Austrian leader Carl Nehamer was scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday to demand an end to the conflict. It would be Putin’s first face-to-face meeting with a European Union leader since the Russian invasion began on February 24. read more Russian forces were also pushing for an offensive to seize control of the southern port city of Mariupol, a key target of which would link Russian-controlled areas to the west and east. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The Russian invasion has left a trail of deadly destruction that has provoked condemnation from Western countries and raised concerns about Putin’s broader ambitions. About a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people have been forced to flee their homes, cities have been reduced to rubble and thousands have been killed or injured – many of them civilians. Russian forces have abandoned their bid to occupy the capital, Kyiv, but are redoubled their efforts in eastern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian bombing continues in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian forces had repulsed several attacks and destroyed Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery, it said in its regular bulletin. The report also said that Russia’s continued dependence on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) significantly increased the risk of further civilian casualties. Strong explosions shook cities in the south and east and air raid sirens were heard across Ukraine early Monday. “IT HAS TO STOP” President Zelensky continued his tireless campaign to build international support and rally his countrymen, warning that next week would be important and tense. “Russian troops will move to even larger operations in the east of our state. They may use even more missiles against us, even more aerial bombs. But we are preparing for their actions. We will respond.” he said in a video speech late at night. He was scheduled to address the South Korean parliament via video link on Monday. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that it is possible that the Russians will try to cut off the supply lines and hit the transport infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry said that high-precision missiles destroyed the headquarters of the Dnipro Battalion in Ukraine in the city of Zvonetsky. read more Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports. Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehammer has said he will meet with Putin in Moscow on Monday. “We are militarily neutral, but (we have) a clear position on Russia’s aggressive war against #Ukraine,” Nehammer wrote on Twitter. “It must stop! It needs humanitarian corridors, a ceasefire and a full investigation into war crimes.” Since Russia invaded, Zelensky has called on Western powers to provide more defense assistance and to punish Moscow with tougher sanctions, including an embargo on its energy exports. Zelensky said he has confidence in his own armed forces, but “unfortunately I am not convinced that we will get everything we need” from the United States. CITIZENS TOLL The growing civilian casualties have sparked widespread international condemnation and new sanctions. Ludmila Zambaluk, head of the Dmitriv village unit north of Kiev, said dozens of civilian bodies had been found in the area. “There were more than 50 dead. They were shot at close range. There is a car where a 17-year-old child was burned, only bones were left. A woman had half her head. A little further on, a man lying near his car was burned alive.” Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports. Moscow has denied allegations of war crimes by Ukraine and Western countries. It has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in what it calls a “special operation” to demilitarize and “denationalize” its southern neighbor. Ukraine and Western nations have dismissed it as an unfounded pretext for war. FINANCIAL COST French bank Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) became the last company to leave Russia, agreeing to sell its stake in Rosbank and the Russian lender’s insurance subsidiaries to Interros Capital, a company linked to billionaire Vladimir Potanin. The Russian invasion has sparked a barrage of financial sanctions from the United States, Europe and Britain, forcing Western companies to sell their Russian assets. SocGen had been under increasing pressure to sever ties with Russia and close its investment in Rosbank for more than 15 years. The World Bank predicted on Sunday that the war would cause Ukraine’s economic output to collapse by 45% this year, with half of its operations shut down, grain exports cut mainly by Russia’s naval blockade and economic disaster. activity in many fields. read more The bank predicted that Russia’s GDP would shrink by 11.2% this year due to the imposition of Western sanctions. (This story has been archived again to correct the date.) Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from the offices of Reuters and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne. Written by Lincoln Feast and Angus MacSwan, edited by Stephen Coates and Nick Macfie Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
