Kyiv (Ukraine): An adviser to Ukraine's president Thursday said that about 40 people have been killed so far in the Russian attack on the country. Oleksii Arestovich, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that several dozen people have been wounded. He didn’t specify whether the casualties included civilians. Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian authorities will hand weapons to all those willing to defend the country.
“The future of the Ukrainian people depends on every Ukrainian,” he said, urging all those who can defend the country to come to the Interior Ministry’s assembly facilities. Ukrainian has already cut diplomatic ties with Russia after it launched a massive air and missile attack on its neighbour and Russian forces were seen rolling into Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said the country’s military was fighting back and asked for Western defense assistance.
Earlier, the Ukrainian presidential adviser said that Russian forces had launched an attack on Ukraine from the north, east and south. The adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the Ukrainian military was fighting hard. Podolyak said that "our army is fighting back inflicting significant losses to the enemy".
Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that Russian military has destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has allegedly ordered that Ukrainian servicemen should be "treated with respect" and those who lay down their weapons should be offered safe corridors.
The Russian Defense Ministry also confirmed the loss of a Su-25 attack jet due to “pilor error.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey called on the NATO member country to close its airspace and to shut down the straits at the entrance of the Black Sea to Russian ships. "We are calling for the airspace, Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to be closed," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar told reporters on Thursday. "We have conveyed our relevant demand to the Turkish side. At the same time, we want sanctions imposed on the Russian side," he said.
A 1936 convention gives Turkey control over the straits connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, and allows it to limit the passage of warships during wartime or if Turkey is threatened. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened an emergency security meeting to discuss the Russian attack on Ukraine. Turkey, which enjoys close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, had been pressing for a diplomatic solution to the tensions.
(Agency inputs)
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