Kiev, ‘Peace at any cost is an illusion’ – World

“No other nation wants peace more than Ukraine. But peace at any cost is an illusion. The Ukrainian people will accept peace only if they ensure the complete cessation of Russian aggression, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and the restoration of the territorial integrity of our state within internationally recognized borders”: said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaking at an event on the war in his country linked to the second (virtual) summit for democracy wanted by Joe Biden.

“I want to be clear, Russia must withdraw from every square meter of Ukrainian territory. There should be no misinterpretation of this
which implies the word withdrawal”, added Kuleba, who took the place of President Zelensky, who was busy visiting a region on the frontline of the conflict. “Although Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine – he continued – its aggression does not concern only the Ukraine. Russia also aims to destroy the world order based on international law and the UN Charter. Our sons and daughters not only fought for the future but also defended our common democratic values ​​at the cost of their lives. In this fight, we are defending
the whole democratic world“.

For his part, Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city’s military administration, told the Guardian that the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka “is about to
be wiped off the face of the Earth” due to intensified Russian shelling. Russian forces have recently made gradual gains on the flanks of Avdiivka, and the Ukrainian military said last week that the city could become a “second Bakhmut”. About 2,000 civilians remain in Avdiivka, a city in the Donetsk region about 90km southwest of besieged Bakhmut, according to officials. The city had a pre-war population of more than 30,000. As of Sunday, public services in the cities will begin to be closed as “every day more and more areas are bombed and destroyed,” said Barabash.

And Moscow’s protests continue over the shipment of arms to Ukraine by Western countries. Russia’s defense ministry said it shot down a US GLSDB rocket, the first confirmation that the munitions had been delivered to Ukraine, which sees them as crucial to its upcoming counter-offensive. “Anti-aircraft defense shot down 18 Himars system rockets and one GLSDB guided rocket,” the ministry said in its daily statement on bombs with a range of up to 150 km, promised to Kiev by the United States
in early February.

In addition, the three Leopard 2 tanks promised by Portugal are already on the territory of Ukraine, the Defense Ministry of Lisbon informed Portugal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had already denounced that Germany plays an active role in “pumping weapons to Ukraine” and this “increases its direct and indirect involvement in the conflict”, after the delivery of 18 Leopard 2s to the armed forces of Kiev.

In the morning, the Moscow Defense Minister announced that Russia had carried out a test of anti-ship missiles in the Sea of ​​Japan. The ministry said two naval units launched a simulated missile attack on an enemy dummy warship about 100 kilometers away. The target, he stressed, was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles. The Moskit is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile with conventional and nuclear warhead capabilities.

Explosions and fires occurred in Kiev last night, caused by a Russian drone attack. This was announced by the local authorities, quoted by the Kyiv Independent. The military administration of the Ukrainian capital oblast has announced that it has shot down all the unmanned aircraft used by the Moscow forces for the attack, which took place shortly after 10 pm local time (9 pm in Italy) The firefighters intervened in the Sviatoshynskyi and Obolonskyi districts of Kiev. No casualties or injuries were reported, according to mayor Vitalii Klitschko.