War in Ukraine: Latest developments

War in Ukraine: Latest developments

Web Desk
May 1, 2022

War in Ukraine: Latest developments

Here are the present-day tendencies within the war in Ukraine:

– Safe passage from the steel plant starts –

An operation is underway for civilians to go away from the besieged Azovstal metal plant in the Ukrainian port town of Mariupol, a UN spokesman says.

“UN confirms that a safe passage operation is ongoing in Azovstal steel plant, in coordination with the ICRC and the parties to the conflict,” says spokesman Jens Laerke.

Russian news agencies report that 40 people left the plant while the Russian defense ministry says nearly 50 civilians had left a day earlier.

– Pelosi backs Zelensky –

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi voices support for Ukraine’s “fight for freedom” at a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on a visit to Kyiv, US and Ukrainian officials say.

“We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom… Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,” Pelosi tells Zelensky.

– Angelina Jolie visits Lviv –

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie makes a surprise appearance in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv where she meets displaced people and is spotted in a cafe.

Jolie also visited injured children at a hospital and spoke to volunteers. The actress is a UNHCR special envoy but it was not known if she was visiting the country in that capacity.

– Turkey spokesman meets Zelensky –

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has met Zelensky in Kyiv, his office says.

There were no immediate details about the content of Kalin’s meeting, but Ankara has been mediating between Ukraine and Russia in an effort to end the war.

– Germany slashes Russia’s reliance –

Germany says it has made progress in sharply reducing its reliance on Russian energy, a strategic shift Europe’s biggest economy has embarked on since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russian supplies now make up 12 percent of Germany’s oil imports compared to 35 percent previously, the economy ministry says.

Coal from Russia has also been slashed to eight percent compared to 45 percent of Germany’s purchases previously, it added in a statement.

– Missile hits Odessa airport –

A Russian missile destroys the runway at Odesa airport in southern Ukraine but there are no victims, the regional governor Maxim Marchenko says on his Telegram account.

– Russia could seize assets –

Moscow suggests it could seize the Russia-based assets of countries it deems hostile in retaliation for a US proposal to sell off Russian oligarchs’ assets and pay the proceeds to Ukraine.

“As far as companies based in Russian territory are concerned whose owners are citizens of hostile countries and where the decision has been taken” to seize Russian assets, “it is fair to take reciprocal measures and confiscate assets,” says the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin.

– Russian plane enters Swedish airspace –

A Russian reconnaissance plane briefly violated Sweden’s airspace, Swedish defense officials say, as the Scandinavian country ponders a bid for NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

– 13 million uprooted –

More than 5.4 million Ukrainians have fled their USA. Considering the fact that Russia invaded two months in the past, with tens of heaps becoming a member of their ranks every day, the United Nations says.

Beyond the refugees, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates more than 7.7 million people were displaced inside Ukraine, which means that more than 13 million human beings standard have been uprooted through the conflict.