“A war in the 21st century is absurd,” said UN (United Nations) Secretary-General António Guterres this Thursday (28), in his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian occupation. Guterres was in Moscow two days ago to try to negotiate with Vladimir Putin for the evacuation of civilians from areas under Russian attack.
Guterres spoke to the press in the city of Borodianka, located on the outskirts of Kiev, which was occupied by the Russians in March. Residents of the region, where many houses were completely destroyed, condemn the abuses of the Russian army during this period.
Standing in front of the dilapidated buildings, Guterres said he could picture his family “in one of these burned houses”. “I see my grandchildren running in panic. War in the 21st century is absurd, no war is acceptable in the 21st century,” he said.
From there, Guterres went to Bucha, where civilian bodies strewn across the streets bearing execution signs scandalized the world earlier this month. Ukraine condemns the war crimes committed by the Russian army there. The International Criminal Court has launched an investigation into the incident.
At a UN meeting on Wednesday, international court prosecutor Karim Khan said there was no doubt that Ukraine was a “crime scene”.
The UN Secretary-General used the visit to strengthen his call for Moscow to “cooperate” in the international investigation into Ukraine’s war crimes. “When we see this terrible place, I see how important it is to conduct a thorough investigation and be held to account,” said the UN chief.
Last Tuesday (26), the UN chief met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to negotiate a quick ceasefire for the evacuation of civilians from Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions, where Russian troops are intensifying their offensive.
This Thursday afternoon, Guterres will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Intense clashes in Donbas
Russian forces expanded their offensive for two weeks in Donbas, a mining area controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
At least 59 airstrikes have been carried out against Ukrainian targets in the region, Russian officials said on Wednesday.
Ukraine acknowledged that the Russians captured Kharkiv and cities in the Donbas region, pointing to Moscow’s strategy of trying to annex significant parts of Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov warned the public that the coming weeks will be “extremely difficult”. He said that he was already aware of Russia’s strategic defeat, that he would try to inflict as much suffering on the Ukrainian soldiers as possible.
According to Governor Oleg Synegoubov, less than five kilometers from the front line in Kharkov, at least three people were killed and 15 injured in the shelling.
In the port city of Mariupol, Russian troops continue to shell Ukrainian resistance units near the Azovstal plant, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
Inside the factory, Sergei Volyna, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade in Mariupol, requested a new help to leave the field. According to him, there are 600 wounded soldiers and hundreds of civilians in hiding.
“People will die here (…) civilians are dying along with us (…) the city is literally going to the ground,” he pleaded in a message carried by Telegram.
(with information from news agencies)
source: Noticias
