Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that he is committed to pressing for peace despite Russian attacks on civilians that have stunned the world, and he renewed his plea for countries to send more weapons ahead of an expected surge in fighting in the country’s east.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was meeting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv on Saturday, Ukrainian and British officials said. Mr. Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Britain would provide the country with 120 armoured vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems.
The conflict began escalating on February 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops in a peacekeeping role.
Here are the latest updates
More than 1,200 bodies found in Kyiv region: prosecutor
Ukraine's prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova on Sunday said 1,222 bodies have been found in the region around the capital Kyiv so far.
"We have actually now, only for this morning, 1,222 dead people only in Kyiv region," Ms. Venediktova said in an interview with Britain's Sky News. -AFP
Ukraine says Russia beefing up its forces
The Ukrainian military says Russia has been beefing up its forces and trying to probe Ukrainian defences.
The Ukrainian military command said Sunday that the Russian troops have continued attempts to break Ukrainian defences near Izyum, southeast of Kharkiv. It reported that Russia was sending reinforcements to Izyum while continuing the shelling of Kharkiv. The military added that the Russians also continued their attempts to take control of Mariupol, the Sea of Azov port that has been besieged by Russian forces for nearly 1 ½ months.
After Russia’s attempt to capture Kyiv and other big cities in northeastern Ukraine quickly failed, Ukrainian and Western officials expect Moscow to launch a new offensive in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for eight years. - AP
Russian shelling traps residents of Mariupol
Shelling by Russian forces of Ukraine’s key port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov has collapsed several humanitarian corridors, making it more difficult for people to leave.
It was not clear Saturday how many people remained trapped in the city, which had a prewar population of 430,000. Ukrainian officials have put the number at about 100,000, but earlier this week, British defence officials said 160,000 people remained trapped in the city. -AP
Ukraine bans all imports from Russia
Ukraine has banned all imports from Russia, one of its key trading partners before the war with annual imports valued at about $6 billion and called on other countries to follow and impose harsher economic sanctions on Moscow.
“Today we officially announced a complete termination of trade in goods with the aggressor state,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday.
“From now on, no Russian Federation’s products will be able to be imported into the territory of our state.” -Reuters
Russian forces continue to use IEDs to inflict casualties, says U.K. intelligence
Russian forces continue to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to inflict casualties, lower morale, and restrict Ukrainian freedom of movement, according to British military intelligence on Saturday.
“Russian forces also continue to attack infrastructure targets with a high risk of collateral harm to civilians,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. -Reuters
Mexico says it does not accept Russian invasion of Ukraine
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Saturday that Mexico does not accept the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a video message released to coincide with a global event in support of Ukrainian victims of the conflict.
“We do not accept Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, because we have suffered from invasions,” said Lopez Obrador, referencing the Spanish, French, and American invasions of the Latin American nation. -Reuters
