Ukraine War on the 60th: Easter in Bombs

People in many parts of Ukraine, where the majority of the population is Orthodox, celebrated Easter on April 24 in fear. The President of Ukraine announced the visit of two US ministers.

Easter Mass in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on April 24. Screen capture new york times

Russia and Ukraine “struggle” in Donbass

Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the Russian military “continues to attack” the Azovstal factory in the city Mariupol on the 24th of April. This plant has become the “last bastion” of Ukrainian forces in the sea port city of Azov.

Ukrainian officials estimate about 100,000 civilians need to be evacuated from Mariupol, but evacuation efforts are still stalled. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said the humanitarian corridor on April 24 was not working, while the Ukrainian presidential adviser called on Russia to implement a “real ceasefire over Easter”.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it urgently needs “humanitarian access” to Mariupol, so that civilians and the injured can safely leave the city. “Every day, every hour that passes causes a tremendous loss of life,” the commission said.

The Ukrainian side said that Russian forces are continuing to advance to gain full control of Donetsk and Luhansk. The Luhansk governor accused Russian shelling of killing civilians on Easter, while the Donetsk governor said the victims included children.

Desolation in Mariupol on April 22. reuters

The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said on April 24 that the Russian army destroyed 423 Ukrainian military targets in the operation the night before, including 26 command posts, 367 defense points and points of gathering of personnel and materials. .

However, Ukrainian forces have also successfully “repulsed” many Russian attacks in Donbass, according to a report by the British Ministry of Defense. “Although Russia has achieved some territorial gains, Ukrainian resistance remains strong in all respects and inflicts substantial damage on Russian forces,” the report said.

Ukraine’s military also said on April 24 that Russia had deployed Iskander-M ballistic missile systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads to a location just 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Moscow has not yet commented.

See more: Ukraine accuses Russia of sending Iskander-M ballistic missiles close to the border

Kyiv awaits the visit of 2 US ministers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the visit to Kyiv of two top US administration officials, Defense Minister LLoyd Austin and Foreign Minister Antony Blinken. The two men are expected to be in the Ukrainian capital on April 24, making them the highest-ranking Washington officials to visit Ukraine since hostilities broke out in late February.

Speaking at a press conference from the subway station, Zelensky said today that he hopes the meeting with the two US ministers will yield substantive results, “not just presents or cakes, we look forward to concrete things.” bodies, specific weapons”.

“As soon as we have [thêm vũ khí]as soon as we have enough, believe me, we will immediately recapture the temporarily occupied territories,” Zelensky said, according to the newspaper. The Guardian.

Zelensky had a phone conversation with the Turkish president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reuters

In a phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol “must be organized”, saying that the situation in the city “is getting worse every day”.

Turkey had previously offered to evacuate those stranded in Mariupol by boat. On April 24, Erdogan reiterated that Ankara is “ready to provide any assistance necessary in the negotiation process” between Russia and Ukraine.

Zelensky said he also raised issues related to “Ukraine’s defense capabilities and global food security”, highlighting the threat posed by a blockade of maritime traffic in the Black Sea.

See more: Turkey announced to close its airspace with Russian planes carrying troops to Syria

United Nations: About 5.2 million Ukrainians go abroad as refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on April 24 estimated that the number of Ukrainians who have fled the country since the outbreak of hostilities has been approximately 5.2 million. Of which, about 3.4 million people went abroad in March, and more than 1.15 million people went in April so far.

In addition to the number of refugees, the UN’s International Organization for Migration also estimates that more than 7.7 million people have been displaced from their homes despite remaining in Ukraine. About two-thirds of Ukrainian children are displaced from home, including those still in the country.

Ukrainian refugees gather in a square in the Polish capital Warsaw to receive identification numbers. screenshot new york times

Poland is the country that has received the most refugees from Ukraine so far, with nearly 2.9 million people, accounting for 60%.