Russia artillery damages another hospital, mosque sheltering children, Ukraine says; US expects ‘ugly next few weeks’: Live updates
Devastating economic sanctions from the U.S. and its allies haven’t stopped Russia’s assault on Ukraine, which resulted in damage to another hospital — this time a cancer hospital in the southern city of Mykolaiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
Several hundred patients were in the hospital during the attack but no one was killed, according to the hospital’s head doctor, Maksim Beznosenko.
And on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry accused Russian forces of shelling a mosque in Mariupol where more than 80 children and adults were seeking shelter.
The news comes days after Russian officials struggled to offer a consistent explanation for an assault on a maternity and children’s hospital complex that killed 3 people.
Russia currently appears to be regrouping from recent losses and possibly gearing up for operations against Kyiv. Fighting has intensified close to Ukraine’s capital, where doctors are bracing for the prospect of widespread casualties from war.
Meanwhile, Russia’s economy is in shambles: The ruble has crashed and the Moscow stock market remains closed.
U.S. leaders have hinted the economic pressure is intended to provoke the Russian people to take action against their government.
“The way this conflict will end is when Putin realizes that this adventure has put his own leadership standing at risk with his own military, with his own people,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testified earlier this week. “He will have to change course, or the Russian people take matters into their own hands.”
In the meantime, experts warn the Ukrainian people will continue to suffer, especially if fighting in Kyiv escalates.
“Where that leads, I think, is for an ugly next few weeks in which he doubles down with scant regard for civilian casualties, in which urban fighting can get even uglier,” said CIA Director William Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia.
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Latest developments:
► President Joe Biden on Friday called for a removal of normal trade relations with Russia, allowing for new tariffs on Russian imports in yet another effort to ratchet up sanctions over Moscow’s intensifying invasion of Ukraine. Biden said the move will be another “crushing blow” to Russia’s economy.
► The World Health Organization said Friday it verified 29 attacks on health care facilities, workers and ambulances in Ukraine, which have killed 12 people and injured 34. The U.N. human rights office confirmed 564 civilian fatalities and 982 civilian injuries in the conflict, which is likely an undercount, the office said.
► On Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Russian forces shelled a mosque in Mariupol sheltering more than 80 children and adults.
► On Friday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of kidnapping the mayor of the city of Melitopol.
Ukraine Foreign Ministry: Mosque sheltering 80+ children, adults shelled
Russian forces shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 children and adults in the war-ravaged city of Mariupol, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
Both the ministry and Ukraine’s first deputy minister of foreign affairs shared images of the mosque to Twitter.
“At this very moment, the (Russian) army is bombing the Magnificent Mosque, which was built in memory of Suleiman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan,” Emine Dzheppar, the deputy minister of foreign affairs, tweeted Friday.
The ministry said that Turkish citizens were also hiding in the mosque when it was shelled, which the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey confirmed. The embassy said a group of 86 Turkish nationals, including 34 children, were among the people who sought safety in the mosque.
– Ella Lee, Associated Press
Russia-Ukraine conflict predates actor Sean Penn’s forthcoming documentary
this time with the delivery of more hardware to Ukraine.
Mykhailo Fedorov, vice prime minister of Ukraine, this week confirmed his country’s government received its second shipment of Starlink user terminals, each of which include a satellite dish and built-in WiFi router. Non-traditional communications channels, especially satellite-based, are critical during crises like war or natural disasters.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk this month agreed to open up the satellite-based internet service to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Users only need the terminal, power, and a device like a smartphone or laptop to access the internet, meaning Starlink’s connectivity is less prone to being knocked out by Russian forces.
– Emre Kelly, Florida Today
Downtown Kyiv hospital braces for carnage doctors fear will come
As Russian troops accumulate on the outskirts of Kyiv, Dr. Vitaliy Krylyuk said an uneasy calm has settled at the city’s largest downtown hospital.