22.03.2023
On the day Xi Jinping left Moscow at the end of his visit, Russia launched drone bombings on several areas in Ukraine, including around Kiev, causing many deaths and injuries. Just a few hours before this wave of attacks began, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had just left the country after his visit to Ukraine.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video on Wednesday accusing a Russian missile of bombing a residential building in the southeastern city of Zaporizhia. Russia also launched an explosive drone offensive earlier that killed at least four people in a student dormitory near Kiev.
The Associated Press reported that just a few hours before the attack began, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had just left the country after his visit to Ukraine. Also on the same day, Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his visit to Moscow. He discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the peace plan proposed by China. Western countries have generally questioned the viability of Beijing’s proposals.
The video, posted by Zelenskiy on the social platform Telegram, appears to be surveillance footage of a missile hitting a nine-story residence next to a busy street.
However, Vladimir Rogov, an official of the local administration of the Russian-occupied Zabrozhia region appointed by Moscow, claimed that the building was hit by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile launched to intercept Russian missiles of. However, he did not provide any evidence to support this claim.
Russia has always denied targeting residential areas, even though shells hit residential buildings or civilian facilities on a daily basis. Russian officials have accused Ukraine of putting civilians at risk by deploying the air defense system in residential areas.
Rescuers search for survivors under rubble in Razhiv
It is also reported that a middle school and two student dormitories in Rzhyshchiv, a city south of Kiev, were partially destroyed during the nightly drone attack from Tuesday to Wednesday, killing at least five people and injuring many others.
The Ukrainian military said 16 of the 21 drones sent by Russia were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems, eight of which were shot down near Kiev. Other drones carried out strikes in the western Ukrainian province of Khmelnytskyi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted angrily: “More than 20 killer drones provided by Iran, plus missiles and countless bombings – this is just an act of Russian terror that took place last night.”
Political situation |
17.03.2023
“Every time someone tries to hear the word ‘peace’ in Moscow, there are soon new orders to carry out this type of criminal attack,” Zelensky wrote.
During Xi’s visit to Moscow, Putin said China’s previous “12-point plan” proposal on the Ukraine crisis could serve as “the basis for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue”. Putin also said Russia was committed to “restarting peace talks as soon as possible”, a sentiment China echoed.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the G7, paid a surprise visit to Kiev on Tuesday, expressing support for Zelenskiy’s government amid talks between Xi and Putin. After leaving Ukraine, Kishida said on Wednesday he had conveyed to Zelenskiy Japan’s and the G7’s “unwavering determination to unite” with Ukraine.
(Associated Press, Reuters)
©2023Deutsche Welle Copyright Statement: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special authorization from Deutsche Welle. Any wrongdoing will result in recovery and be subject to criminal prosecution.