Ukrainians wake up for the 48th time in a country at warthis Tuesday, April 12, 2022, from the Russian invasion on February 24. Yes the troops left the vicinity of the capitalKiev has announced that it expects a major offensive in the near future. Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
The ravages of this conflict are increasing, especially in Mariupol, under siege for a month, where tens of thousands of people are said to have died and the use of chemical weapons has been reported. In addition, there are increasing reports of rape and sexual violence across the country.
Mariupol is about to fall
The leader of pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk said on Monday that his forces have completely captured the port area of the strategic city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine, which has been under siege for more than a month.
“The port of Mariupol is already under our control”, said Denis Pushilin, quoted by Russian news agencies. The representative of the separatist army, Edouard Bassourin, told him that the last Ukrainian defenders were now concentrated in the huge factories “Azov stable” and “Azovmash”.
During his late night speech, Volodymir Zelensky claimed that the siege of Mariupol could be lifted if heavy weapons were sent. If the President of Ukraine thinks Ukraine will receive “almost all the necessary weapons”† “The longer the West delays their delivery, the more Ukrainian lives are lost” he added, reports The Kiev independent.
Tens of thousands dead in Mariupol, according to Kiev
Tens of thousands of people have already died in Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that is preparing for defeat after a month of martial law, Kiev authorities said on Monday (April 11).
Mariupol has been destroyed, dozens have been killed, and despite this, the Russians continue their offensive.Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky complained in a video addressed to the South Korean parliament.
If confirmed, these figures would be the heaviest toll on record in a Ukrainian city since Russia invaded the country on March 24.
Citing figures from Mariupol’s municipal authorities, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmila Denissova confirmed that 33,000 residents were deported to Russia or to areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
“Witnesses report that the Russian National Guard and the Kadyrovites (editor’s note of Chechen fighters) have made illegal arrests, tortured prisoners and executed those who committed their attachment to Ukraine”denounced Lioudmila Denissova, on Telegram messages.
Russia Prepares for Another Attack in the East
For many experts, the war is entering a new phase, perhaps the worst, as Moscow is now targeting the Donbass region, reports the New York Times.
Russian and Ukrainian forces converge in the east of the country, as thousands of civilians have left the region in anticipation of what is expected to be the war’s next major battle.
The fighting could be very different from the battle for the Ukrainian capital, in which Russian troops were driven back from areas around Kiev, with tanks burning and suburban houses shelled in their wake.
Russian forces will operate in known territory given the 2014 invasion. They will also have shorter supply lines, which depend on an extensive train network. Such a railway network did not exist to supply the Russian army north of Kiev, the American daily stresses.
Suspicion of use of chemical weapons by Russia
Rumors surfaced on Monday evening of a use of chemical weapons against the port city of Mariupol, in southern Ukraine, besieged by the Russian army.
“Reports indicate that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on the population of Mariupol. We are urgently working with our partners to verify the information.”British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on her Twitter account.
Ukrainian parliamentarian Ivanna Klympush, for her part, indicated that Russia is “unknown substance” in Mariupol, where she says several people suffer from respiratory problems. “Probably chemical weapons”she tweeted.
The Ukrainian Azov regiment, entrenched in Mariupol, had previously claimed that a Russian drone was carrying a ” poisonous substance” to soldiers and civilians in Mariupol, in a message published Monday on Telegram posts, stating that several people there were suffering from respiratory and neurological problems.
The UN denounces violence against women
There are increasing reports of rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women. The BBC published many moving testimonies of women raped by Russian soldiers on Monday evening.
UN officials on Monday called for an investigation into violence against women in the war in Ukraine, at a Security Council meeting initiated by the United States and Albania.
“We are hearing more and more about rape and sexual violence”said Sima Bahous, director of the UN agency UN Women. “These allegations must be independently investigated to ensure justice and accountability”she claimed.
In the UN Security Council, Russia has a veto power that can prohibit any investigation or the adoption of its conclusions. However, investigations in Geneva may be favored by the Human Rights Council, from which Moscow was dismissed on Thursday by the UN General Assembly.
Russia on Monday again rejected all charges leveled against the country by other members of the Security Council, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy who called for respect for “the presumption of innocence” and ensured that “special military operation” russian targets “to save the future of Ukraine”.
Millions of Ukrainian children are at risk of starvation
During the UN Security Council meeting, Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s director of emergency programs, warned him of the risk of starvation for more than a million Ukrainian children.
‘Of the estimated 3.2 million children who have stayed at home, nearly half are at risk of undereating’he estimated.
“The situation is worse in cities like Mariupol and Kherson, where children and their families have been left without running water, sanitation, regular food and medical care for weeks.”he added.
During a press conference, he stated that two-thirds of the 7.5 million Ukrainian children between the ages of 0 and 18 had been displaced by the war. This includes “2.8 million (children) displaced” in Ukraine and “2 million (child) refugees, so a total of 4.8 million”.
“In six weeks it will be just unbelievable”the UN official underlined and indicated that he had not witnessed such a relocation of children elsewhere in such a short time.
Six Russian spies expelled from France
France has decided to expel six Russian spies who allegedly operated under cover of their embassy in Paris “whose activities have been found to conflict with (his) national interests”the State Department said Monday.
“After a very long investigation, the General Directorate of Homeland Security (DGSI) unveiled on Sunday April 10 a clandestine operation carried out by the Russian intelligence services on our territory. Six Russian agents operating under diplomatic cover […] persona non grata have been declared”the ministry said in a statement.
Paris had already announced the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats last Monday, declaring the formula according to which their activities were “contradictions” to French interests and stating that the sanction was part of“a European approach”.
Many other European countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Greece or Croatia have expelled Russian diplomats en masse since the invasion of Ukraine began. The United States, for its part, sent twelve members of the Russian diplomatic mission to the UN in early March.
In some cases, these expulsions were officially intended in response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine by Russian troops and the abuses they have been accused of by Westerners. In a number of other cases, they were accompanied by charges of espionage.
