Ukrainian forces prepared Sunday to defend their last stronghold in the devastated port city of Mariupol.desperate to deny Russia a symbolic victory on the eve of Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations.
kyiv’s allies lent their support, with the US first lady, Jill Bidenand the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who made unannounced visits to Ukraine, and the leaders of the G7who will join President Volodimir Zelensky in a video call, they promised to stop importing Russian oil.
But the fierce fighting continued on the ground. Shelling and missile attacks have intensified on the eve of the World War II anniversary, and rescuers are searching for 60 Ukrainian civilians feared killed in the shelling of a school in the Lugansk region.
Next, the minute by minute of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Ukrainian time, GMT+3):
Monday May 9:
09:30: The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin kicked off the Victory Day parade with a speech in which he once more justified the invasion of UkraineIn addition, he stated today that Russian troops and militias from Donetsk and Lugansk are fighting for their homelandfor its future so that no one forgets the lessons of the Second World War, so that “there is no room for the Nazis”.
“Today the militias of Donbas together with the Russian Army fight on their own land (…). Now I address our troops and militias in Donbas: they are fighting for their homeland, for their future, so that no one forgets the lessons of World War II, so that there is no room for the Nazis.”Putin noted in his speech on Red Square.
08:23: At least two people have been killed in a Russian attack on a school used as a shelter in the Luhansk region.in eastern Ukraine, while another sixty are missing under the rubble, sources from the Ukrainian regional authority report.
“Probably the 60 people who are buried have died”, stated the regional governor, Serhiy Gaidai, through the Telegram network, according to the portal Ukrinform.
According to that medium, up to 90 people were sheltering in that school, which collapsed as a result of the attack, while 30 managed to be rescued.
The attack took place late on Saturday followingnoon in the town of Belogorovka, in that region of eastern Ukraine, part of Donbas.
The school occupies an area of 300 square meters, next to the House of Culture, and was being used as a refuge by citizens.
The attack triggered several fires, which the security forces and firefighters took hours to extinguish, which was followed by the collapse of the building’s structure.
06:50: The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, assured this Sunday that Ukraine is part of the free world and of a united Europe, while Russia is isolatedfollowing participating for the first time in the G7 leaders’ meeting.
“On this Sunday it has been shown that we are already a full-fledged part of the free world and of a united Europe. It’s a stark contrast to Moscow’s blatant isolation.” Zelensky has asserted, as the Ukrainian Presidency has published in a statement.
Thus, Zelensky has explained that he has requested that sanctions once morest Russia be increased, in particular, “that they apply embargoes on Russian oil and oil products,” he said.
Likewise, the Ukrainian president has assured that they have talked at the G7 meeting regarding the war, “the global threats posed by Russia and our respect for the common historical heritage, our common values and the importance of freedom”.
On the other hand, the president of Ukraine lamented “the Russian air attack in the Lugansk region that has left some 60 people dead” and the missile attacks in the Odessa, Sumy, Donbas and Kharkov regions.
“As if this Sunday were not May 8, as if this Monday was not May 9, when peace should be the leading word of the day”Zelensky has sentenced.
06:35: The British Government has this Sunday extended its sanctions once morest Russia and Belarus to include tariffs on trade worth two million dollars (1,700 million pounds sterling), as well as the ban on exporting certain British products, to increase economic pressure on Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The UK’s Department for International Trade announced the new sanctions late on Sunday, ahead of the Victory in Russia Day celebrations on May 9, when the country celebrates the end of the Second World War. with military parades.
In addition, The Department has explained that Russia relies heavily on the United Kingdom for exports of precious metals, which will be subject to additional tariffs of 35 percentage points.has reported ‘The Guardian’.
The new package of restrictions includes $1,700 (1.4 billion pounds) of UK import duties — border taxes paid by buyers on goods shipped from Russia — that will hit imports of metals and chemicals, coming from Russia.
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has asked the rest of the G-7 leaders this Sunday to increase military aid to kyiv so that the Ukrainian forces can advance once morest the Russian Army instead of simply holding their positions.
05:05: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reopened the Canadian Embassy in kyiv this Sundayhas met with the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, and has visited the Ukrainian town of Irpin, on the outskirts of kyiv, on a surprise trip.
In a press conference with Zelensky, Trudeau praised Ukraine’s president for his leadership and the courage of Ukrainians in defending their country.
“It was truly inspiring to see people step up to defend their lives, their community, their future and their families in the country they love”the Canadian president has asserted, as reported by the Presidency of Ukraine in a statement.
Trudeau has stressed that it is clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for “heinous war crimes” and that Canada will support Ukraine in seeking justice.
It has also announced military aid in the form of additional drone cameras, satellite imagery, small arms, and more artillery shells for the M-777 howitzers that Canada has provided to Ukraine.
Likewise, the Prime Minister of Canada has also stated that there will be more help for the abolition of customs duties on imports from Ukraine.
2:35: Boris Johnson asked the rest of the G7 leaders this Sunday to increase military aid to kyiv so that Ukrainian forces can advance once morest the Russian Army instead of just holding their positions, the British government said on Sunday.
“Ukraine needs to obtain weapons that will allow it not only to maintain its territory, but also to recover it,” the British prime minister said in a message published by his office.
The president also declared that “the world needs to do more and act faster in support of Ukraine”, as he made known during his appearance on the video call with the rest of the leaders of the main world economies.
00:28: “Today another round of evacuations of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant and other areas around Mariupol has been successfully concluded. I am extremely relieved to confirm that more than 170 people who have endured more than 10 weeks of intense shelling and fighting can now have a respite in Zaporizhzhia, where humanitarian organizations will provide them with immediate assistance”; reported the UN.
Ukraine confirmed that with this new safe passage operation, the total number of people evacuated from the area rises to more than 600. “It has been possible thanks to the determination of the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross teams with whom I have worked hand in hand during the last 10 days. Close coordination and agreement with the parties to the conflict have also been vital in ensuring that we were able to carry out this complex operation safely.”
“Our work, however, is not done yet. The UN is aware that dozens of people who wanted to join the evacuation convoys in recent days were unable to do so. We will continue our engagement with both sides of the conflict to ensure that those who want to leave are guaranteed to do so safely and in the direction of their choice, and that we can reach people in desperate need of humanitarian aid in Mariupol and beyond. hard to reach from all over Ukraine.”
News in development…
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