Russia Tightens Its Grip Over Ukraine; 3rd Round Of Negotiation Today
The Russian forces tightened their grip over Ukraine as the invasion entered day 12 on Monday. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, the areas that are currently under heavy shelling include the outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
Meanwhile, Netflix, TikTok became the latest companies to pull out from Russia.
Here are the latest developments from the escalating Russia-Ukraine crisis:
1) Russian forces have stepped up their shelling around residential areas, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said on late Sunday. “The latest wave of missile strikes came as darkness fell,” he said in a televised address.
2) The third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian leaders is planned for Monday.
3) Amid the growing crisis, oil prices soared more than 6 per cent, touching their highest since 2008 on Monday. This came after the United States and European allies mull a Russian oil import ban.
4) The price of regular gasoline broke $4 per gallon (3.8 liters) on average across the US on Sunday for the first time since 2008. According to the AAA motor club, the price of regular gas rose by almost 41 cents.
5) The US is exploring legislation to further isolate Russia from the global economy, including banning the import of its oil and energy products into the country, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
6) More than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to fight in Ukraine, claimed Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, AP reported. The minister did not say how many of the foreign volunteers have arrived in Ukraine. “The whole world today is on Ukraine’s side not only in words but in deeds,” Kuleba said on Ukrainian television Sunday night.
7) Two of the so-called big four accounting firms are pulling out of Russia over its war in Ukraine. KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) both said Sunday they would end their relationships with their Russia-based member firms. KPMG said it was also pulling out of Belarus.
8) Amid the onslaught, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the West to strengthen sanctions against Russia. “The audacity of the aggressor is a clear signal to the West that the sanctions imposed on Russia are not sufficient,” Zelenskyy said.
9) The war has caused 1.5 million people to flee the country, multiple news agencies reported. The head of the UN refugee agency has called the exodus “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”
10) The Russian military has warned Ukraine’s neighbouring countries from hosting its warplanes, saying Moscow may consider them a part of the conflict if Ukrainian aircraft fly combat missions from their territory.