UK says Russia’s gains in eastern Ukraine have been ‘slow and costly’; Putin blames West for food, energy crisis

Russia’s war in Ukraine has dragged on for over 100 days, an effort the Kremlin still calls a “special military operation.”

While Russian forces may have advanced in eastern Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said those gains have been “slow and costly” as part of Moscow’s “strategy of attrition.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations continues its work to release grain trapped in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The agency estimates 1.5 billion people are in need of the food and fertilizer stuck behind Russia’s blockade, emphasizing resuming exports is essential for preventing another crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, blames “short-sighted” Western policy for the state of global food and energy markets. He also pushed off blame, saying the food crisis began with the coronavirus pandemic and not Russia’s “special military operation.”

Far from battlefields and Russian invaders, the Ukrainian footballers exempted from military service are trying to complete the mission to lead their country to the World Cup.

When they prepare to face Wales on Sunday in a playoff final, they will have a little extra inspiration in their Cardiff locker room from a flag sent by soldiers on the frontline.

Since Wednesday when Ukraine beat Scotland in a playoff semifinal, the players have continued to exchange messages with friends who have been defending their homeland in a war that has passed 100 days.

“We all hope that very soon Ukraine will be liberated and will return to being an independent country,” Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Karavayev said through a translator in the Welsh capital.

“This is a great positive stimulus and brings positive emotions because everyone believes and sees how the whole world is united around us.”

The Dynamo Kyiv player has family still in the southern city of Kherson, which was captured early in the war by Russia.

“They cannot watch the match because there is no connection and internet,” Karavayev said. “But they communicate by messages and they read the news.”

Keeping Ukraine high in the headlines can be partly achieved by the men qualifying for a first World Cup since 2006. But it might take time for their compatriots on the frontlines to discover the result in Wales.

“It is a really hard situation in Ukraine and not everyone has the chance to watch football,” coach Oleksandr Petrakov said through a translator. “I don’t communicate with any soldiers but the team writes to soldiers and even received a flag from the war which they promised to hang in the dressing room.”

A European Union decision to extend sanctions against Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko to his wife is “irrational” because she has never held Russian citizenship or resided in Russia, a representative for the couple said on Saturday.

Aleksandra Melnichenko, who was born in Belgrade and holds Serbian and Croatian citizenship, will “vigorously contest the unfortunate decision against her,” the representative said in an email statement to Reuters, declining to give a name.

Reuters reported last month that Melnichenko ceded ownership of coal company SUEK AO and fertilizer company EuroChem Group AG to his wife on March 8, a day before the EU put him on a sanctions list.

The EU sanctioned Melnichenko’s wife on Friday as part of a sixth round of sanctions against Russia for waging a war against Ukraine. The EU said Aleksandra Melnichenko “takes good advantage of the fortune and benefits from the wealth of her husband”.

The step could disrupt operations at SUEK and EuroChem because the sanctions include freezing her assets.

EuroChem produces roughly 5% of world fertilizer output.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russia’s removal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, after the destruction of historical monuments and cultural sites in Ukraine.

“Russian artillery struck the Sviatohirsk Lavra in the Donetsk region again today. Destroyed the Vsikhsviatskiy Monastery. It was consecrated in 1912,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post translated by NBC News.

“The occupiers know exactly which object is being shelled,” Zelenskyy wrote. “They know that there are no military targets on the territory of the Sviatohirsk Lavra. It is known that there are about 300 people fleeing hostilities, including 60 children. But still the Russian army is shelling the laurel, like the whole Donbas. Like any other territory and any other object of Ukraine that can be reached. They do not care what to turn into ruins.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s parliament appealed to UNESCO to remove Russia’s membership in the organization. He added: “No country other than Russia has destroyed so many monuments, cultural and social sites in Europe since World War II.”

“Every church burned by Russia in Ukraine, every school blown up, every destroyed memorial proves that Russia has no place in UNESCO,” Zelenskyy said. He added that Ukraine expects a “logical and fair response from the UN and UNESCO.”

“It is the United Nations, and its charter does not provide for association with terrorists. Russia’s isolation must be complete, it must be held accountable for its crimes,” Zelenskyy said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in comments about a U.S. decision to send new arms to Ukraine, said Russia was easily coping and was already destroying American-supplied weapons by the dozen, state-run news agency RIA reported.

Putin made the remarks in an interview with national television, RIA said. It is due to be shown on Sunday.

UK says Russia’s gains in eastern Ukraine have been ‘slow and costly’; Putin blames West for food, energy crisis

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Sign up for Newsletter

Must Read

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply