Russia launched airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Thursday, and the Ukrainian air force issued multiple warnings about missiles heading towards the area.
Kiev Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Telegram that rocket fragments fell in several areas of the city, hitting residential buildings and causing multiple fires.
Klitschko said at least four people were injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening speech on Wednesday that Ukraine needs military assistance to help defend against Russian missile attacks.
“Kharkov needs a sufficient number of air defense systems, the Sumy region needs it, the Chernigov region needs it and all our regions that are subject to Russian terrorist attacks,” Zelensky said. “Our partners have it. These defense systems. Our partners need to understand that air defense systems have to protect lives.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelensky hosted White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Kiev.
Sullivan sought to reassure Ukrainians that the United States would continue to support Ukraine and that billions of dollars in aid would arrive in the country despite congressional delays.
“We’re going to get strong bipartisan votes in Congress,” Sullivan said at a news conference, calling it Plan A.
“We’re going to get this money to you the way we’re supposed to, so I don’t think we need to talk about Plan B today.” He also acknowledged that the process “took too long.”
Sullivan met with Andrei Yermak, chief of staff to the president of Ukraine. They discussed Ukraine’s needs on the battlefield and two upcoming summits: a NATO summit in Washington in July and a peace summit in Switzerland that has not yet been scheduled but could take place this spring. Yermak said Russia’s ally China could participate, but Ukraine would not invite Russia.
atmosphere of fear
Russia has created a climate of fear in the areas of Ukraine it occupies, the United Nations human rights office said in a new report.
The report, based on more than 2,300 interviews with victims and witnesses, said Moscow’s military enforced the use of the Russian language and basic Russian governance while suppressing expressions of Ukrainian culture and identity.
“The actions of the Russian Federation have undermined the social fabric of communities, isolated individuals and have had a profound and lasting impact on Ukrainian society as a whole,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
“The occupation authorities shut down Ukrainian internet and mobile networks, television and radio channels and rerouted traffic through Russian networks, which allowed control of information accessed online and prevented the population from freely receiving information from independent news sources, family or friends,” the report said. . People are encouraged to report on each other, which makes them even afraid of their own friends and neighbours.”
Some of the information in this report comes from Reuters.
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