The kraine is preparing for “big battles” in the east of the country as the devastating effects of the war on its economy have been revealed. A World Bank report estimates that the country’s economic output is likely to shrink by a staggering 45.1% this year. Researchers estimate that more than half of the country’s businesses are closed, while the closure of Black Sea shipping by Ukraine has cut off 90% of grain exports and half of its total exports. The World Bank also predicted that Russia’s economic output would fall by 11.2% due to sanctions imposed on it by NATO allies. Local media reported “strong explosions” in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday night and Ukrainian citizens continued to flee the east of the country for the relative safety of government-controlled areas with 2,824 people evacuated on Sunday, including 213 from the besieged city of Mariupol.
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Meanwhile, one of Volodmyr Zelensky’s top advisers, Mykhaylo Podolyak, said Ukraine should repel Russian forces in the eastern Donbass region, where Moscow controls two separatist territories, in order to strengthen its hand in the next round. negotiations. He said: “Ukraine is ready for big battles. Ukraine must beat them, including Donbass. And once that happens, Ukraine will have a stronger bargaining position. “After that, the presidents will meet. It may take two weeks, three. “ Military hulls hold a machine gun down from a Russian tank destroyed during the Russian invasion near the village of Motyzhyn / REUTERS He was speaking as it emerged that Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehammer would meet with President Putin in Moscow on Monday. The Austrian Press Agency reported that Nehamer told reporters in Vienna that he planned to make the trip following a trip to Kyiv on Saturday, where he met with President Zelensky and intended to encourage dialogue between the two countries. It comes after President Zelensky said that stopping the invasion was necessary for the security of all democracies in Europe. Speaking to Ukrainians late at night, Zelensky said Russian aggression “was not intended to be limited to Ukraine” and that “the whole European plan is a target for Russia.” “That is why it is not just a moral duty of all democracies, of all the powers of Europe, to support Ukraine’s desire for peace,” he said. “This is, in fact, a defense strategy for any civilized state.” President Zelensky’s words about the threat to Europe come as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance could launch a permanent military presence on its borders to combat Russian aggression. As part of the “reset”, forces will be stationed on the east side of the alliance to thwart an attempt to invade Member States such as Estonia and Latvia. Donate here: Please donate as much as you can to the Evening Standard Ukraine appeal / IS New Maxar satellite imagery released Friday showed an 8-mile (13-kilometer) convoy of military vehicles heading south to the Donbas region via the Ukrainian city of Velykyi Burluk. Western military analysts say an arc of land in eastern Ukraine was under Russian control, from Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second largest city – in the north to Kherson in the south. However, counterattacks threaten Russian control of the Kherson, according to Western estimates, and Ukrainian forces repel Russian attacks elsewhere in Donbass, a predominantly Russian-speaking and industrial area. The British Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that the Russian army is seeking to respond to the growing casualties by increasing the number of troops with personnel who have been discharged from military service since 2012.
