The Ukrainian city of Chernihiv was 70% destroyed, Russia threatened to impose export conditions

Vladyslav Atroshenko, Mayor of Chernihiv, on April 3 described the consequences of Russian military offensive campaign Here it is as severe as in other heavily damaged places such as the town of Bucha on the outskirts of Kiev, where dozens of bodies were discovered in the streets, as well as the cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol.

The scene of ruins in the town of Bucha, on the outskirts of the capital Kiev, Ukraine after the Russian troops withdrew. Photo: AP

The Ukrainian armed forces claim to have now regained control of Chernihiv. But, according to Mr. Atroshenko, the current pressing problem for local residents is that Russian forces are concentrated on the Belarusian border. Chernihiv officials expressed concern that the city was at risk of further missile attacks or aerial bombing.

The Guardian newspaper quoted Mr. Atroshenko as saying: “The Russians are moving around Ukraine like at home. Just because the Russian soldiers are leaving doesn’t mean they won’t come back tomorrow. It only takes about 1.5 hours for them to reach them. Today, it can be said that it is quiet, we are carrying out cleaning and demining.”

On the same day, Ukrainian prosecutors said that seven people were killed and 34 others injured when Russian troops bombarded apartment buildings in the Sloboda district of Kharkiv at 6pm.

The area near the Kharkiv city government headquarters after the Russian bombardment. Photo: Reuters

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, located in the northeast of the country, near the border with Russia, has been severely damaged since the outbreak of hostilities in late February. Writing on Facebook, Kharkiv Mayor Vychaeslav Zadorenko also accused the Russian army of shelling the neighboring town of Dergachi, killing at least three civilians and injuring seven others.

According to the latest intelligence report from the British Ministry of Defense, the forces of Moscow and Kiev are fighting fiercely in the city of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. British authorities assessed that Mariupol was “almost certainly a key target” of Russia because it would ensure a land corridor from the country of birch to the Crimean peninsula. However, Ukrainian forces “are maintaining fierce resistance and gaining control in central areas”.

The President of Ukraine criticized the West’s policy of concessions to Russia

In his address to the nation on the evening of April 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recalled the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Reuters

According to Mr. Zelensky, at the event 14 years ago, there was an opportunity to Ukraine Moscow’s escape from Eastern Europe’s influence and upbeat diplomatic statements at the time gave it hope that it might join NATO.

“In 2008, the refusal to admit Ukraine to the alliance was concealed. The irrational fear of some politicians before Russia was hidden. They thought that by rejecting Ukraine, they could appease them. Russia,” Zelensky expressed. The President of Ukraine believes that because of these miscalculations, the country has faced a revolution and eight years of conflict in the Donbass and is currently experiencing the worst war in Europe since World War II. two.

However, Mr Zelensky said he did not blame the West, but felt Ukraine “had a right to speak of hesitation”, about “the path that has led to heavy losses for Hostomel, Kharkiv or Mariupol “. “Whether we are in a particular alliance or in a non-aligned state, we understand one thing: we must be strong,” the head of the Ukrainian government stressed.

Russia warns against payment in rubles for many export products

The Kremlin announced that the mechanism for demanding payment of gas transactions in rubles of President Vladimir Putin is a prototype Moscow intends to apply more broadly to other major Russian exports. According to Russian authorities, the decision stemmed from the fact that the West prevented the dollar from falling by freezing the country’s assets.

According to Reuters, the economy Russia is facing its most serious crisis since 1991, after the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia imposed a series of sanctions on Moscow for its military offensive against Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced the West’s decision to freeze $300 billion of Russia’s central bank’s reserves as an “act of robbery”, which may have accelerated the abandonment of dependence on the dollar and the dong. Euro as the global reserve currency.

Peskov added that the Kremlin wants a new system to replace the Bretton Woods financial structure set up by Western powers in 1944.

Russia has long sought to reduce its dependence on the US currency, although its main exports of oil, gas and metals are all priced in dollars on global markets. Worldwide, the USD is the most traded currency, followed by the Euro, the Yen and the British Pound.

Tuan Anh