If you’ve been catching up on the latest developments in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, here’s what you should know:
From Mariupol: Denis Pushilin, head of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic ordered the formation of the city administration Russian state news agency TASS for the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to a decree published on the DPR head’s website on Thursday.
The city is within the borders of the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Before the war the city was under the control of the Ukrainian government, but the Russian government – which recognized the independence of the DPR in late February – considers the entire area to belong to the separatist republic.
Meanwhile, the evacuation corridor in Mariupol agreed by the Ukrainian and Russian authorities, declared on Thursday, is “insufficient” France said, “in the right circumstances to allow the rescue of civilians”.
Ruble for Russian gas: According to a newly signed decree, gas buyer from “unfriendly country”“will need to Open and pay from ruble accounts in Russian banksPresident Vladimir Putin announced. France, Germany and the UK made statements to say Russian gas in rubles will not pay,
Russia’s withdrawal from Chernobyl: In 1986, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster and the area around it fell into the hands of Russian troops in the first week of the war in Ukraine. But in a Telegram post on Thursday, Energoatom, the state enterprise that oversees Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, said that Russian troops announced their intention to leave And hand over control to Ukrainian personnel. A senior US defense official told reporters on Thursday that the US was looking “downward” at Russian forces from Chernobyl and north and northwest of Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the Belgian government To help with “arms, sanctions, EU membership”, “maybe soon the future will pay you back.” By the end of Thursday, Zelensky will have addressed 17 global parliaments to garner support during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General says Russian troops are “not withdrawing but retreating”: Speaking at a news conference for the Secretary-General’s 2021 Annual Report in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that according to intelligence, “Russian units are not retreating, but reestablishing Russia’s Donbass region.” trying to regroup, resupply and reinforce its offensive in the U.S. At the same time, Russia maintains pressure on Kyiv and other cities…