More than 30 frightened people died in the strike at Kramatorsk . railway station

UK sanctions against Putin and Lavrov’s daughter

The British government announced new sanctions against the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after a same decision in U.S.A.

Putin’s daughters Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova, and Lavrov’s daughter Yekaterina Sergeyevna, will now have their assets frozen and travel banned, Britain said in a statement. declare on Friday.

Now more than 60% of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves – nearly $350 billion – have been frozen due to sanctions imposed by Britain and its allies, it said.

“Our unprecedented sanctions package is hitting the elite and their families and crippling the Russian economy on a scale that Russia hasn’t seen since the union,” Foreign Minister Liz Truss said. The Soviet Union collapsed,” said Foreign Minister Liz Truss.

UN says global food prices rise amid Russian aggression

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday world food prices “reached an all-time high in March” as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 159.3 points in March, up 12.6% from February 2022 and 33.6% higher than March 2021, the organization said. in one tweet.

The organization said wheat prices rose 19.7 this month, according to the FAO Food Price Index, “fueled by a large increase in wheat and all coarse grain prices as a result of the war in Ukraine,” the organization said in a statement.

The vegetable oil index also rose 23.2 percent this month, driven by demand for sunflower seed oil, of which Ukraine is the world’s top exporter.

The overall index rose 12.6% from February to March 2022. The latest figures mark a 33.6% increase over prices in March 2021, according to institutional data.

Ukraine’s wheat and corn have accounted for 20% of the world’s exports over the past three years, while Russia’s wheat and corn accounted for 30%.

EU approves fifth round of sanctions against Russia

The European Union has officially approved the fifth round of sanctions against Russia, banning coal imports and Russian ships from accessing EU ports.

“These latest sanctions were adopted following the atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in Bucha and elsewhere under Russian occupation,” said senior representative Josep Borrell. declare on Friday.

Road transport of Russia and Belarus with the EU will be banned, restricting the transport of any goods except for humanitarian, food and medical purposes. Export bans targeting jet fuel and technology were also agreed, accounting for nearly $11 billion in trade.

The four key Russian banks, which account for 23% of the market share in Russia and were previously excluded from the SWIFT payment system, have also been completely cut off from the EU market.

Japan expels 8 Russian diplomats

Japan is expelling eight Russian diplomats in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the country’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hikariko Ono announced the decision, according to Reuters. She said Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Mori informed Russian Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin of the decision.

It comes as several European countries have also moved to expel Russian diplomats in recent days after Russia allegedly killed and tortured hundreds of people in the Bucha suburb of Kyiv.

Russia has always denied targeting civilians in attacks on Ukraine, including in Bucha.

The remains of a rocket apparently adorned with the words “for our children” lie on the ground outside the train station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on Friday.

Zelenskyy accuses Russian forces of ‘destroying civilians’ after railway attack

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has criticized Russian forces for “killing civilians” after rockets hit a train station in the city of Kramatorsk, where thousands of people were waiting to be evacuated, according to officials.

“Lacking the strength and courage to take our side on the battlefield, they are brutally devastating civilians. This is a crime that knows no bounds. And if it goes unpunished, it won’t. never stop,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. on my official Telegram channel.

According to Ukraine’s national railway company, the attack on Friday morning left more than 30 people dead and about 100 injured. Zelenskyy also said about 30 people have died. NBC News has not been able to independently verify the strikes or the death toll.

Ukrainian soldiers carry a victim next to other casualties after a bomb attack at a railway station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Friday.

More than 30 people died after rocket hit train station in Kramatorsk, officials say

More than 30 people were killed after two Russian rockets hit a railway station in Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk region, as thousands of Ukrainians tried to flee, Ukraine’s state railway company said. out of this area.

Ukrainian Railways said on their Telegram channel that more than 100 people were also injured in the strikes. NBC News has not been able to independently verify the strikes or the number of deaths and injuries reported.

In a statement posted on his official Telegram channel, Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko accused Russian forces of deliberately attacking the station, saying that they “know well where they are aiming and what they want: they want to arrest them.” as many peaceful people as possible as hostages.”

The head of Ukrainian Railways, Alexander Kamyshin, wrote on the company’s Telegram channel: “This is a deliberate blow to the passenger infrastructure of the railway and the people of Kramatorsk.

The mood of the peace talks has been affected by the events in Bucha, the negotiator said

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were ongoing, but the mood of the talks had changed since the atrocities that Russian forces are said to have committed. The current situation in Bucha has come to light, said Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak.

In televised comments on Friday, Podolyak, an adviser to the president, said there was an “ongoing online process” for peace talks between the two countries. But he added that events in Bucha, where Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of killing and torturing more than 300 people, had left “a certain mark” on the negotiations.

“This is not a matter of the actual conduct of the negotiations, but the emotional underpinnings on which these negotiations are conducted,” he said. said the negotiation process is important for Ukraine.

Russia has always denied targeting civilians in its attacks on Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces recaptured Sumy, says governor

According to governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, Ukrainian forces regained control of Sumy, a city on Ukraine’s border with Russia, after Russian forces left the area.

NBC News was unable to independently verify the statement.

In a Telegram post on Friday, Zhyvytskyi said a recovery and demining operation was taking place in the area.

“This area has no [Russian forces], so if you hear an explosion (and it’s happened a lot in recent days) – it’s an explosives and rescue force. he said.

The governor warned Ukrainians to stay away from the area around the city.

“There are a lot of areas that are mined and unexplored. Don’t drive on the curbs and don’t use forest roads. Don’t get close to destroyed or damaged equipment. [Russian] webpage! “, he said.

Russian forces in northern Ukraine have ‘completely withdrawn’ to Belarus and Russia, UK says

The British Ministry of Defense said that Russian forces had “completely withdrawn” from northern Ukraine to Belarus and Russia.

In one intelligence update on Friday, the Defense Ministry said that at least some of those forces would be moved to Eastern Ukraine to fight in the Donbas region.

“Many of these forces will need to be significantly replenished before they are ready to deploy further east,” adding that any mass redeployment from the north would likely take at least a week.

Meanwhile, Russia said Russian shelling of cities to the east and south continued, with Russian forces advancing further south from the strategically important city of Izium, which remains under Russian control.

Ten evacuation corridors will open in Ukraine

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk announced on Telegram that 10 evacuation corridors were planned.

The planned corridors include evacuation from the besieged city of Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia by his own private transport as well as from Melitopol and Berdyansk, Vereshchuk said. Five evacuation routes out of Luhansk will also be available.

Ukrainian officials say evacuation from Mariupol has been extremely difficult, with safe passageways under constant attack and blockade.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday that after days of difficulty trying to reach the besieged port city, it was able to facilitate a convoy of private cars and buses carrying more than 500 people went to Zaporizhzhia.

Head of the European Commission arrives in Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Kyiv on Friday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In one tweet Friday morning, von der Leyen said she was “looking forward to Kyiv.”

The trip comes as Zelenskyy calls for the West to be “courageous” in pressuring Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday, the European Union adoption of a phased ban on Russian coalwhile the European Parliament called for a complete embargo on oil and gas imports.