Putin calls off storming Mariupol steel plant, orders complete 'seal off' as city is cleared
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, to cancel the plan of storming the 'Azovstal' steel plant in Mariupol, as 'inappropriate'.
"This is a case where we must think - we must always do so! - about preserving the lives and health of our officers", Putin stressed.
"Seal off this industrial area so that not a fly can get through", the president ordered.
Putin reinstated the guarantee of the lives and all the medical assistance for the Ukrainian forces remaining in the plant.
The Supreme commander-in-chief congratulated Shoigu and the Russian army on their 'success'.
"The completion of the fighting to liberate Mariupol is a success! I congratulate you! Send words of gratitude to the troops, submit proposals for awarding the distinguished", Putin told Shoigu.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the implications for Russia during a press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Berlin on Thursday.
Scholz said that Germany is 'working very hard' to create a new infrastructure to become independent of Russian gas and that the payment for gas will be made in euros.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen visited Bucha on Friday, along with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, during their official trip to Ukraine looking to increase the EU's support for Ukraine amid ongoing conflict with Russia.
Von der Leyen and Borrell visited an apparent mass grave, as well as a dozen of corpses inside black plastic bags, before meeting Zelensky in the capital.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said US politicians do not have a clear conscience to be labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘war criminal’ for the situation in Ukraine, in response to US President Joe Biden’s remarks about the Russian leader.
“[…] many American politicians who started the war in Iraq under a well-known pretext, who destroyed Libya along with NATO partners, who invaded Syria, do not have a clear conscience,” said Lavrov.
Biden was filmed stating that Putin should be tried as a ‘war criminal’ for ‘war crimes’ in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, after videos and images emerged showing dead civilians scattered along a street.
The materials sparked a global outcry, while Moscow officials repeatedly denied responsibility, saying that they were ‘fake’ and ‘staged’ upon the Russian troops' withdrawal on March 30.
Firefighters were deployed to the scene of a massive fire at an oil depot in Belgorod on Friday. The Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) said fire affected eight oil tanks.
The governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov claims the fire broke out following an airstrike fired from two helicopters belonging to Ukrainian Air forces. According to Gladkov, at least two people were injured, and the residents of the area are now evacuated.
Ukrainian authorities refuse to confirm or refute the allegations, RIA novosti agency said.
Banana producers in Machala were seen throwing away their backlog of bananas on Tuesday as exports came to a halt due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to official sources, banana prices have also decreased by at least half their original selling price. Prior to the conflict, Ecuador exported around 1.8 million boxes of bananas to Russia and 180,000 boxes to Ukraine on a weekly basis. After the conflict, those numbers dropped drastically due to sanctions and transportation companies reluctant to deliver goods in war-torn areas.
The banana workers have asked the government to help buy the backlog in order to assist with the decrease in exports and prices.
Dozens of riot police were deployed to the Parisian suburb of Sevran on Sunday night to contain the civil unrest for the second night in a row.
Fireworks were fired in the air and sideways on the street as riot police attempted to disperse the perpetrators. Some public trash cans were lit on fire and laid on the roads as blockage before firefighters put out the fires.
Four people were reportedly arrested, no injuries were reported. This came after local police shot a 33-year-old motorist during a check while he was traveling in a stolen vehicle. An investigation being conducted by authorities to determine the facts of the case.
Abandoned military equipment at a former base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the village of Radensk, Kherson region, were filmed with a drone.
The footage shows T-64 and T-80 tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, Ural vehicles, as well as ammunition depots and a campground.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said that the base was taken under the control by the Russian military. Allegedly, the Ukrainian soldiers had departed in a hurry, leaving more than 4.5 tons of ammunition and personal belongings.
Local residents continue to evacuate Mariupol, passing through Russian checkpoints located in the DPR.
Footage filmed on Friday shows people leaving the city, and military personnel inspecting them and their vehicles at the checkpoints.
Londoners voiced their reactions outside the Wimbledon Tennis Club after the Russian and Belarusian players were banned from this year’s championship over the Ukraine war.
"it’s a very tricky issue, and I’m disappointed the Russian athletes have to suffer what Putin is up to in Ukraine", Andrew said.
“It’s a shame for the game but they’ve made a statement and I hope they stand by it now”, said Lucy, another local.
While David considered it "the right decision", Gordon said it was "a stupid idea".
"At the Olympics they can play under a neutral flag and I think it’s absurd expecting them to come here and take a declaration against Putin or Russia when their families are still living in Russia", he explained.
The ATP considered that Wimbledon’s "unilateral decision to exclude players from Russia and Belarus from this year’s British grass-court swing is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game".