Moscow says it has control over Ukraine’s Kherson as U.S. closes airspace to Russian planes

WASHINGTON/KYIV – Practically per week after launching its invasion of Ukraine, Russia mentioned its forces took management the primary sizable metropolis on Wednesday, seizing Kherson, within the south, as preventing raged across the nation and Western nations and different states tightened an financial noose round Russia.

Greater than half 1,000,000 Ukrainians have fled the preventing since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of his southern neighbor practically per week in the past.

Russian bombardments of Ukrainian cities continued, with video posted on social media exhibiting closely broken buildings across the second metropolis of Kharkiv.

“Whereas he could make beneficial properties on the battlefield, he can pay a seamless excessive value over the long term,” U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned throughout his State of the Union deal with. Straying from the ready textual content, Biden added “He has no thought what’s coming.” He didn’t elaborate.

The invaders’ advances have been met with fierce resistance by Ukrainian forces and a mileslong Russian navy convoy north of Kyiv has made little progress towards the capital.

In a video deal with on Wednesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned practically 6,000 Russians had been killed within the first six days of Moscow’s invasion, and that the Kremlin wouldn’t be capable to take his nation with bombs and air strikes.

Biden additional ratcheted up sanctions on Moscow, becoming a member of the European Union and Canada in banning Russian planes from U.S. airspace.

He additionally mentioned the Justice Division would search to grab the yachts, luxurious residences and personal jets of rich Russians with ties to Putin.

U.S. lawmakers stood, applauded and roared, a lot of them waving Ukrainian flags and carrying the nation’s blue and yellow colours, as Biden delivered his deal with to the chamber of the Home of Representatives.

Russian forces have taken management of Kherson, a metropolis of practically 1 / 4 million folks simply north of Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, a Russian protection ministry spokesperson mentioned. Strategically situated on the Dniepr river, the provincial capital is the most important metropolis to fall to Russian forces to date.

The southeast metropolis of Mariupol had been below intense shelling since late Tuesday and was unable to evacuate wounded folks, in accordance with its mayor.

A senior U.S. protection official mentioned on Tuesday the invading drive’s advance on Kyiv has stalled because of logistics issues, together with shortages of meals and gasoline, and a few items appeared to have low morale.

‘Cease bombing folks’

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s chief known as on Russia to cease bombarding civilians and resume talks.

“It’s a necessity to not less than cease bombing folks, simply cease the bombing after which sit down on the negotiating desk,” Zelenskyy instructed Reuters and CNN in a joint interview in a closely guarded authorities compound in Kyiv.

No less than 21 folks had been killed and 112 wounded in shelling in Kharkiv within the final 24 hours, regional Gov. Oleg Synegubov mentioned on Wednesday.

Greater than 450,000 folks have fled Ukraine to Poland, and an extra 113,000 to Romania.

The United Nations Normal Meeting is about to reprimand Russia on Wednesday and demand that Moscow cease preventing and withdraw its navy forces.

Putin ordered the “particular navy operation” final Thursday in a bid to disarm Ukraine, seize the “neo-Nazis” he says are working the democratic nation of 44 million folks and crush its hopes of nearer ties to the West. Ukraine and Western nations reject Putin’s claims as baseless.

West of Kyiv, within the metropolis of Zhytomyr, 4 folks, together with a baby, had been killed on Tuesday by a Russian cruise missile, a Ukrainian official mentioned.

In Ukraine’s largely Russian-speaking metropolis of Donetsk, in territory managed by Russian-backed separatists, authorities mentioned three civilians had been killed by Ukrainian shelling.

Reuters was unable to verify any of the reviews of casualties.

Vastly outmatched by Russia’s navy, by way of uncooked numbers and firepower, Ukraine’s personal air drive remains to be flying and its air defenses are nonetheless deemed to be viable — a truth that’s baffling navy specialists.

Weapons and sanctions

Ukraine, which isn’t a member of NATO, has known as on the U.S.-led navy alliance to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine — a request rejected by Washington, which fears stoking a direct battle between the world’s two greatest nuclear powers.

Washington and its allies have as a substitute despatched weapons to Kyiv.

Ukrainian Protection Minister Oleksii Reznikov mentioned on Wednesday the nation was set to obtain Stinger and Javelin missiles from overseas, in addition to one other cargo of Turkish drones.

A number of dozen Japanese males have answered a Ukrainian name for international volunteers to battle Russia’s invasion, in accordance with a media report on Wednesday. In Taiwan, the president, vp and prime minister all pledged to donate their salaries to Ukraine aid efforts.

Isolating Russia diplomatically, the West’s predominant technique is shutting off Russia’s financial system from the worldwide monetary system, pushing worldwide corporations to halt gross sales, reduce ties, and dump tens of billions of {dollars}’ value of investments.

Exxon Mobil joined different main Western power corporations together with British BP PLC and Shell in saying it might give up oil-rich Russia over the invasion.

Apple Inc. stopped gross sales of iPhones and different merchandise in Russia, and was making modifications to its Maps app to guard civilians in Ukraine. Alphabet Inc.’s Google dropped Russian state publishers from its information, and Ford Motor suspended operations within the nation.

U.S. airplane producer Boeing mentioned it was suspending components, upkeep and technical assist for Russian airways.

Russia on Tuesday positioned momentary restrictions on international nationals looking for to exit Russia property, that means that billions of {dollars} value of securities held by international nationals are vulnerable to being trapped.

Defying the Western-led financial marketing campaign towards Russia, Mexico’s leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador mentioned Mexico is not going to impose sanctions.