Sanctions threatened for Russia after new missile attacks, more support for Ukraine | NOW

NU.nl regularly provides an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: Russia carried out missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities for the second consecutive day. G7 leaders and NATO have pledged further support to Ukraine. New sanctions threaten Russia.

Ukraine claims that energy plants have been bombed again. “These are planned war crimes aimed at creating intolerable conditions for civilians,” said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. There is still no estimate of the number of victims.

The airstrikes have left even more parts of Ukraine without electricity. On Monday – after the first round of missile attacks – several provinces were already without electricity. Ukraine subsequently stopped exporting electricity to Europe.

Russia claims that it has only attacked military infrastructure and energy facilities. Many other parties contradict this claim, arguing that civilian targets have been re-targeted. More than 100 people were killed on Monday alone.

The G7 announces new sanctions against Russia

Major Western countries will punish Russia even more for its aggression against Ukraine. This was announced on Tuesday by Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and the United States. The countries are united in the G7. “Costs for Russia will increase,” the countries wrote in a statement.

The G7, which the European Union has joined as a special member, also sees Russia bombing “arbitrary targets” and hitting innocent civilians. The missile attacks were labeled as war crimes by the countries.

The Kremlin’s nuclear threats are described by the group as “irresponsible” and a threat to world peace and security. Putin confirmed on Monday that he was carrying out heavy attacks on Ukraine in response to an explosion on the Crimean bridge, which connects Russia and Crimea. The Russian president has also threatened other attacks.

NATO continues to support Ukraine: “Russia targets civilians because they lose on the battlefield”

The G7 countries said in conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that they will continue to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary”. That message repeated NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. He sees the missile attacks on civilian targets as a “sign of weakness, after numerous Russian defeats at the front”.

Stoltenberg believes the momentum in the war is with Ukraine. Russia, he says, is losing. To keep it that way, NATO continues to support Ukraine. For example, four of Germany’s most modern anti-aircraft systems are expected to arrive in the country this week.

Kiev receives the bodies of dead soldiers

Finally today positive news emerged from Kiev. Ukrainian authorities claim to have received 62 bodies from Russia. These are deceased soldiers and militia members.

These include former members of the controversial Azov battalion. They were killed in late July in a bombing raid on a Russian prison camp about 17 kilometers southwest of the city of Donetsk.

The prison camp is said to have been bombed with advanced Western weapons. According to Kiev, the Russians themselves bombed the camp. At least 50 people are said to have been killed and 75 injured in the Olenivka camp.