KYIV, Ukraine
A series of Russian strikes
hit a residential neighborhood of Ukraine’s capital on Tuesday, igniting a huge
fire and frantic rescue effort in a 15-story Kyiv apartment building. At least
one person was killed and others remain trapped inside.
The Ukrainian military said in
a statement that the strikes were artillery strikes. They hit the
Svyatoshynskyi district of western Kyiv, adjacent to the suburb of Irpin that
has seen some of the worst battles of the war.
Flames shot out of the
apartment building as firefighters rescued people from ladders. Smoke choked
the air.
A firefighter at the scene
confirmed one person died and that several have been rescued alive but others
are still inside as rescuers try to reach them.
Russian forces also stepped-up
strikes overnight on the northwest suburbs of Irpin, Hostomel and Bucha, the
head of the Kyiv region Oleksiy Kuleba said on Ukrainian television.
Russian forces also renewed
efforts Tuesday to capture the important port city of Mariupol in the south,
and unleashed new artillery strikes on downtown Kharkiv in the east, the
general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Japan’s government
is freezing the assets of 17 more Russian politicians’ tycoons and their
relatives to step up sanctions and pressure Moscow to end its invasion of
Ukraine.
The list of sanction targets includes
11 members of the Russian parliamentary chamber of Duma, banker Yuri Kovalchuk
and his relatives, as well as billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, chairman of Renova
Group, according to a statement jointly issued by the foreign, finance and
trade ministries.
The move brings the number of
Russians targeted by Japan’s asset freezes to 61.
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters Tuesday the additional steps were taken “in
order to stop Russia’s invasion (of Ukraine) as soon as possible.”
Matsuno said Japan will
cooperate with other Group of Seven nations and other international community
to respond appropriately in case of further sanctions.
Japan has previously imposed
sanctions against Russian central bank, seven private banks, and Russian and
Belarusian individuals and groups. Tokyo also imposed an export ban to Russia
of items including high technology equipment that may be used for military
purposes.
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