The first a safe corridor designed to allow civilians to escape war-torn Ukrainian cities reopened on Tuesday, a significant step was met with skepticism after similar efforts failed as more than 2 million people fled the country.
“The first stage of evacuation of civilians from Sumy has just begun,” the Ukrainian Communications Agency wrote on Tuesday. “In a letter to the Red Cross, the Russian Defense Ministry has officially agreed to a humanitarian corridor.”
The agency tweeted a video of buses leaving Sumy, a city of 260,000 people in northeastern Ukraine near the border with Russia. Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said those fleeing Sumy and other cities would be able to travel to Russia or to Western Ukrainian cities that were not targeted.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Verashchuk warned that the Russians were preparing to “disrupt the work of humanitarian corridors and manipulate the route” to force people to go to Russia. And the Ukrainian military said that Russia struck in the direction of the humanitarian corridor from the besieged southern Mariupol.
The UN Office of Human Rights has recorded 1,207 civilian casualties since the start of the war, including 406 killed and 801 wounded. More than two dozen children were killed.
The UN said the true death toll was likely “much higher, especially in government-controlled territory, and especially in recent days, as information from some places of intense hostilities has been delayed,” and many reports await confirmation.
The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday that 2,011,000 Ukrainians had fled the country, most of them to Poland. The European Union could see up to 5 million Ukrainian refugees if Russia continues to attack cities, said EU Foreign Minister Joseph Barrel.
Recent events:
►Ukrainian military intelligence reports that 45-year-old Russian Major General Vitaly Gerasimov was killed in a battle near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
►Energy giant Shell said Tuesday it is will stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and has stopped its maintenance stations and other operations in the country.
►Stocks in Asia fell on Tuesday after rising oil prices above $ 130 a barrel.
►A high-ranking US officials traveled to South America last weekend to meet with the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which came as a surprise high-level meeting between the two countries. Officials discussed easing oil sanctions against Venezuela amid possible oil embargoes against Russia, according to Reuters.
Quick links
GET UPDATED UKRAINE:We will send you the latest news once a day
Visual materials:Mapping and tracking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
2 million fled Ukraine
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine reached 2 million on Tuesday, according to the United Nations, the fastest exit to Europe since World War II.
“Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches 2 million people. Two million, ”Philip Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, wrote on Twitter. Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she was “deeply concerned about civilians trapped in active hostilities in many areas”.
Poland was a refuge for more than 1.2 million refugees. Several hundred thousand fled to other European countries, including about 100,000 to Russia. More than 15% of the country with a population of 45 million are ethnic Russians.
Russia warns that oil prices could reach $ 300 a barrel
Russia has warned that the price of oil could jump to $ 300 a barrel and threatened a possible shutdown of gas supplies to Europe amid rising tensions against Western countries considering a ban on oil supplies to Russia.
“It is absolutely clear that the abandonment of Russian oil will have catastrophic consequences for the world market,” Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak a statement said on state television, according to Reuters. “Rising prices would be unpredictable. That would be $ 300 a barrel, if not more. ”
Noting Germany’s decision last month to freeze certification of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, Novak said Russia may bring down the existing Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline – is considered one of the main sources of natural gas in Europe.
“We have every right to take the appropriate decision and impose an embargo on pumping gas through the Nord Stream-1 pipeline,” Novak said, according to The Guardian.
Gas prices are now the most expensive in U.S. history
After days of sharp rises in gas prices as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the national average for a gallon of gas is now the highest in US history, breaking a record that stood for almost 14 years. As of Tuesday morning, the price of conventional gas in the U.S. is $ 4.17, according to the AAA, compared to $ 4.06 on Monday. Last week, the average price was $ 3.60.
The previous average in the country was $ 4.11, set on July 17, 2008, according to AAA.
“Americans have never seen gasoline prices so high, and we’ve never seen growth so fast and so fierce,” said Patrick De Haan, head of oil analysis at GasBuddy’s fuel-saving app, on Monday.
– Jordan Mendoza
WONDERFUL?Are oil and gas companies overestimating consumer prices for the pump?
Lviv is struggling with an influx of Ukrainians hoping to flee to Poland
Many refugees move to Poland through the westernmost city of Lviv. But the city is bending under the pressure of tens of thousands of people who have left their hometowns in hopes of finding refuge in another country. “We really need support,” said Mayor Andrei Sadovy. According to him, the city needs large tents with kitchens to prepare food.
The historic city, once a popular tourist destination, numbered 700,000 before the war. Now more than 200,000 displaced Ukrainians fill Lviv’s gyms, schools, churches and hospitals.
– Selina Tebor
Congress has reached an agreement on a bill to ban Russian oil
Congressional leaders reached an agreement Monday on legislation banning Russian oil imports from the United States and ending the permanent normal status of trade relations with Russia, said a Senate aide who received anonymity for private discussions. Voting could take place quickly, but no schedule has been set.
President Joe Biden is reluctant to ban Russian oil, fearing it could boost inflation ahead of the November by-elections. The cessation of normal trade relations could lead to the introduction of high tariffs on other Russian imported goods.
“Crystal Hayes.”
