Russia unleashes rocket after Mariupol’s ceasefire, EU turns to oil sanctions

Russia launched an attack on the Azovstal ironworks surrounded by Mariupol after the ceasefire broke down on Tuesday and about 200 civilians were trapped underground despite a UN-mediated evacuation.

In a telegram video, Ukraine’s Azov Battalion captain Sviatoslav Palamar said Russia struck a steel mill with Navy and barrel cannons overnight, dropping heavy bombs from the plane.

Reuters was unable to verify his account on its own. However, a Reuters image on Monday showed a rocket volley fired from a launcher on a Russian truck toward the vast Soviet-era steelworks Azofustari.

“At this point, with the help of armored vehicles, tanks, attempts to land on boats, and the support of a large number of infantry, a powerful attack on the territory of the Azofustari factory is underway,” Paramer said. He added that two civilians were killed and 10 were injured without providing evidence.

Russia turned its firepower to the east and south of Ukraine after failing to occupy the northern capital of Kieu in March. The attack faces stricter sanctions and a commitment by Western forces to supply heavier weapons to Ukraine, including air defense systems and long-range artillery.

On Tuesday, the European Commission was expected to make a final decision on a ban on the purchase of Russian oil to squeeze the heart of the Moscow war. Congress is considering a $ 33 billion military aid package, and the UK has pledged an additional $ 375 million in defense aid this week.

“This is Ukraine’s best time and will be remembered and spoken for future generations,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a speech to the Ukrainian Parliament via a video link. He conveyed the words Winston Churchill spoke in 1940 when Britain faced the threat of being invaded and defeated by Nazi Germany.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops have taken advantage of the ceasefire at Azohustari to establish new firing positions, and Russian-backed troops are now “beginning to destroy” those positions.

Further west of the Black Sea coast, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, high-precision missiles attacked an airfield near the port of Odesa, storing advanced drones and ammunition supplied to Ukraine by US and European allies. Ukraine has confirmed a rocket strike in Odesa.

The war, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, also focuses on the eastern states of Donetsk and Luhansk, some of which have been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. I am.

Russian troops are trying to siege a large Ukrainian army there, firing large-scale bombardments along the front and attacking from three directions.

Pope Francis said in an interview released Tuesday that he called for a meeting with Putin in Moscow to stop the war, but did not get a response. Read the full story President Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that he was still open to dialogue with Kieu.

German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said Putin’s policy is imperialist and will support them if he decides to join NATO, as Finland and Sweden are currently considering.

“No one can imagine that the Russian president and government will not break international law with violence on other occasions,” Scholz said.

Russian artillery since the troops invaded Ukraine has flattened cities, killed thousands of civilians and fled more than five million from the country.

Russia calls the action to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists a “special operation”. Ukraine and the West have stated that the fascist claims are groundless and that war is an unprovoked aggression.

Mariupol

The battle at Azovstal followed a ceasefire around the complex, and recently Mariupol’s last detention of Ukrainian fighters allowed several groups of civilians to flee.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said he hoped the first line of refugees would arrive in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhia on Tuesday, with more civilians pitting under the complex. He added that he was trapped in a tunnel and left about 100,000 people in the remaining cities.

“We will do everything possible to fight off this attack … We will take immediate action to evacuate civilians from the factory grounds and safely transport them to Zaporizhia and Ukrainian territories. I call on you, “said Paramar.

Mariupol’s, which has been bombarded almost constantly for several months, has become Russia’s main target as it aims to separate Ukraine from the sea and connect Russia-controlled south and eastern territories.

“You wake up in the morning and cry. You cry in the evening. I don’t know where to go,” said Tatiana Bushlanova, who lives in Mariupol’s, sitting by a darkened apartment and talking about the sound of shells exploding nearby. bottom.

Several other areas of Donetsk have been exposed to fire, and local authorities have been trying to evacuate civilians from front-line areas, the Ukrainian Presidential Office said.

Russian bombardment killed at least nine civilians in Donetsk on Tuesday, according to the regional governor. Ukrainian troops said Russian troops were trying to occupy the frontline town of Rubizhne.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the Ukrainian battlefield account.

EU set to avoid Russian oil

In Brussels, the European Commission was expected to approve the proposed sixth sanctions package, including the possibility of Russia’s oil embargo. In the midst of major changes, Germany said it was ready to support an immediate oil embargo.

Kieu says Russia’s energy exports to Europe, which have so far been largely exempt from international sanctions, are funding the Kremlin’s war effort.

“This package must contain clear steps to block Russia’s income from energy resources,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly video speech.

According to the Energy and Clean Air Research Center, EU countries have paid Russia more than € 47 billion ($ 47.43 billion) in gas and oil since the invasion of Ukraine.

EU ambassadors will discuss the sanctions proposed at the meeting on Wednesday. President Putin responded on Tuesday with an order granting retaliatory economic sanctions against “unfriendly” foreign states.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/05/03/russian-offensive-devastates-towns-in-eastern-ukraine-eu-prepares-oil-sanctions/ Russia unleashes rocket after Mariupol’s ceasefire, EU turns to oil sanctions