Two more children killed in Ukraine amid high-profile US visit

Two young girls are the latest victims of war as Russia ramps up its onslaught into eastern Ukraine, making Sunday’s Orthodox Easter a bad day.

According to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, a 5-year-old and 14-year-old child were killed when their family home was pulverized in the eastern city of Donetsk. The sisters’ deaths followed the deaths of a 3-month-old baby and his mother on Saturday as the number of child victims in the two-month war increased.

The aggression continues as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, marking the first time that senior administration officials Biden set foot in this country that is considered unbelievable. The visit has not been confirmed by the White House, but Zelensky said officials are expected Sunday in Kyiv.

Russia has narrowed its focus to the east and south after a Russian general said it plans to control that border and access Russian territory in Moldova and become increasingly ruthless.

On Sunday, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, confirmed reports that some of its employees were being held by the Russian military. In a statement, it said it was working to “facilitate the release” of several unidentified members of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. It is not clear where and under what circumstances they are being held. “OSCE is deeply concerned that some members of the SMM national mission have been deprived of their freedom in Donetsk and Luhansk,” the group posted on Twitter. “OSCE is using all available channels to facilitate the release of its employees.”

Overnight shelling of a steel plant in Mariupol, where many military and civilians were sheltering, further damaged the structure, raising fears of a possible bloodbath. According to Ukrainian officials on Telegram, several people inside, including families with children, asked for a safe passage to get to safety from the Azovstal factory, which is under “constant attack.” ” by the Russian army.

Earlier, hopes of an Easter truce were dashed when Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the attacks on the steel plant underlined Russia’s clear intentions were impossible. stop. “Orthodox Easter 2022. But now, RF (Russian Federation) is constantly attacking Mariupol Azovstal,” he wrote on Twitter. “The place where our civilians and troops are lying is bombarded with heavy artillery and bombs. RF accumulates forces and equipment for attack… RF should think about the remnants of its reputation”.