Russia’s war on Ukraine entered its sixth day on Tuesday, with a full-blown invasion by Russian tanks and armoured vehicles in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. As the military focused on civilian targets, casualties mounted and reports emerged that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Russian artillery recently hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, the capital.
The shelling in Kharkiv killed at least 10 people and left many more injured. A medical student from India, too, who had stepped out of a bunker to fetch food, was killed after getting caught in the shelling. Naveen Gyandagoudar hailed from Chalageri village in Haveri district, located 300 km from Bengaluru. He was studying medicine at Kharkiv Medical University.
Here are the top developments on day 6 of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in which hundreds have died so far.
Indian Student Killed: Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagouda, India’s first tragic casualty in the ongoing military offensive in Ukraine, died when he stepped out of a bunker to fetch food, his relative said, while another concerned parent wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure a ceasefire in the eastern European nation till their wards return home safe and sound. He was killed when he stepped out of his bunker to exchange currency and fetch some food, his uncle Ujjanagouda claimed. Ujjanagouda said Naveen along with others from Karnataka was stuck in a bunker in Kharkiv. According to Pooja Praharaj, a student coordinator in Kharkiv, soon after the attack, an Ukrainian woman picked up Naveen’s phone and said its owner was being moved to a morgue.
26 Flights to Evacuate Indians: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that as many as 26 flights are scheduled over the next 2-3 days to bring back stranded citizens from war-hit Ukraine. At a press briefing on Tuesday, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that evacuating Indians from Ukraine’s largest eastern city Kharkiv remains the government’s top priority, adding that around 12,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine, which is almost 60% of Indians present in the strife-torn nation. About the remaining 40%, Shringla said that almost half of them remain in the conflict zone, Kharkiv and Sumy areas, while the other half have either reached the western borders of Ukraine or are heading towards the western part of Ukraine – they are generally out of conflict areas.
Indian Embassy Shifts Operations to Lviv: All operations of the Indian Embassy in Kyiv were shifted to Lviv on Tuesday, sources told CNN-News18. A majority of Indian diplomats have moved to the camp office in Lviv which was setup a few days ago. The move comes also because all Indian students have left Kyiv, the sources said. There may still be a few officials at the embassy in Kyiv who will move to Lviv soon. Decision taken in light of deteriorating security situation in Kyiv, the added. Kyiv TV tower which was bombed on Tuesday evening is located very close to the Indian embassy.
2nd Ceasefire Talks: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before meaningful talks on a ceasefire could start, as a first round of negotiations this week had yielded scant progress. Speaking in an interview in a heavily guarded government compound, Zelenskiy urged NATO members to impose a no fly zone to stop the Russian air force, saying this would be a preventative measure and not meant to drag the alliance into war with Russia.
Russia Warns Kyiv Residents: Russian troops will carry out an attack on what they said was the infrastructure of Ukraine’s intelligence services in Kyiv and urged residents living nearby to leave, the defence ministry said Tuesday. “In order to suppress information attacks on Russia, the technological infrastructure of the SBU (Ukraine’s Security Service) and the 72nd main PSO (Psychological Operations Unit) centre in Kyiv will be hit with high-precision weapons,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “We call on… Kyiv residents living near relay nodes to leave their homes,” Konashenkov added.
Evicting Russia from UNSC Among ‘All Options’: The UK government is open to removing Russia as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council following the invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said Tuesday. “There are the mechanisms in place for that which are well established,” he said, adding that Johnson had yet to stake out a position himself on the question. “What is right to say is that we want to see Russia isolated diplomatically, and we will consider all options to achieve that.”
Zelensky Tells EU to ‘Prove’ it is with Ukraine: “Prove that you are with us,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the European Union on Tuesday, a day after Kyiv officially asked to join the bloc as it battles invading Russian forces. EU lawmakers, many wearing #standwithUkraine T-shirts bearing the Ukrainian flag, others with blue-and-yellow scarves or ribbons, gave Zelenskiy a standing ovation as he addressed the European Parliament via video link. “We are fighting to be equal members of Europe,” Zelenskiy said in Ukrainian in a speech translated into English by an interpreter who spoke through tears. “Do prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go. Do prove that you are indeed Europeans, and then life will win over death and light will win over darkness,” he said.
10 Killed After Shelling in Kharkiv: Russian shelling on Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv killed at least 10 people and left many more injured on Tuesday, emergency services said. The attack targeted the city’s central square and the main administration building. “At least 10 people were killed and more than 20 were injured,” the regional emergency services said in a statement, adding that 10 people had been discovered alive under rubble as rescue workers cleared debris. It added that stairwells and corridors of the main administration building on the central square were “completely destroyed”.
5 Killed in Strike on Kyiv TV Tower: An apparent Russian airstrike aimed at Kyiv’s main television tower killed five people on Tuesday, officials said, knocking out some broadcasts but leaving the structure intact. After a blast sounded around the city and smoke was seen rising in the Babi Yar district, the emergencies service said five people were also injured in the attack. Ukrainian officials released footage of charred bodies and cars damaged by the strike, which came during a surge of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv.
(with inputs from agencies)
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