War in Ukraine: Moscow accepts strike on Kiev during UN President’s full visit

KYIV | Russia on Friday confirmed the bombing of Kiev in the wake of the visit of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which led to the death of Ukrainian journalist Radio Liberty, an iconic US-funded media outlet.

Read more: [EN DIRECT] 65th day of war in Ukraine: Here are all the latest developments

At the same time in Mariupol, the large port city sacrificed in the southeast fell mainly into the hands of the Russians, but the evacuation of civilians trapped with Ukrainian soldiers on the Azovstel steelworks was scheduled for Friday, an AFP team heard. Severe shell attack on steel premises is not known at this stage to allow such operation.

Russia has confirmed it attacked the capital the previous day, claiming it was targeting military and strategic targets despite the presence of the UN secretary general.

“Russian forces with long-range high-precision weapons have destroyed the workshops of the aerospace company Artyom in the Ukrainian capital, in particular, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

Ten people were injured and at least one died in the blast: Vira Kritch, Ukrainian journalist of Radio Liberty, a media outlet funded by the US Congress in Eastern Europe since the Cold War. The journalist’s body was found in the rubble of his building.

“If it was a high-precision attack, it’s really disgusting. It’s inhumane,” 22-year-old Mikhail Vovchinsky said on Friday.

• Listen to Loic Toss’s passage on Benoit Tutric’s microphone on QUB Radio:

The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a UN meeting in Kiev, making his first visit to Ukraine on Wednesday and Thursday since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.

Germany and France strongly condemned the Berlin strikes, emphasizing that “(Vladimir) Putin and his regime have once again shown no respect for international law.”

However, in a video conference on Friday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky lamented that “the United Nations has not responded to such a horrific and deliberate insult.”

Despite being invited by the Russian president as Ukrainian president to the G20 summit in Indonesia in November, the United States has refused to deal with Vladimir Putin “as if nothing had happened.”

The Pentagon on Friday accused the Russian president of “corruption” and “cruelty” over the conduct of Russian forces in Ukraine. Spokesman John Kirby said: “Looking at some of the scenes, it’s hard to imagine a serious leader doing this.

“Hard” in Kharkiv

On the ground, Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that the situation was “tough” in the Kharkiv region, a key city in the northeast, where Russian forces had re-focused their offensive.

“But our army is achieving tactical success,” he said.

It is especially located in Ruska Losova, a village occupied by the Ukrainians north of Kharkiv, from where Russian forces attacked the city. The village was liberated after fierce fighting.

“We had two horrible nights like hell. Last night we thought the sky was burning and the whole village was burning,” said 23-year-old Svitlana Perebilitsa.

Further south and east, in the Donbass region, where the Kremlin aims to fully recover itself, Volodymyr Zhelensky stressed that “the invaders are doing everything they can to destroy all life.”

The Russian offensive in Donbass was “delayed,” a senior Pentagon official said Friday, adding that “they are far from making a connection.” From the south of the country, one of the objectives of the Russian army was to take the rear of the Ukrainian forces lined up around the separatist zones of Donetsk and Lukansk.

But a senior U.S. defense official said: “We hope they continue to create the conditions for a sustained, large and long attack.”

British investigators

On Thursday, Osnad Lubrani, the United Nations coordinator in Ukraine, said he was heading south to prepare for an evacuation attempt in Mariupol. Guterres promised that the UN was doing “everything possible” to free civilians captured in the “Apocalypse”.

UN The Secretary-General traveled to Putsa and other places near Kiev on Thursday, where he accused Ukraine of abusing Russian forces and urged Moscow to “co-operate” with the ICC investigation into possible war crimes.

At the same time, the services of Ukraine’s attorney general Irina Venedikova revealed that ten Russian soldiers had been charged with war crimes in Botswana.

This is the first measurement taken by the AFP since the bodies of twenty people lying on a street in the area were found in civilian clothes on April 2, sparking condemnation and uproar around the world.

The Ukrainians blamed the Russians, but Moscow denied any responsibility and spoke of Kiev’s “platform.”

A total of more than 8,000 war crimes have been identified in Ukraine, the prosecutor said.

In this regard, British Foreign Secretary Lis Truss said on Friday that investigators would be sent by the United Kingdom to assist Ukrainian colleagues.

It is good to protect refugees

When the first ship loaded with corn from Ukraine leaves the Romanian port of Constanta, Norway will follow in the footsteps of the non-member EU by closing its ports to Russian ships, the first ship carrying corn from Ukraine. Friday marks the resumption of grain exports to the Black Sea.

The United Nations says more than 5.4 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the start of the Russian invasion, including 57,000 in the last 24 hours.

But Human Rights Watch warned on Friday that 3,033,000 people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, including border guards, should be “urgently strengthened” to prevent and monitor surveillance to protect women, especially victims of abduction, violence and rape. .

In addition, about 8,000 British soldiers will take part in “show solidarity and strength” exercises with NATO troops in Eastern Europe this summer.

The 22-year-old former U.S. Marine was killed in Ukraine, where he set out to fight Russian forces in mid-March, family members say, as the Pentagon urged Americans on Friday not to “go” into the country.

Presidium Network, a UK-based non-profit organization, announced on Monday that two British aid workers had been captured by Russian soldiers at a checkpoint.