The Ukrainian government has reported 198 civilians killed, including three children and more than 1,000 wounded since the invasion. Dozens of soldiers also lost their lives.

Russia does not provide any information about its losses. Ukraine's defense minister said 3,500 Russian soldiers had been killed since Thursday without providing evidence.

Greece will summon the Russian ambassador to Athens to protest the deaths of six civilians from the Greek minority during the bombing of the Ukrainian village of Sartana, near Mariupol.

Two Danish journalists were injured in a shooting near Okhtyrka in the northeastern part of the country, but their lives are not in danger.

Ukrainian refugees are flocking to neighboring countries, mainly Poland, which says it has already taken in 115,000 people.

Russian Delegation Arrived in Belarus for Talks with Ukraine

Weapons and aid from the West

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that “our partners' weapons and equipment are on their way to Ukraine.”

Stressing the “change of the era”, the German government decided to allow the supply of 1,000 missiles and 500 surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, thus violating its policy of banning all exports of deadly weapons to the conflict zone.

Washington has announced new $350 million in military aid.

Belgium, the Czech Republic or the Netherlands, in particular, have announced the sending of weapons or equipment, and France has announced the sending of military defense equipment.

Censorship

Russian national media have been ordered to delete from their content any mention of civilians killed by the Russian military. Moscow has officially called its intervention a “special military operation” designed to “keep the peace”.

/BGNES

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