April 22 (Reuters) – A Russian general says Moscow wants to take over all of southern and eastern Ukraine, which has much broader military goals than it acknowledged while continuing a new offensive. Read more
Rustam Minekayev said Moscow aims to take over the entire eastern region of Donbass, connect with the Crimean peninsula and take over the entire south of Ukraine, all the way to a breakaway, Russian-occupied region of Moldova. That would mean pushing hundreds of miles beyond the current lines.
* The General Staff of Ukraine said that Russian forces have increased attacks along the entire front line in the eastern part of the country and are trying to organize an offensive in the Kharkiv region, north of Russia’s main target, Donbass.
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* Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said Russian forces controlled most of Mariupol, but Ukrainian troops remained in it. About 120,000 civilians have been blocked from leaving, he said.
* The mayor of Mariupol called for a “complete evacuation” of the city.
* The UN Office of Human Rights has warned of growing evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, calling on Moscow and Kyiv to order fighters to comply with international law.
* US President Joe Biden has promised $ 800 million for more weapons for Ukraine and said he would ask Congress for more money to help the Ukrainian military. Read more
* German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said NATO must avoid a direct military confrontation with Russia, which could lead to a third world war.
* Pope Francis’ plans to meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in June, who backed Russia’s war in Ukraine, have been halted, the pope told an Argentine newspaper.
* Ukraine is working with lawyers on a mechanism to use frozen Russian funds to compensate for its economic losses, its justice minister told Reuters.
* World Bank President David Malpas said the food security crisis caused by the war was likely to last for months and that Ukraine had suffered about $ 60 billion in physical damage.
“If you have a helmet and bulletproof vest, but you do not have a gun in your hands, you are doomed,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, calling for military assistance.
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Compiled by Robert Birsel, Kim Coghill and Angus McSwon
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
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