KYIV —
Russia stepped up air strikes on Kyiv
on Saturday, killing at least one person at a tank factory a day after Moscow
warned it would renew attacks following two weeks of relative calm in the
Ukrainian capital.
اضافة اعلان
Kyiv mayor
Vitali Klitschko said at least one person
was killed and several wounded in the attack.
Smoke rose from the Darnyrsky district in the
southeast of the capital after what Moscow said were “high-precision
long-range” strikes on the armaments plant.
“Our forces are doing everything possible to protect
us, but the enemy is insidious and ruthless,” Klitschko said.
“It’s no secret that a Russian general recently said
they were ready for missile attacks on the capital of
Ukraine. And, as we see,
they are carrying out such shelling.”
A heavy police and military presence was deployed
around the factory, the day after a similar strike on a plant that produced the
Neptune missiles Kyiv and Washington say sunk Russia’s Black Sea naval flagship
on Thursday.
Russia, which used sea-based long-range missiles to
hit the Vizar plant on Friday, says the Moskva missile cruiser sank while being
towed back to port after ammunition exploded on board.
Amid escalating tit-for-tat sanctions since
President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russia on Saturday said it was
banning entry to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several other top UK
officials.
“This step was taken as a response to London’s
unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia
internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country, and
strangling the domestic economy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry accused
London of “unprecedented
hostile actions”, in particular referring to sanctions on Russia’s senior
officials, and “pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons”.
Sanctions
Britain has been part of an
international effort to punish Russia with asset freezes, travel bans, and
economic sanctions, and Moscow’s new entry blacklist includes
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Defense Secretary Ben
Wallace.
Saturday’s strike on the Ukrainian capital was among
the first since invading Russian forces began withdrawing from regions around
Kyiv last month, instead turning their focus on gaining control of the eastern
Donbas region.
Kyiv regional governor Oleksandr Pavliuk said there
were at least two other Russian strikes on the city Friday and that civilians
thinking about returning should “wait for quieter times”.
Residential areas of
Kyiv were struck repeatedly at
the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has denied intentionally
striking civilian infrastructure.
‘Big blow’
A Pentagon official said
that the sinking of the Moskva, which had been leading Russia’s naval effort in
the seven-week conflict, was a “big blow” for Moscow, while the fate of its
crew of more than 500 was uncertain.
The official said survivors were observed being
recovered by other Russian vessels, but Ukrainian authorities said bad weather
had made rescue operations impossible.
Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been blockading the
besieged port city of Mariupol, where Russian officials say they are in full
control although Ukrainian fighters are still holed up in the city’s
fortress-like steelworks.
The US pledged a new $800-million military aid
package for Ukraine this week, including helicopters, howitzers and armored
personnel carriers, and on Friday the German government said it plans to
release more than a billion euros ($1.1 billion) in aid as well.
US media reported that Russia had sent a formal
complaint to Washington about its support of Kyiv this week.
In the diplomatic note, Moscow warned the US and
NATO against sending the “most sensitive” weapons, saying such shipments were
“adding fuel” to the situation and could come with “unpredictable
consequences”, the Washington Post reported.
Focus on east
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Friday that Russia might use nuclear weapons out of
desperation as its invasion falters, echoing recent comments by CIA director
William Burns.
“They could do it, I mean they can,” Zelensky told
CNN. “For them, life of the people is nothing.”
Zelensky said on Friday that between 2,500 and 3,000
Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the conflict so far, compared to
19,000–20,000 Russian dead.
He said that around 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers had
been wounded, and that it was “difficult to say how many will survive”.
Russia has so far detained around 1,000 Ukrainian
civilians and captured 700 soldiers, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister
Iryna Vereshchuk said, while Ukraine has captured around 700 Russian soldiers.
Nine humanitarian corridors were to be opened on
Saturday to allow civilians to flee the fighting, including from Mariupol, the
UNIAN news agency quoted her as saying.
At least 200 children have been killed in the
Russian offensive and another 360 wounded, the public prosecutor said.
Russia’s military focus now seems to be on seizing
the eastern
Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists control the Donetsk
and Lugansk areas.
This would allow Moscow to create a southern
corridor to the occupied Crimean peninsula, and Ukrainian authorities have been
urging people in the region to quickly move west in advance of a large-scale
Russian offensive.
Lugansk governor Serhiy Gaidai called Saturday for
civilians to leave the area while they still can.
“Evacuate, while there’s still an opportunity,” he wrote on
Telegram, warning that they might be used as human shields if they remain.
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