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EU bans Russian coal, airstrike kills 50 at Ukrainian station | Top points
EU president Ursula von der Leyen visited Ukrainian town Bucha on Friday after having reached the country. Referring to the civilian killings in the region last week, which Ukraine alleged were war crimes committed by retreating Russian troops, she said “humanity is shattered”.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war that entered its 45th day on Friday saw a Russian airstrike hit a train station in the east European country's Kramatorsk city, killing at least 50 people and injuring over 100 others. The state railway company said two Russian rockets had struck the venue that was used for evacuating civilians from areas under shelling by Russian forces. The Kremlin, however, denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely untrue”.
The incident comes even as Russia faces heavy criticism from the West for the recent civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. The US, the UK, the European Union (EU) and Japan passed fresh sanctions against Russia, including a ban on Russian coal imports, besides measures against President Vladimir Putin's two daughters -- Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova.
The Kremlin, on the other hand, has consistently maintained its stand on not attacking civilians.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by state-owned pollster showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval among his country's citizens has soared to over 81 per cent as opposed to 67.2 per cent since the start of Ukraine war.
Here are other top updates from day 45 of the Russia-Ukraine war:
1. EU president Ursula von der Leyen reached the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier in the day along with the bloc's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell Fontelles. According to a latest Reuters update, Leyen visited Bucha soon after her arrival in the strife-torn nation. “We say humanity is shattered. The whole world is mourning along with the people of Bucha. We stand with Ukraine in this important fight,” she said.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is an “evil with no limits”. His statement came after the Kramatorsk attack, which he stated was done as Russia was unable to “stand up to” Ukraine due to lack of “strength and courage”. Addressing Finland's Parliament earlier in the day, he said no Ukrainian troops were present at the railway station at the time of the rocket strike.
3. The British defence ministry said Russia has fully withdrawn its forces from north Ukraine back to the country and Belarus. Some of these soldiers will now be deployed in east Ukraine in the separatist-backed Donbas region, the ministry added. A few weeks earlier, Russia had said that they will be focusing on liberating Donbas and has put forth its inclusion in the Russian territory as one of their demands to Ukraine during the peace talks as well.
4. Finland, Japan and Balkan country Montenegro announced the expulsion of several Russian diplomats over the war in Ukraine. Finland said it will expel two diplomats, while Japan's government said eight will be asked to leave the country. Montenegro has ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats. Meanwhile, officials said that as many as 40 Russian diplomats who were declared ‘persona non grata’ by Germany earlier this week have left the country.
5. Russia's central bank said it is cutting its benchmark interest rate from 20 per cent to 17 per cent, effective Monday (April 11). It further said that more cuts could be on the way. The bank had raised the interest rate from 9.5 per cent on February 28 - four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a way to support the Ruble's plunging exchange rate.
