New Delhi: At least 16 children in Ukraine have died due to bombings and shelling by Russia and civilian casualties are huge, said Dr. Igor Polikha, Ukraine's ambassador to India. He also said that even as the Ukrainian delegation is holding the first round of peace talks, shelling and bombing continues to take place.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, the ambassador said 16 Ukrainian children have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said, "We're suffering a lot of civilian casualties. According to official information of our Ministry, already 16 children were killed from bombings and shelling by Russian peace-fighting operation."
The Russian economy is crippling with each passing day due to the sanctions from various countries said Dr. Igor who added that about 5,300 Russian soldiers have lost their lives so far. "Air space of Europe was closed for the Russian airplanes yesterday. The Russian economy is crippling every day. Russia is having absolutely unprecedented casualties. Approximately 5,300 Russian soldiers have lost their life," he said while requesting all foreign partners to exert pressure on Vladimir Putin to stop the war. The Ukrainian ambassador said,
"We are requesting all our foreign partners to exert pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war. Today, our delegation went to hold the first round of peace talks. Continuous shelling, bombing took place even during the peace talk".
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He also added that the number of Ukrainian refugees has exceeded 4 lakh and if the war isn't stopped the count could easily cross 7 million. "If the war is not stopped, the number can reach up to 7 million. There are very long queues on the border. Lakhs of Ukrainians are standing in queues, trying to cross the border".
Talking about Indian students stranded in Ukraine, Igor Polikha said that he is in regular touch with Indian officials and both countries want similar things. He also offered continuous support in bringing back Indian students stranded in Ukraine while asking the media not to create panic.
