Kyiv: Powerful explosions rocked Chernihiv; the Ukrainian Defence Ministry tweeted. It claimed the air defence specialists on the outskirts were damaged by the airstrikes.
Meanwhile, evacuation commenced in Mariupol after Russia announced to ceasefire briefly allowing a safe passage for civilians. Reports from local sources stated that roughly 6 were killed in an airstrike on a village Markhalveka near the capital.
President Zelensky sharing a video on his Facebook account urged all his people to return home, “I am sure that soon we will be able to tell our people: come back! Come back from Poland, Romania, Slovakia and all other countries. Come back because there is no threat anymore.”
Videos of unarmed civilians in cities facing Russian saboteurs have been making rounds. Hundreds rallied in Kherson amidst the temporary halt in shelling from enemies. In the video, hundreds holding the Ukrainian flag and protesting the ‘invaders’ are seen. In another video from Melitopol, civilians are seen fighting the Russian soldiers with bare hands. Meanwhile, civilians in Sumy seek help as the shelling escalated.
Earlier during the day, prior to its temporary pause, Russian forces bombed a military hospital in Irpin, the Defence dept reported. A new set of sanctions were added against Putin after the Singaporean Foreign Ministry imposed restrictions on the exports to the country over the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The sanctions targeted four Russian banks: VTB, Vnesheconombank, Promsvyazbank and Bank Rossiya.
On Monday, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the humanitarian crisis triggered in Ukraine by the Russian invasion. After this public session, the 15 members of the council will confer behind closed doors to discuss a possible draft resolution, a diplomat reported.