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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he would be cutting his official visit to South Africa short, making a swift return to Ukraine following a tragic Russian missile strike in Kyiv. This devastating attack resulted in the deaths of at least eight individuals and injured over 70 others.
In a Telegram update, Zelenskyy shared his intention to return to Kyiv after his meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Ukrainian leader had aimed to garner additional support from South Africa to help address the ongoing conflict with Russia, which has now persisted for four years.
The missile attack occurred shortly after stagnated peace negotiations, during which former President Donald Trump expressed frustrations with Zelenskyy, criticizing his reluctance to concede Crimea to Russia as part of a peaceful resolution. Trump remarked that engaging with Zelenskyy had proven more challenging than negotiating with Russia itself.
Zelenskyy has consistently maintained that acknowledging any occupied territories as Russian is a non-negotiable stance for Ukraine. He highlighted that Ukraine accepted a U.S. proposed ceasefire 44 days prior as a preliminary step towards peace; however, the continuous Russian military actions have obstructed these efforts.
Recent weeks have seen various Russian strikes across Ukraine, with civilian casualties rising dramatically. In Sumy, approximately 30 civilians were killed during celebrations for Palm Sunday, while a barrage of drone attacks targeted Odesa and the city of Zaporizhzhia suffered significant damage from glide bomb strikes.
Senior officials from the United States warned that the current administration may reconsider its commitment to facilitating peace if both parties remain inflexible. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that President Vladimir Putin appears undeterred in leveraging Russia’s military advantages along a 620-mile front line, demonstrating a disregard for peace initiatives.
“Putin’s actions reveal that he has no intention of respecting any peace efforts, continuing to pursue warfare instead,” Sybiha stated on social media. He asserted that only a firm stand against aggression would be effective against such relentless hostility.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported that the conflict has resulted in the loss of around 13,000 civilians, including 618 children, since Russia’s large-scale invasion began in February 2022. Additionally, the Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched numerous attacks involving 66 ballistic and cruise missiles and several drone strikes targeting Kyiv and multiple other Ukrainian regions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that Zelenskyy was unwilling to make necessary compromises in the negotiations, suggesting that he would only accept a ceasefire under terms favorable to Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the death toll from the latest strike, initially reported as nine but later revised to eight. Emergency services have confirmed at least 42 individuals were hospitalized, and search operations continued as emergency responders sought to uncover victims trapped in the debris.
At a residential site that sustained extensive damage, emergency crews worked tirelessly, rescuing a woman who was found amidst the rubble. Eyewitness accounts from survivors painted a harrowing picture of the attack, with one elderly woman seen in distress as she received medical attention.
According to Tymur Tkachenko, who leads the city’s military administration, several residential buildings caught fire during the attack, which began around 1:00 a.m. Initial investigations indicated at least five neighborhoods in Kyiv were impacted, with significant destruction observed in the Sviatoshynkskyi district.
Rescue efforts were compounded by chaos as residents recounted the terror of the explosions. Oksana Bilozir, a student injured during the strike, described a moment of panic when the air raid sirens sounded, quickly followed by a second blast that collapsed her home’s walls. “It’s terrifying. If we can stop them in battle, there’s nothing else that will work,” she voiced her fears regarding the ongoing conflict.
More reports emerged of buildings ablaze in the Shevchenkivsky and Holosiivskyi districts, with residents seeking refuge in shelters amidst increasing violence. Anastasiia Zhuravlova, a mother forced to flee with her children, described the harrowing experience of explosions shattering their home, compelling them to find safety in a nearby shelter.
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