Following the Crisis in Ukraine, Week 6
In the sixth week of the conflict the focus of the media was on the growing number of war crimes being discovered by Ukrainians as they returned to areas that had been held by the Russian’s. Sadly, the number of mass graves, especially in the villages outside of Kiev seems to be continuing to grow.
Mariupol remained in the headlines as the Russian hold on the city tightened and the number of dead continued to grow.
International condemnation also continued to rise with western leaders making visits to the war zone. UK Prime Minister Johnson visited Ukrainian President Zelensky in Kiev while the Austrian Chancellor made a visit to Russian president Putin in Moscow, however the later was not considered a friendly visit.
To help understand the conflict here is a quick breakdown of this week's main news stories.
Day 41. Tuesday 5th April 2022
President Zelensky addressed the United Nations Security Council on the events found in Bucha, mounting pressure to remove Russia as a permanent member of the Council.
Day 42. Wednesday 6th April 2022
Russian attacks on the east of Ukraine continued with a humanitarian aid station bombed. This came as Russian forces were further removed from near Kiev and repositioned in the east of the country. According to the BBC World Service, Russia claimed to have taken control of 93% of the Luhansk region and 54% of Donetsk. Even if Russia were not able to claim victory in the war, this is a very large territory to control, says the BBC World Service. Remember those maps (there is one below)? This land grab seems to be part of a wider plan to join up with Crimea in the south.
Day 43. Thursday 7th April 2022
Across Europe and the USA steps began to make it easier for the nations to send weapons to Ukraine and back at the UN the Human Rights Council expelled Russia.
Day 44. Friday 8th April 2022
A train station in Kramatorsk, Donetsk was hit by a Russian missile. At the time there were thousands of people inside, mainly women and children, with Russia denying responsibility. At least 52 people were killed, and hundreds injured. This comes as Ukraine attempts to evacuate those in the east of the country.
Day 45. Saturday 9th April 2022
In Buzova, a village near Kiev, mass graves were found. This village had recently been re-claimed by the Ukrainians.
Day 46. Sunday 10th April 2022
Satellite images show a large convey of Russian troops moving towards Kharkiv. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a personal visit to the capital Kiev where he walked through the streets with President Zelensky (see photo below).
Day 47. Monday 11th April 2022
The Chancellor of Austria met with President Putin in Moscow, making him the first western leader to meet with the Russian President since the war began. He concluded that the visit was not friendly and very tough to have with Putin.
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Further Reading (A selection):
*This blog has been put together with multiple current news sources such as the BBC World News Podcast, local nightly news and media outlets such as News.com
Articles and Websites:
"Ukraine War in Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion", BBC News (23 March 2022), <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682>
"War in Ukraine", BBC World News (multiple articles), <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60525350>
War in Ukraine (website of the War in Ukraine hosted by Ukraine), <www.war.ukraine.ua>
"Global Conflict Tracker", Council on Foreign Relations (Updated 18 March 2022), <https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-ukraine>
Disclaimer: The observations and comments made in this blog are made after reflecting on the news stories and histories I read. History plays a big part in how I understand the present so my comments largely take into account history and the role it has in the present. After all, those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
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