Russia strikes a major attack before the G 7 virtual summit where the Ukrainian President was scheduled to hold talks with G7 leaders.
Forces of Russia have bombed a village school in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk and as many as 60 people are feared to be dead, informed Governor Serhiy Gaidi.
“The explosion happened inside the building. Rescuers are dismantling the debris as quickly as possible. The chances of finding ( anyone still) alive are very small. There were 90 people inside the school building; 27 survived, and 60 people most likely died,” Serbiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration said.
There were almost 90 people taking shelter in the school, so far emergency crews recovered two bodies and 30 people have been rescued. There is little possibility of the rest of them being alive under the rubble.
Luhansk is dominated by the Russian-speaking population. One of the war motives of Russia has been to liberate this area from the control of Ukraine. Meanwhile, G7 leaders met virtually on Sunday and discussed the further course of sanctions.
“We will continue and elevate our campaign against the financial elites and family members, who support President Putin in his war effort and squander the resources of the Russian people,” the joint statement said.
Another joint statement read, “President Putin’s war against Ukraine is placing global food security under severe strain. Together with the United Nations, we call on Russia to end its blockade and all other activities that further impede Ukrainian food production and exports, in line with its international commitments.”
Western countries have shown a united front before Russia marks its victory day holiday to honor the Soviet triumph over nazi Germany in 1945. The US has unveiled fresh sanctions against Russia targeting the media and defense sector during the G7 meet.
Fresh sanctions will target three Russian television stocks, joint stock company channel one Russia, Television station Russia 1, and Joint-stock Company NTV Broadcasting Company, which are partly or fully state-controlled.
War has been dragging on for the last one and a half months with no sight of the end. Millions of Ukrainian have migrated to other countries whereas millions are internally displaced.
A war that started on the pretext of security concerns has now turned into a personal fight for the leaders. Not only Ukraine but Russia is also struggling.
The finance ministry has predicted that the Russian economy is going to shrink by about 8.8 percent in this financial year.
The war has become political for Putin at home. At this point, if he backs off, it is going to dent his strong leader image and may cost him politically.
On the other hand, if war continues to drag on, it will put a heavy burden on the Russian economy, eventually, adding to people’s financial woes.
This war has brought the horrors of the world wars. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Francis Fukuyama came up with the term ‘End of history’, he propounded that the liberal order has won and it is going to prevail for a long time. Thirty years after that are we looking at a full-fledged war in the heart of Europe?
The Russia-Ukraine war has shaken the whole world. The rule-based order has come under fire, sending panic messages to countries like Taiwan.
The Russian aggression has set a precedent for the nations. If Russia comes out victorious, it will encourage nations to settle their security issues in the same manner.
The coming years will witness the rise of realism in international politics. Alliances will be forged, weapons will be bought, and troubling times are to come.
Edited By: Aaradhana Singh
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