Russia-Ukraine crisis: Volodymyr Zelensky says he's target number 1
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Friday to stay in Kyiv even as he said intel suggested that he was marked by the Russians as “enemy number 1.” At least 137 Ukranians were dead, with 316 injured, Zelensky said. An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities.
Ukraine’s Defence Ministry on Friday said more than 1,000 Russian servicemen have been killed so far in the conflict. “Russia has not suffered so many casualties during the fighting in any of its armed conflicts since its inception,” the ministry said, Reuters reported.
But Zelensky warned in a video message, “(The) enemy has marked me down as the number one target. My family is the number two target.” “I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine.”
Asked if he was worried about Zelensky’s safety, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS: “To the best of my knowledge, President Zelensky remains in Ukraine at his post, and of course we’re concerned for the safety of all of our friends in Ukraine — government officials and others.”
UkraineA residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine after Russia pounded the city during a massive military operation Photo: Reuters
The Ukranian president also made his views on West’s actions clear. “This morning, we are defending our country alone. Just like yesterday, the most powerful country in the world looked on from a distance,” he said in a Facebook video, as quoted by CNN.
Sanctions, military advances
The United States, Britain, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union on Thursday unveiled more sanctions on Russia on top of those imposed earlier this week, aiming to freeze the country's banks, government and elite out of the global financial system.
Russia’s wealthiest individuals were already feeling the squeeze from escalating tensions between the nation and Ukraine.
It got much worse for their net worth after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. In less than 24 hours, they lost $39 billion — more than they had up to that point this year.
Social media giants stepped in highlighting security measure for users in Ukraine. Facebook owner Meta Platforms has set up a special operations centre to monitor the conflict in Ukraine, and it launched a feature so users in the country can lock their social media profiles for security, a company official said in Twitter posts on Thursday.
Twitter on Wednesday posted tips on how users can secure their accounts against hacking, make sure their tweets are private and deactivate their accounts. The company tweeted the safety tips in English, Russian and Ukrainian.A democratic nation of 44 million people, Ukraine is Europe’s biggest country by area after Russia itself. It voted for independence at the fall of the Soviet Union and has recently stepped up efforts to join the NATO military alliance and the European Union, aspirations that infuriate Moscow.
UkrainePeople fleeing the conflict from Ukraine arrive at Przemysl train station in Przemysl, Poland, on Friday Photo: AP/PTI
Invading Russian forces closed in on the Ukrainian capital Friday, in what appears to be an encircling movement after a barrage of airstrikes on cities and military bases around the country.
As they awakened on the second day of Russia's invasion, horrified civilians found themselves at risk as artillery shells rained down on some residential buildings on Kyiv's outskirts.
A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, Shabia Mantoo, said more than 100,000 people were believed to have left their homes in Ukraine and that “up to 4 million people may flee to other countries if the situation escalates.”
Reviving Cold War fears of a nuclear showdown, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned in a speech that he has the weapons available if anyone dares to use military means to try to stop his takeover of Ukraine.
Whether an empty threat or not, Putin's words re-animated the spectre of nuclear war — through accident or miscalculation.
The airline industry meanwhile shifted its focus to Russia after the closure of the airspace over Ukraine, in a sign of the conflict’s growing fallout for the global aviation industry.
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