3.6.22
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the existence of Ukrainian statehood as his army's invasion of the neighbor faces stiff resistance Sunday and his economy is increasingly asphyxiated by sanctions.
In the latest efforts to freeze Moscow out of the world economy, U.S.-based card payment giants Visa and Mastercard announced they will suspend operations in Russia, while world leaders vowed to act over the intensifying onslaught. Since Russia's invasion 10 days ago, the economic and humanitarian toll of the war has spiralled, sending more than one million people fleeing Ukraine. Officials have reported hundreds of civilians killed and thousands wounded.
"The current (Ukrainian) authorities must understand that if they continue to do what they are doing, they are putting in question the future of Ukrainian statehood," Putin said on Saturday. "And if this happens, they will be fully responsible."
In a Facebook post on Sunday the Ukrainian military said it was engaged in "fierce battles" with Russian forces for the control of borders at the southern city of Mykolaiv and the Chernihiv in the north. "The main efforts are focused on defending the city of Mariupol," it said, adding an operation by Ukrainian forces was also under way in the eastern part of the Donetsk region. The strategic city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea has for days been under siege and without electricity, food and water, with stop-start ceasefires.
Its mayor Vadim Boitchenko said in an interview published on YouTube "Mariupol no longer exists" and that thousands of people have been wounded. "The situation is very difficult," he said. "I ask our American and European partners: help us, save Mariupol."
www.themoscowtimes.com
