Ukraine Briefly

May 09, 2022

Ukraine, Briefly

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• All remaining women, children and the elderly were evacuated from the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works factory in Mariupol over the weekend, bringing to a close a tragedy that included thousands of civilians being besieged for weeks amid a Russian assault, according to the Washington Post. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that diplomatic attempts were underway to rescue the remaining fighters, doctors and the injured, though he admitted that such a move would be “very tough.”

• Zelenskyy declared Sunday that “evil has returned” to Ukraine in an emotional address marking Victory Day when Europe commemorates the formal surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies in World War Two, Reuters noted. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council, including Russia, issued a brief declaration expressing “grave concern for the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine” in its first official statement since Moscow’s invasion of its western neighbor, Radio Free Europe reported. The text did not mention a “war,” “conflict,” or “invasion” – as many council members call Russia’s military action – or a “special military operation” as Moscow refers to it.

• Sixty people died after a Russian bomb exploded near a school in eastern Ukraine, Sky News added. According to the governor of the Luhansk region, some 90 people were sheltering in the building when the attack occurred on Saturday.

• Russia’s top legislator accused Washington of coordinating activities in Ukraine, which he claimed amounted to direct US military intervention against Russia, Al Jazeera wrote. Meanwhile, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri blamed “US weakness” as the reason behind Ukraine’s invasion, the Associated Press added.

This story originally appeared in the May 09, 2022 newsletter, It Runs in the Family.