The European Union will also provide weapons to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces.

Servicemen of pro-Russian militia walk next to a military convoy of armed forces of the separatist self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) on a road in the Luhansk region, Ukraine February 27, 2022. (photo credit: REUTERS/ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO)
Servicemen of pro-Russian militia walk next to a military convoy of armed forces of the separatist self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) on a road in the Luhansk region, Ukraine February 27, 2022. (photo credit: REUTERS/ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO)

 

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces described the fighting on Sunday as “a difficult time” for the military, saying Russian troops “continued shelling in almost all directions.”

The general staff stated in a Facebook post that defense force members in the Vasylkiv military airbase southwest of Kyiv were resisting artillery strikes and Russian attacks.

Ongoing war and casualties

Air raid alerts were sounded later on Monday morning in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Earlier, Kyiv Independent reported that the US and NATO condemned Putin’s order to put his nuclear forces on high alert, stating that it’s “dangerous and unacceptable.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks alongside other Ukrainian officials in the governmental district of Kyiv, confirming that he is still in the capital, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 25, 2022 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. (credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks alongside other Ukrainian officials in the governmental district of Kyiv, confirming that he is still in the capital, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 25, 2022 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. (credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)

 

The conflict has seen a combined 352 killed amongst civilian and military casualties in the first 4 days of the war, the Kyiv Independent reported on Sunday citing the Ukrainian Health Ministry. Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Lyashko called Russia’s soldiers “terrorists,” on Ukraine’s Rada TV channel.

Russian forces have stated that many of their soldiers have been killed in the fighting, but refused to disclose an estimated number of how many were lost, according to a BBC report from Sunday.

Later on Monday, The Kyiv Independent reported that Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian MP and a friend and unofficial representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fled house arrest in Kyiv, where he was charged with treason and financing terrorism.

Humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine

The European Union will provide weapons to Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion, EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell tweeted on Sunday.

In his op-ed for The Guardian, Borrell stated that Russia embarks on “disinformation campaigns and information manipulation” and that “his aggression is taking innocent lives, crushing people’s wish to live in peace,” stating that Russia must stop all military operations and withdraw from Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson by telephone on Sunday that the next 24 hours are crucial for Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Johnson said the UK and its allies would do everything possible to guarantee that defensive aid reached Ukraine, the spokesperson said in a statement.

As reported by The Jerusalem Post