Putin has ordered deterrence forces, to be placed on high alert, while Zelensky has agreed to hold talks with Russia at Ukrainian-Belarusian border city of Gomel
Entering the day 4 of continuous fighting with Russian troops, Ukraine has accused Russia of committing war crimes by targeting civilians, including children, in an attempt to weaken its country’s resistance.
Fighting has broken out on the streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, after Russian forces entered the city. In an attempt to save their independence, Ukrainians and reservists have taken weapons to defend their homes and families.
However, the Russian Ministry of Defense had previously said it is targeting only military infrastructure. The President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is lying.
Zelensky said, “They lied when they said they would not target civilian population. Since the first hours of the invasion, Russian troops have been hitting civilian infrastructure.”
Ukraine has also submitted an application at International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Russia for genocide.
Taking it to twitter, Zelensky tweeted,
Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 27, 2022
Meanwhile, Zelensky has agreed to hold talks with Russia at Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River at Gomel, the border city of Belarus. This comes after Zelensky had a word with the President of Belarus – Alexander Lukashenko who assured him there would be no arms and ammunition and helicopters during negotiations. Earlier, Zelensky had refused to hold negotiations in Minsk, because Russia had used that place to launch attack.
Kyiv’s Mayor has said that there are no Russian troops in the Ukrainian capital, adding the city’s defence is holding firm against attacks from Moscow’s forces. Ukrainian Major General – Borys Kremenetsky has said that Ukraine had captured around 200 Russian soldiers, some of whom were just 19 years old. They were not trained at all and were badly equipped. The Russian Ministry of Defense Spokesperson – Major General – Igor Konashenkov said that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile regiment surrendered in the Kharkiv region and 471 Ukrainian servicemen have been captured.
Besides, Putin has ordered deterrence forces, which includes nuclear arms, to be placed on high alert. The United States (U.S.) called the move unacceptable. It said that Putin is looking to escalate this war.
Separately, France has announced that it will follow other European countries in shutting its airspace to Russian aircraft. Canada has also closed its airbase for Russian aircrafts.
