- The shelling is “deliberate terror,” he said
- Russia is telling Ukrainian fighters in steel mills to lay down their arms
- The bombing continues elsewhere around Ukraine
- The pope condemned the “cruel and senseless” conflict
LVIV / Kyiv, April 18 (Reuters) – Ukrainian authorities have condemned Russian artillery attacks on northeastern cities and the ongoing siege of the southern port city of Mariupol, over which Moscow has said it has taken almost complete control after nearly two months of bloody fighting.
After failing to overcome Ukrainian resistance in the north, the Russian army redirected its ground offensive to the Donbass, while striking long-range targets elsewhere, including the capital, Kyiv.
Eighteen people have been killed and more than 100 injured in shelling over the past four days in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said.
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“This is nothing but deliberate terror: mortars, artillery against ordinary residential neighborhoods, against ordinary civilians,” he said late Sunday.
Russia denies targeting civilians and rejects what Ukraine says is evidence of atrocities organized to undermine peace talks. She called her action a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine and eradicate what she called dangerous nationalists.
The West and Kyiv have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of unprovoked aggression.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal said troops in the sprawling port of Mariupol continued to fight on Sunday, despite Russia’s request to surrender by dawn.
“The city has not yet fallen,” he told ABC’s “This Week” program, adding that Ukrainian troops continue to control parts of the southeastern city.
On Saturday, Russia said it controlled urban areas, with some Ukrainian fighters remaining at Azovstal’s steel plant overlooking the Sea of Azov.
The takeover of Mariupol, the main port in the Donbass region, would be a strategic reward for Russia, connecting territory held by pro-Russian separatists to the east with the Crimea region, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Sergei Gaidai, the governor of the neighboring Luhansk region, where heavy fighting is taking place, reiterated a call for people to evacuate.
“Next week will be difficult,” he said in a post on his Facebook page. “It may be the last time we have a chance to save you.”
In the streets of Mariupol, small groups of bodies were lined up under colorful blankets, surrounded by torn trees and burned buildings.
Residents, some of whom were pushing bicycles, roamed destroyed tanks and civilian vehicles while Russian soldiers checked motorists’ documents.
Among them was Irina, who was evacuated with her niece, who was wounded in the shelling.
“I have a daughter in the DNR,” she said, referring to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. “Maybe for now we will try to move there.
“I hope they will build again (Mariupol). The most important thing is the utilities. The summer will pass quickly and the winter will be difficult.”
“EASTER OF WAR”
About four million Ukrainians fled the country, cities were destroyed and thousands have died since the invasion began on February 24.
The economic damage is significant. Schmihal said Ukraine’s budget deficit was about $ 5 billion a month and called on Western governments for more financial assistance.
On Twitter, Zelensky said he had discussed ensuring Ukraine’s financial stability and preparing for a post-war recovery with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, citing that support was essential to laying the groundwork for recovery. Read more
Ukraine has continued its efforts to quickly join the European Union, as officials filled out a questionnaire that is a starting point for the EU to decide on its membership. read more On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis implicitly criticized Russia, calling for an end to the bloodshed and lamenting “Easter of War” in a speech in St. Peter’s Square after a liturgy.
“May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so severely tested by the violence and destruction of the brutal and senseless war in which it was involved,” he said. Read more
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Report by Reuters journalists in Kyiv and Lviv; Additional reports from Reuters offices around the world; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Edited by Clarence Fernandez
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