Russia continues bombardment of Ukrainian cities despite peace talk claims

Russian forces continued to assault the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv on Wednesday, simply hours after Moscow pledged to “improve mutual belief” by de-escalating its army presence round those self same cities.

A spherical of Russian shelling hit a slew of civilian websites, together with residential areas and a minimum of one library, Ukrainian officers stated Wednesday. The assaults got here alongside renewed Russian aggression within the jap Donbas area.

Russia claimed Tuesday that it might “radically” cut back its assaults round Kyiv and Chernihiv as a goodwill gesture amid the peace talks lately convened in Istanbul.

“On condition that the talks on the preparation of an settlement on the neutrality and non-nuclear standing of Ukraine have moved right into a sensible subject … a call has been made to radically, by a number of instances, cut back the army exercise within the areas of Kyiv and Chernihiv,” Russian Deputy Protection Minister Alexander Fomin had stated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky replied Tuesday, “you may belief solely concrete outcomes.”

A wounded man talks to a soldier after being evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine on March 30, 2022.

AP Photograph/Rodrigo Abd

Serhiy Malyshenko, a embellished veteran of the Soviet warfare in Afghanistan, holds a field along with his army medals that he retrieved from the ruins of his home on March 30, 2022.

AP Photograph/Vadim Ghirda

These outcomes amounted to the in a single day focusing on of civilian infrastructure, stated Viacheslav Chaus, regional governor of the Chernihiv oblast.

“The so-called discount of exercise within the Chernihiv area was demonstrated by the enemy strikes, together with airstrikes on Nizhyn, and all night time lengthy they had been shelling Chernihiv,” Chaus stated.

He stated properties, buying facilities and libraries had been hit within the assault.

Town market is seen broken by night time shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine on March 30, 2022.

AP Photograph/Vladislav Savenok

Ukrainian officers stated Russian forces additionally continued to shell the Bucha, Brovary and Vyshhorod areas round Kyiv, focusing on civilian infrastructure.

In the meantime, Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk — a contested metropolis within the jap Donbas area — claimed a Ukrainian missile destroyed a part of an residence block, killing two.

Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky stated Wednesday that Ukraine’s provide of formal neutrality and a pledge to not be a part of NATO met a key Kremlin demand, shifting peace talks ahead.

Zelensky’s workplace clarified Wednesday that any peace provide wouldn't be put to a vote of the Ukrainian folks till all Russian forces withdrew to their pre-invasion positions.

With Publish wires