Prime Minister Medvedev warned that Russia will increase its military before the possibility of becoming a NATO member of Sweden and Finland

Thursday marks 50 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, and there has been a marked shift in Moscow’s approach. Ukrainian officials have been warning for days that they expect a major offensive by Russian forces in the eastern Donbas region.

The WE and EU committed a total of $1.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine as Russia prepares to launch an attack to the east.

Meanwhile, organizations like the United Nations have warned that the protracted war in Ukraine could lead to more problems in an already struggling global economy with food insecurity. Top concern.

Here are the latest developments:

War casualtiesAs of April 12, the number of civilians killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24 is 1,932, the United Nations Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. United Nations (OHCHR) said on Thursday. It warns that “actual figures are significantly higher.”

Global impact: The United Nations Secretary-General has warned that the world is on the verge of a “perfect storm” as the war in Ukraine aggravates an already troubled global economy. In a statement on Wednesday, the UN said the war could lead to a “three-way crisis” in food, energy and finance – sectors that have been hit hard by Covid-19 and its transformation. climate. Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We are facing a perfect storm that threatens to devastate the economies of developing countries. He said: collateral damage in another disaster for which they are not responsible.

The main Russian warship damaged: One of the most important warships of the Russian Navy was badly damaged in the Black Sea, a blow to an army that was struggling against Ukrainian resistance for the next 50 days Invasion of Russia of his neighbour. Russian sailors evacuated the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea fleet, after a fire blew up the ship’s ammunition depot, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Ukraine’s Southern Operations Command announced on Thursday that the Moskva had begun to sink after it was hit by a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the Moskva was “still afloat” and that measures were being taken to tow it to port. The ministry said the crew had been evacuated to other Black Sea Fleet ships in the area. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN’s Brianna Keilar that “there was an explosion” aboard the Moskva, but said the United States could not say at this point whether the ship was hit by a missile. Whatever the cause of the fire, analysts say it hit the heart and national pride of the Russian Navy as much as if the US Navy lost a battleship in World War II or not. an aircraft carrier today.

Ukraine’s National Security Advisor Oleksiy Danilov told CNN on Thursday that the alleged attack on the cruiser was a very important task for his country’s military and vowed to take as many dramatic actions as possible. so. “It is a very important mission for us. The Moskva ship was there near Snake Island and yesterday was hit by two powerful Ukrainian-made missiles,” Danilov told CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen in an interview. “[Putin] come to kill our children, our women, our civilians. That is our gift to him. And this is just the beginning. There will be more than one Moscow.” Ukraine’s national security adviser continued to praise the Ukrainian military for the way they have defended the country but warned not to underestimate the Russian army. Danilov also reiterated the land’s claim “First of all, we are grateful for what we have been given,” he said. “We need helicopters, planes, powerful weapons, artillery … We need a lot.”

Potential meeting between Zelensky and Putin: Turkey is still working on organizing a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Turkish news channel NTV on Thursday. “We know the important topics will be decided at the leadership level, so we will try to bring the leaders together,” he said. Mr. Cavusoglu said that Turkey continues to approach the negotiations with “cautious optimism”, especially after the recent events of war crimes in Bucha and Irpin that have “negatively affected the process”.

The condition for a possible meeting between Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is a written agreement ready for the two leaders to sign, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Zelensky has repeatedly called for negotiations with the President of Russia, but so far there have been no talks at the highest level.

Russian opposition figure calls on the West to launch social networks against Putin’s regime: Russian opposition character Alexey Navalny issued a series of tweets urging a new front of “free truth and information” against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he called a “war criminal from the Kremlin.”

Navalny who is serving a nine-year sentence In a Russian penal colony after being found guilty of fraud last month, he tweeted that “truth and free information affects Putin’s crazy regime as much as Javelins.” , an American anti-tank weapon being used by Ukrainian forces against Russian armor.

Increase defense aid to Ukraine: The Pentagon is working to move weapons, ammunition and other security assistance worth $800 million to Ukraine announced by US President Joe Biden yesterday to Ukraine as quickly as possible, a foreign official said. the senior chamber said on Thursday. “We have no illusions about the size and scale of this thing. But we also care about watches. We know time is not our friend. And we will do our best to move, move these shipments as quickly as possible,” the official told reporters during a press conference in front of the camera.

The European Union approved an additional 500 million euros ($544 million) in military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Wednesday, according to a news release from the Council of Europe of the European Union.

“The next few weeks will be decisive. As Russia prepares for an attack on Eastern Ukraine, it is important that we continue and step up our military support to Ukraine to protect its territory and population and prevent further damage. further harm”, said Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs. Privacy Policy and Incident.