No fewer than ten people were killed in airstrikes in the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday morning as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued.
Local authorities confirmed to newsmen that in some localities, residential buildings were seriously bombed by the Russian forces.
The head of Sumy’s regional administration, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi in a statement on Tuesday which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York disclosed that several houses were destroyed when a bomb hit near the centre of Sumy.
‘More than ten people were killed, including children,’ he revealed.
Four Ukrainian soldiers were also killed in what Zhyvytskyi described as ‘unequal combat with the Russian military.’
The information could not initially be independently verified.
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Meanwhile, Infrastructure Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov estimated the damage wrought to Ukraine’s transport infrastructure by the Russian invasion at more than 10 billion dollars.
These included bridges, railway lines and airports.
The Ukrainian official disclosed that the damage could be repaired in two years and that he was counting on foreign assistance to rebuild.
Russia was offering a fresh Ukraine ceasefire for Tuesday, Moscow’s ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said amid efforts to get civilians to safety.
Another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine was expected on Thursday.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba confirmed plans that would see him meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Turkey this week.
‘Currently, the 10th March is planned. Let’s see if he flies to Antalya, then I’ll fly too. Let’s sit down, let’s talk,’ Kuleba said in a video message on Monday evening.
Africa Today News, New York had on Monday reported that Russia failed to show up at a hearing at the UN’s top court where Ukraine asked for an immediate halt to Moscow’s invasion.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the no-show was seriously criticised by the head of the International Court of Justice, and by Ukraine which said the empty Russian seats ‘speak loudly’.
Kyiv filed the case shortly after Vladimir Putin’s February 24 invasion, accusing Russia of illegally justifying its war by falsely alleging genocide in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK