Russian forces launch new attacks in eastern Ukraine as EU weighs oil sanctions – Russian forces have reportedly launched a series of fresh assaults on different sites in eastern Ukraine, as Moscow’s offensive against the former Soviet country continues.
Russian forces resumed attacks on the Azovstal steel complex, the last holdout of Ukrainian forces in the besieged southern city of Mariupol on Tuesday, as over a hundred civilians who had been trapped in the site for weeks were finally brought to safety.
Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Azov military unit, said, “A powerful assault on the territory of the Azovstal plant is underway with support from armored vehicles and tanks.”
Russian forces are also attempting “to land a large number of infantry by boat,” he said, calling for “immediate” efforts to evacuate remaining civilians.
The Russian military has confirmed its forces were targeting Azovstal with artillery and planes in the wake of the evacuation, accusing Azov members and other Ukrainian troops of using a pause in fighting to take up combat positions.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksky said in a daily address that more than 150 people had been successfully extracted in evacuation operations in Mariupol.
A Mariupol mayoral adviser said further evacuations from the city were to take place Wednesday with the help of the United Nations and the Red Cross.
The latest developments come as the European Union (EU) is moving to punish Moscow with oil sanctions over its offensive against Ukraine, while Western countries continue to provide Kiev with cash and weapons to hold off Russia’s advance. EU officials on Tuesday handed a draft plan to member states on a new package of sanctions aimed at Moscow.
But several EU officials and European diplomats in Brussels told AFP there were divisions, with at least one member state jockeying to opt out of an oil embargo.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries will meet Wednesday to deliberate the plan, and it will need unanimous approval before going into effect.
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