Russia Pledges To Briefly Halt Fire
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia said Monday it would halt fire to allow civilians in the capital Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities to escape after being accused of shelling civilian targets in deadly attacks.
Moscow’s announcement comes days after two similar attempts in Mariupol collapsed. Kyiv said Russian forces continued to shell the city during the agreed ceasefire hours.
Elsewhere four people, including a mother and two children, reportedly died in mortar fire as residents fled the town of Irpin near Kyiv.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “murdering” civilians following the attack.
And Ukrainian defense officials warned Monday that Russia is preparing to launch an all-out assault on Kyiv.
Russia’s military action will not stop until Moscow’s demands are met, Vladimir Putin said earlier, despite facing anti-war protests and stiff resistance in Ukraine.
Putin wants Ukraine to disarm, be neutral without joining the NATO military alliance. He also pledged to topple the pro-Western government.
Russia reportedly deployed Syrian fighters to help with his ongoing invasion, while Ukraine’s government said some 16,000 foreigners had joined the battle.
With the war becoming an increasingly global conflict, oil prices have soared to a 13-year high.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in talks with the U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden, pleaded for enforcing a no-fly zone for Russian aircraft over his wartorn nation.
Washington and the U.S.-led NATO alliance have so far refused to help Ukraine enforce a no-fly zone saying it could broader the conflict and potentially lead to World War Three.
More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine, but men aged 18-60 have to remain to help fight the Russian army and other supporting forces.
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