Amid Russian invasion, Ukraine at ‘turning point’, says President Volodymyr Zelensky

By Team Newsable | First Published Mar 12, 2022, 12:30 PM IST

“It is impossible to say how many days we still have (ahead of us) to free Ukrainian land. But we can say we will do it,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “We are already moving towards our goal, our victory.”

As Russia widened its offensive in Ukraine on Saturday, striking airfields in the west and a major industrial city in the east, air raid sirens blared across most Ukrainian cities morning urging people to seek shelters, local media reported, after President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war had reached a “strategic turning point”.

“It is impossible to say how many days we still have (ahead of us) to free Ukrainian land. But we can say we will do it,” he said. “We are already moving towards our goal, our victory.”

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While the huge, armoured column that had been stalled for over a week outside Kyiv appeared to have spread out near the capital. Russian forces appeared to be regrouping, possibly for a fresh offensive which could target the capital Kyiv, Ukraine’s military and Britain’s defence ministry said.

Also read: Russia used ‘vacuum bomb’ in Ukraine? Here is how lethal it is

Military analysts were divided over whether the manoeuvring by the Russian convoy signalled the imminent start of a siege of Kyiv or was just an effort to disperse some vehicles to more protected positions.

On the economic and political front, the US and its allies moved to further isolate and sanction the Kremlin. President Joe Biden announced the US will dramatically downgrade its trade status with Russia and also ban imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds. On Friday he imposed sanctions on Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, three family members of President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson and lawmakers in the latest punishment for Russia’s February 24 invasion.

Also read: Amid war, Russia, Ukraine’s foreign ministers discuss Putin-Zelenskyy summit to end conflict

The move to revoke Russia’s “most favoured nation” status was taken in coordination with the European Union and Group of Seven countries.

Russian forces kept up their bombardment of cities across the country on Friday in the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two. Satellite images showed them firing artillery as they advanced on Kyiv.

The fighting has created more than 2 million refugees, and thousands of Ukrainians are trapped in besieged cities.

Putin calls the invasion a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice that has raised fears of wider conflict in Europe.

Also read: Ukraine war: Putin says western sanctions would destabilise global energy, food markets

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