Megan Geall
New reports from the Ukraine crisis state that 50 people are dead and dozens more wounded after rocket attacks hit a train station in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. The incident follows an onslaught of Russian attacks in the Donetsk region of Ukraine leaving thousands of Ukrainians fleeing from their homes or sheltering in basements.
Russia denies any involvement in the train station attack, with a Kremlin spokesperson denying any scheduled missions in the area, claiming that the accusations were “a provocation” and “absolutely untrue.” However, with Russia denying similar attacks on civilians in recent days, Ukrainian forces find this hard to believe as Russia steps up its presence in eastern Ukraine as it withdraws from northern regions.
Ukrainian Response
“This was a deliberate slaughter. We will bring each war criminal to justice,” stated Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24th February, Russian forces have been accused of attacking civilians and essential infrastructure. Such attacks are labelled as “war crimes” under the Geneva Convention. The International Criminal Court and teams in Ukraine have started to investigate and gather evidence against Russian President Vladamir Putin and his troops.
“The world must understand: Russia is a state-terrorist.“
“The strike on the Kramatorsk railway station is a deliberate act of intimidation,” tweeted Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Dozens of dead and wounded civilians. Families with children who were trying to evacuate. The world must understand: Russia is a state-terrorist. Buying its oil and gas is financing terrorism.”
International Dependency on Russia
The Ukrainian reference to oil and gas follows worldwide difficulties to end dependency on Russian energy. Boris Johnson announced his plans yesterday, Thursday 7th April, to move towards greener energy sources, with the PM declaring that “nuclear is coming home.” Johnson has been under pressure this week to provide an energy security strategy that reduces dependence on international sources and tackles the UK’s cost of living crisis.
In response to this new update on the Ukraine crisis, Johnson will deliver a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Sholtz later this evening.
Featured image courtesy of Ahmed Zalabany on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Megan Geall
Megan is a 23-year-old recent English and American Literature graduate and aspiring journalist. Her interests include food, fitness, lifestyle writing and dance!