Russia Ukraine War April 7 Latest News: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his daily video address early on Thursday said that the democratic world must reject Russian oil and completely block Russian banks from the international finance system. Ukraine wants sanctions that are enough for Russia to end its war, reported Reuters.
According to Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of the besieged port city of Mariupol, more than 5000 civilians have been killed during the monthlong Russian blockade. The mayor said that Russian troops have bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people were burned to death, reported AP. Boichenko further added that more than 90% of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed by continuous shelling.
Ukraine is reportedly collecting evidence of alleged Russian atrocities on the outskirts of Kyiv and bracing itself for the fight over country’s industrial East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his video address had said that the Russian military continues to build up its forces in preparation for the new offensive in the east, where the Kremlin said its goal is to “liberate” the Donbas region.
In other development, the UN General Assembly will vote today over the decision to suspend Russia from the UN’s premier human rights body. The move was initiated by the US in response to the discovery of hundreds of bodies after Russian troops withdrew from towns near Kyiv.
The US and its Western allies have recently moved to impose new sanctions against the Kremlin over what they branded as “war crimes”.
Here are some of the top updates from the war torn region:
– NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday urged the members of the organisation to provide more weapons to Ukraine and not just defensive anti-tank and anti-craft arms, reported AP.
– Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has revealed that 1,171 people were evacuated from the besieged Sea of Azov port of Mariupol, and 2,515 more left the cities of Berdyansk and Melitopol and other areas in the south, as per an AP report. She said an additional 1,206 people were evacuated from the eastern region of Luhansk.
– Ukrainian authorities have been urging residents of eastern regions to evacuate in the face of an impending Russian offensive, saying that people in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions should leave for safer regions while they can.
– Russia’s Defense Ministry official Mikhail Mizintsev has claimed that Kyiv had blocked prisoner exchanges for a long time, including a swap which was set to take place on Wednesday involving 251 military personnel on each side, reported AP. He alleged that the delays gave Moscow all the reasons to suspect that Russian servicemen held in captivity were not well.
– Speaking about the war, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that the responsible nations have to come together to hold the perpetrators responsible. He said that corporate America’s stepping up for a chance, noting that 600-plus firms have chosen to leave Russia. Biden was speaking at the North America’s Building Trades Unions Legislative Conference at a Washington hotel.
– Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday said that he had spoken to Putin over a phone call and had urged him to end the military conflict in neighboring Ukraine. Orban said he also offered to host a conference in Hungary’s capital between the warring parties, reported AP.