Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday said that continued Russian aggression against his country showed that sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West were not enough.
Zelenskiy said the world was continuing to observe what was going on in Ukraine after its capital, Kyiv, and other parts of the country were struck by Russian missiles in the early hours yesterday.
Addressing the Russian population in Russian at the end of a televised speech, Zelenskiy said that the bombing of Kyiv was reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s attacks during World War II.
Photo: Reuters / Russian Foreign Ministry
“This is reminiscent of 1941,” Zelenskiy said.
“To all the citizens of the Russian Federation who went out to protest, I want to say: We see you,” he said. “This means you heard us. This means you are starting to believe us. Fight for us, fight against the war.”
Hundreds were detained across Russian cities on Thursday after taking part in protests after Moscow launched a massive military operation against Ukraine.
Photo: Reuters
SEPARATIST EMBASSIES
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov would later yesterday hold talks with officials from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics of eastern Ukraine on their plans to open embassies in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees on Monday to recognize the two breakaway regions as independent states before ordering a full-blown invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin said in a statement that the sides would discuss Russian military operations in Ukraine, as well as the opening of the embassies of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in the Russian capital.
They would also discuss the opening of Russian diplomatic outposts in the two regions, it said.
Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as the Donbass, broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014 and proclaimed themselves independent “people’s republics.”
Putin authorized “a special military operation” against Ukraine on Thursday to eliminate what he called a serious security threat to Russia.
He said that his aim was to demilitarize Russia’s southern neighbor.
In related news, Poland said it would open nine reception points near its border with Ukraine to provide food, medical assistance and information to potential refugees.
The head of Poland’s border guard on Thursday said that the situation on the border was stable.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS