- Corridors will be opened to allow people to leave many cities in Ukraine
- Europe has enough liquefied natural gas for the winter
- The United States rejects Poland’s plan to deliver jets to Ukraine
- Zelensky thanks US, UK for banning Russian oil
Find out about Tuesday’s events, as evacuation efforts have been hampered by ongoing fighting.
This article was last updated at 09:05 UTC / GMT
The EU will step up sanctions on Russia and Belarus
Amnesty International says Chernihiv attack a possible war crime
A Russian airstrike that killed at least 47 civilians in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv could be a war crime, Amnesty International has said.
“This was a ruthless, indiscriminate attack on people as they did their daily chores in their homes, on the streets and in their shops,” said Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International’s Director of Crisis Management.
Russia escalated its air campaign against Ukraine last week, and Thursday’s attacks in Chernihiv destroyed high-rise buildings and damaged a clinic and a hospital.
Amnesty International’s crisis team concluded that the attack was most likely a Russian air strike using at least eight unmanned aerial vehicles, known as silent bombs.
Amnesty was unable to locate a military target at the site of the attack.
“This shocking attack is one of the deadliest for the people of Ukraine. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court should investigate this airstrike as a war crime. Those responsible for such crimes must be brought to justice and the victims brought to justice.” and their families must receive full compensation, “Mariner said.
Corridors were opened in Ukraine after a failed attempt
The Russian military has said it will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kiev.
Separately, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said people would be allowed to evacuate Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, and warned Russian forces not to shoot in those areas.
“I appeal to the Russian Federation: You have made formal public commitments to a ceasefire from 9 am to 9 pm. “We had negative experiences when the commitments made did not work,” Verestsuk said.
On Tuesday, at least 5,000 civilians managed to flee the Suny, but Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for failing to implement the ceasefire in other cities.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says up to 2.2 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian-led invasion in February.
Europe will not need Russian gas to spend the winter
Europe has enough liquefied natural gas to last all winter, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
He told German television station ARD that the EU would not need to import gas from Russia.
Von der Leyen said the sanctions against Russia were designed to have the maximum impact on Moscow, while causing the least possible damage to Western economies.
On Tuesday, the Commission proposed a plan to rid the EU of its dependence on Russian gas before the end of the decade.
It will focus on alternative supplies and expand clean energy faster.
The United States and the United Kingdom have also announced plans to halt imports of Russian oil.
The US Congress agrees on the aid package for Ukraine
U.S. lawmakers formed a rare united front Wednesday, agreeing to a $ 13.6 billion ($ 12.4 billion) bipartisan agreement to help Ukraine and its European allies.
Democrats ‘and Republicans’ support for Ukraine’s aid package has been so steady that it’s actually more than the $ 10 billion the White House has asked for.
The aid package is part of a $ 1.5 trillion funding bill to prevent the US government from closing down.
Party leaders hoped to advance the measure from Parliament on Wednesday and the Senate by the end of the week.
“The war in Europe has focused Congress on getting things done and done fast,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Sumer.
The United Kingdom is stepping up air sanctions against Russia
The British government has unveiled new air sanctions that give it the power to detain any Russian aircraft entering UK airspace.
Most European nations, including the United Kingdom, closed airspace to Russian aircraft last week, but London has now considered it a “criminal offense” for Russian aircraft to fly or land in the country.
“The ban includes any aircraft owned, operated or chartered by anyone affiliated with Russia or certain individuals or entities and will include the power to detain any aircraft belonging to persons affiliated with Russia,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
The country has also banned the export of air or space-related goods to Russia.
World Bank official: Russia-Ukraine crisis could limit growth and create food insecurity
A World Bank official said persistent high oil prices stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine could cut a full percentage point from growth in some major oil-importing emerging economies.
Countries that could be affected include China, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey, said World Bank spokesman Indermit Gill.
In addition, some economies in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa “are heavily dependent on Russia and Ukraine for food,” Gill said.
“For lower-income countries, supply disruptions as well as higher prices could lead to increased hunger and food insecurity,” he added. “War has exacerbated these uncertainties in ways that will resonate around the world, hurting the most vulnerable people in the most fragile places.”
Thousands of Ukrainians, foreign students are evacuating Sumy
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said thousands of civilians had fled the northeastern region of Sumy, according to the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.
The corridor outside Sumy will continue to operate on Wednesday, confirmed the regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyy.
The evacuations included 5,000 Ukrainians and 1,700 international students, Verestsuk said, adding that the evacuation was successful due to the mediation of the Red Cross.
The city of Sumy is located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southwest of the Ukrainian border with Russia.
According to Vereshchuk, Sumy has been under “total siege” for three days.
Civilians fled the city by bus and car to Poltava during a ceasefire on Tuesday, the only one to be observed. From Poltava many are expected to move to the western city of Lviv and neighboring EU countries.
Sumy is the first city where a humanitarian corridor was successfully created. In four other cities selected for evacuation, no Nomparable escape route has been made available so far.
About 200,000 people are still waiting to leave the port of Mariupol, on the southeast side, according to the Red Cross.
On Wednesday, the Russian military said routes would be opened to Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy for civilians trying to escape the besieged cities. However, Ukraine has repeatedly warned that Moscow does not really want to allow civilians to escape.
Zhyvytskyy said Sumy was bombed overnight.
Zelensky thanks US, UK for banning Russian oil imports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the leaders of the United States and the United Kingdom for banning Russian oil imports in his daily video speech.
“This is a strong message to the whole world,” Zelensky said, referring to US President Joe Biden’s decision to ban oil imports from Russia.
“Russia will respect international law and will not wage wars or have no money,” he added.
“Every penny paid to Russia is converted into bullets and missiles flying to other sovereign states,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky called for an end to the war through negotiations with Russia, saying “the war must end. We must sit at the negotiating table, but for honest, meaningful talks.”
Pentagon rejects Poland proposal to send fighter jets to Ukraine via Germany
The Pentagon has rejected a proposal by Poland to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a US air base in Germany.
Poland would offer Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to be sent to the US base in Ramstein, Germany, with the aircraft eventually delivered to Ukraine. The Polish Air Force would then have received F-16 fighters as replacements.
“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies on this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe that Poland’s proposal is valid,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Kirby said the flight from a US base “into Russian-disputed airspace over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.”
Summary of events in the Ukraine-Russia crisis on Tuesday
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that the situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is “deteriorating” as they have been on full duty for almost two weeks since Russian forces took control of the area.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi have said they have suspended operations in Russia. Earlier, McDonald’s also suspended its operation.
The Russian military says it will offer a 10 a.m. ceasefire Wednesday. Moscow time (0700 UTC) to allow civilians to escape from four Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking a humanitarian corridor for civilians to leave the southern port of Mariupol.
The Polish Foreign Ministry has stated that it is “ready” to deliver MiG-29 aircraft to the US air base Ramstein in Germany, with the aircraft finally being delivered to Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy received applause from British legislators after his speech in the House of Commons via video link.
The United States and the United Kingdom have announced bans on Russian oil imports. Shell also says it will stop buying Russian oil and gas.
U.S. intelligence officials have estimated that between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, well below the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s claim that 12,000 “Russian occupying forces” had been killed.
sdi / wd (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
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