Destroyed 'Significant' Russian Ammo Depot, Claims Ukraine, South African Prez Asks Putin To End War — Updates
Ukraine has claimed to have destroyed a 'significant' Russin ammunition depot as the war intensifies. Meanwhile, South African President has asked Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war.
Ukraine forces have claimed that they destroyed a ‘significant’ Russian ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of in the southern region of Kherson, reported Reuters citing a spokesperson of the Odesa military administration. Spokesperson Serhiy Bratchuk on Sunday said, as quoted by Reuters, that the forces dealt a good blow in the morning in the village of Rykove, Henichesk district in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region.
"There was a very significant ammunition depot. It was destroyed," Bratchuk said in a morning video message, as quoted by Reuters. The report stated that Ukrainian media posted videos showing a vast plume of smoke rising far on the horizon with sounds of blasts.
South African President Leads Peace Talk Delegation To Russia
Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the war in Ukraine must end, reported BBC. The remarks came after he met Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday as part of a peace mission with six other African countries.
At the meeting, Ramaphosa also called for both parties to return their prisoners of war, adding that children removed by Russia should be returned home. BBC reported that Putin interrupted the speech and claimed Russia was protecting these children.
"Children are sacred. We moved them out of the conflict zone, saving their lives and health", he said, as quoted by BBC.
The report noted that the UN earlier said they have evidence of the illegal transfer of hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Ramaphosa made Putin aware of the impacts of the war on Africa, and said it should be settled by diplomacy.
"The war cannot go on forever. All wars have to be settled and come to an end at some stage," he said. "And we are here to communicate a very clear message that we would like this war to be ended."
Notably, as the report stated, the war has severely hit the export of grain from Ukraine and fertiliser from Russia, which has severely affected African countries, in particular, intensifying global food insecurity.
However, Putin told the African leaders that Ukraine had always refused talks.
Russian President Putin has been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court over the forced removal of hundreds of Ukrainian children from their families during Moscow’s occupation of Ukraine.
However, Putin has put the entire blame on the West for the grain crisis - not the war in Ukraine - as he said only 3 per cent of the grain exports permitted under a UN-sponsored deal to ensure its safe passage through the Black Sea had gone to the world's poorest countries, read the BBC report.
During the meet, Putin praised Africa's balanced position on the war.
African Delegation Meets Ukrainian Leaders
When the delegation met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he told them that he would not enter talks with Russia while they occupied Ukrainian land. The delegation met with Ukrainian leaders on Friday, where Ramaphosa warned the war in Europe was affecting between 1.2 and 1.3 billion people in Africa. Zelensky told the delegation that "an important result of your mission" would be to intercede to bring about the release political prisoners held by Russia.
The meeting comes at a time when tensions are high between both Russia and Ukraine, as the latter launches its counteroffensive near the region of Bakhmut.
According to BBC, the African delegation, made up of representatives from South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville, Comoros, Zambia, and Uganda has been specifically designed for breadth and balance, with members from different parts of Africa with different views on the conflict.
South Africa and Uganda are seen as leaning towards Russia, while Zambia and Comoros are closer to the West. Whereas Egypt, Senegal and Congo-Brazzaville have remained largely neutral, the report further said.
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