Russia and Ukraine agree nine evacuation corridors for today
Ukrainian authorities say the bodies of more than 900 civilians were discovered around the capital Kyiv after Russia withdrew from the region as the conflict enters its 52nd day.
At least two civilians were killed and four injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine early Saturday, according to local Ukrainian officials. (AA)
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Nine evacuation corridors agreed for Saturday: Ukraine
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said nine humanitarian corridors were agreed on Saturday to evacuate civilians, including from the besieged city of Mariupol by private cars.
Vereshchuk said in a statement that five of the nine evacuation corridors came from Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, which local officials say is under heavy shelling.
At least two dead in Russian attacks across Ukraine – officials
At least two civilians have been killed and four injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine, local officials said.
One person was killed and three injured in shelling in the eastern Luhansk region, Governor Serhiy Gaidai said in an online post. A gas pipeline was damaged in Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk, which were without gas or water, Gaidai said in a message on the Telegram messaging app.
“Evacuate, while still possible,” Gaidai said in a later message, adding that buses were ready for those who wanted to be evacuated from the area.
Russia hits an airfield in Oleksandriya in Ukraine
On Friday evening, Russian forces hit an airfield in Oleksandriya, a town in Ukraine’s Kirovohrad region, with a missile strike, the town’s mayor, Serhiy Kuzmenko, said on Facebook on Saturday.
He did not say whether the strike caused any casualties.
In the eastern region of Luhansk, night shelling killed one person and injured three others, according to the region’s governor, Serhiy Haidai. The shelling also damaged gas pipelines in the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
Zelenskyy: Russian oil ban is a key step towards peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said existing sanctions against Russia are “painful” but not yet enough to stop the Russian military.
Zelenskyy called on “the democratic world” to ban Russian oil. While the US has enacted such a ban, Europe has not enforced a full ban as it relies heavily on Russian energy supplies.
“In general, the democratic world has to accept that Russia’s money for energy resources is actually money for the destruction of democracy,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to his nation.
The sooner the democratic world recognizes that the oil embargo against Russia and the complete blockade of its banking sector are necessary steps towards peace, the sooner the war will end.
Explosions heard in kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and in Lviv, in the west of the country
Explosions were heard Saturday morning in the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, and in the western city of Lviv, local media reported.
Air raid sirens went off across much of Ukraine early Saturday.
There has been no official confirmation of the explosions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klichsko said rescuers and medics were working at the site of an explosion on the outskirts of the city following a Russian bombardment. pic.twitter.com/CdOfJPbOv7
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) April 16, 2022
Zelenskyy and military commanders discuss the fate of Mariupol
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed the fate of the beleaguered port city of Mariupol during a meeting with the country’s military chiefs and heads of its intelligence agencies.
“Details cannot be made public now, but we are doing everything we can to save our people,” Zelenskyy said.
Elsewhere in southern Ukraine, he said Russian troops occupying areas around Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were terrorizing civilians and searching for anyone who had served in the army or government.
Zelenskyy: About 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said around 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in seven weeks of conflict with Russia and around 10,000 had been injured.
There was no civilian casualty count, he told CNN. He said 19,000 to 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the fighting, which is now in its eighth week.
Moscow said last month that 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded.
Ukraine: 918 populated areas liberated from Russia
Ukraine said 918 populated areas had been liberated from Russian forces.
“We are resuming the provision of regular and emergency medical care, the work of educational institutions – where it is really possible,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address.
Reiterating that public services and public offices will soon be operational in the liberated areas, he noted that demining operations are already underway.
UN: 1,982 civilians killed, 2,651 injured in the Ukrainian crisis
The civilian death toll in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has risen to 1,982, according to the UN, while the number of those fleeing has exceeded 4.6 million.
At least 2,651 additional people have been injured in Ukraine since February 24, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement.
“Most of the recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including heavy artillery and multiple rocket launcher system bombardments, and missile and air strikes “, did he declare.
Most went to neighboring countries – more than 2.72 million to Poland, 726,857 to Romania, 484,725 to Russia, 447,053 to Hungary, 419,499 to Moldova, 329,597 to Slovakia and 22,827 to Belarus, according to the UNHCR’s latest figures.
Germany plans to release $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine
The German government has said it plans to release more than a billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, amid complaints about kyiv not receiving heavy weapons from Berlin.
The funds will appear in a supplementary budget for this year.
In total, all countries combined, Berlin has decided to increase its international aid to the defense sector “to two billion euros”, “the largest part being planned in the form of military aid for Ukraine”, said a government spokeswoman. AFP news agency.
This envelope of two billion euros “will mainly go to Ukraine”, confirmed on Twitter the Minister of Finance Christian Lindner.
Visit of senior Ukrainian officials to the United States
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and senior Ukrainian finance officials will travel to Washington next week for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, sources familiar with the plans said.
Shmyhal, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and Central Bank Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko are due to meet bilaterally with finance officials from the Group of Seven countries and others, and participate in a roundtable on Ukraine to be hosted by the World Bank on Thursday, the sources said. .
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Source: TRTWorld and agencies
