Russia unleashed a wave of attacks on Ukraine targeting airfields and fuel facilities in what appeared to be the next phase of an invasion that has been slowed by fierce resistance. The US and EU responded with weapons and ammunition for the outnumbered Ukrainians and powerful sanctions intended to further isolate Moscow.
Huge explosions lit up the sky early on Sunday south of the capital, Kyiv, where people hunkered down in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale assault by Russian forces.Flames billowed into the air before dawn from an oil depot near the Zhuliany airport, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the Capital, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office and the Mayor of the nearby town of Vasylkiv.
Zelenskyy’s office also said Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, prompting the government to warn people to protect themselves from the smoke by covering their windows with damp cloth or gauze.“We will fight for as long as needed to liberate our country,” Zelenskyy vowed.A Reuters correspondent reported a blast to the west of the Kyiv city centre later on Sunday morning minutes after air raid sirens.
Terrified men, women, and children sought safety inside and underground, and the government maintained a 39-hour curfew to keep people off the streets. More than 1,50,000 Ukrainians fled for Poland, Moldova, and other neighbouring countries, and the United Nations warned the number could grow to 4 million if fighting escalates.President Vladimir Putin hasn’t disclosed his ultimate plans, but Western officials believe he is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own, redrawing the map of Europe and reviving Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
To aid Ukraine’s ability to hold out, the US pledged an additional $350 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, body armor and small arms. Germany said it would send missiles and anti-tank weapons to the besieged country and that it would close its airspace to Russian planes.The US, European Union and United Kingdom agreed to block “selected” Russian banks from the SWIFT global financial messaging system, which moves money around more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions worldwide, part of a new round of sanctions aiming to impose a severe cost on Moscow for the invasion. They also agreed to impose “restrictive measures” on Russia’s central bank.
