Kyiv [Ukraine], April 26: Two people were killed and 10 injured in a Russian missile attack in eastern Ukraine that led the Ukrainian president to charge Russia with using "absolutely barbaric methods" in the war Moscow started 14 months ago. Russia, for its part, spoke of "terrorist attacks" by Ukraine against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and threatened to terminate the Russian-Ukrainian grain agreement.
As for its strategy on the ground, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian cities from the air. On Tuesday, Russian forces hit the small town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region in the east, not far from the front. "The terrorist country is doing everything it can to destroy us completely: our history, our culture, our people, killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods," Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky wrote on social media. Ukraine on Tuesday called for new and tougher sanctions targeting the energy and precious metals sector of Russia. In a paper called Action Plan 2.0, Ukraine said the maximum price for purchasing Russian Urals brand oil should be reduced. .AndriyYermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, presented the plan. Ukraine also wants the West to impose import taxes on Russian oil and natural gas. The revenues would then finance the Ukrainian reconstruction after the war. The demands also include an embargo on importing Russian metals and diamonds and stronger controls on gold imports from other countries.
According to research by independent journalists, one person who has earned handsomely from this war is the head of Russia's private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. On Tuesday, the media portal Moschemobjasnit reported that Prigozhin's companies had raked in a record 4.7 billion roubles ($57 million) through these contracts in 2022. In 2021, it had been 1.9 billion roubles.
Source: Qatar Tribune