Two young girls are the latest victims of war as Russia increases its onslaught on eastern Ukraine, making Sunday’s Orthodox Easter holiday a grim one.
A 5-year-old and 14-year old were killed when their family home was pulverized in the eastern city of Donetsk overnight, according to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. The sisters’ death follows the killing of a 3-month old and her mother on Saturday as the number of child victims in the two-month war climbs.
The continuing aggression comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, marking the first time since the invasion began that Biden administration officials have set foot inside the beleaguered nation. The visit, announced by Zelensky in a Saturday speech, was confirmed late Sunday by Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich.
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Russia has narrowed its focused on the east and south after a Russian general said they planned to control that border and reach into a Russian enclave in Moldova and become increasingly ruthless.
On Sunday, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, confirmed reports that a number of its staff were being held by Russian troops. In a statement, they said they were working to “facilitate the release” of an unknown number of members of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. It is unclear where and under what circumstance they are being held. “The OSCE is extremely concerned that a number of SMM national mission members have been deprived of their liberty in Donetsk and Luhansk,” the group posted on Twitter. “The OSCE is using all available channels to facilitate the release of its staff.”
Overnight shelling of a steel plant in Mariupol where scores of military and civilians are taking shelter further damaged the structure, raising concerns of a potential blood bath. Several people inside, including families with children, have asked for a safe corridor to safety from the Azovstal plant, which is under “constant attack” by Russian troops, according to Ukraine officials on Telegram.
Earlier hopes for an Easter truce have since been dashed as Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said attacks on the steel plant underscore Russia’s apparent intent to stop at nothing. “Orthodox Easter 2022. But right now, RF (the Russian Federation) is continuously attacking the Mariupol Azovstal,” he wrote on Twitter. “The place where our civilians and military are located is shelled with heavy air bombs and artillery. RF accumulates forces and equipment for the assault...RF should think about the remnants of its reputation.”
