Satellite images taken near the besieged Mariupol show a new mass grave, say local government officials. Attempts are being made to evacuate residents from Mariupol again on Saturday, says Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
23.4. 06:28 • Updated April 23rd. 06:29
We gathered the key news from last night and last night in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyi: Moscow wants to attack other countries as well
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented in a video speech on Friday night about Russia’s recent targets in Ukraine, as defined by the Russian military leadership.
Major general Rustam Minnekaevin According to the Russian Armed Forces, the goal is to conquer the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine and southern Ukraine.
Russia’s deputy commander of the Central Military Region said it intended to create a corridor from the Crimean peninsula to both eastern Ukraine and west to the Russian-backed Transnistrian separatist zone in Moldova.
According to Zelensky, these speeches show that Moscow wants to attack other countries as well. The attack on Ukraine was just beginning. And, who’s next ?, he asks.
Ukraine’s border neighbor Moldova is outraged by the Russian general’s statement. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry invited the Russian Ambassador to Moldova for an interview.
Representatives of the city of Mariupol: A large mass grave in the village of Vynohradne
A large mass grave has been unearthed in the village of Vynohradne outside the city of Mariupol, local government officials say, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
In a press release published in the telegram, the city council says the satellite images taken on April 20 show a mass grave 45 meters long and 25 meters wide.
Just a day earlier, Maxar released satellite images of the village of Manhush near Mariupol, showing massive formations that, according to Ukrainian estimates, could contain as many as 3,000 to 9,000 civilian bodies.
Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Bochenko says he believes more similar burial sites will be found and their area will expand as the number of people killed in the city is tens of thousands, Ukrinform writes.
According to the mayor, at least 15,000 older people and the chronically ill could die in Mariupol. There is a catastrophic shortage of drinking water, food and medicine in the besieged city.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereštšuk said in a telegram it is possible that a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol could be agreed and civilians evacuated on Saturday.
The United States convened the Allies in Ramstein
The United States has invited some 40 allies to discuss Ukraine’s security next week.
According to the Pentagon of the U.S. Department of Defense, defense ministers and military leaders from already 20 invited countries have announced their participation in the meeting in Germany.
A representative of the Pentagon John Kirbyn according to NATO members, but also non-military countries.
Among other things, the meeting will discuss Kiev’s long-term defense needs. The meeting will be held at the U.S. air base in Ramstein on Tuesday.