Ukraine-Russia War: Airstrikes around Sumy trigger devastation, mountain of smoke visible

After the Russian forces launched an attack on the north-eastern city of Okhtyrka in Ukraine's Sumy region, Republic has accessed visuals released by the head of the Sumy regional administration of the aftermath of the airstrikes in the region. It is important to note that Sumy is one of the regions where Russia was to exercise temporary ceasefire. The visuals show a huge black smoke cloud and fire, suggesting that there has been great damage. 

On March 10, reports had emerged that Russian forces launched an attack on the north-eastern city of Okhtyrka, in the Sumy region, killing a 13-year-old boy and two women. Sumy regional state administration head Dmytro Zhyvytsky had said, "Enemy aviation hit residential houses. Five people were rescued from the falls, two of them children. Also, the police department was partially destroyed. He further explained, "Great Pisarvka suffered a night bombing. Power lines are torn, lying on the ground. A 13-year-old boy and two women were killed as a result of artillery shelling." Around the same time,  Russian forces also launched a blastic attack on Mariupol maternity hospital, leading to several deaths and injuries. Sumy is also the same city from which the final operation to rescue stranded Indians was focused.

In another major development, the Ukrainian armed forces defeated a Russian column on the northeastern outskirts of Kyiv. Republic Media Network accessed visuals showing another attack by the Ukrainian forces on the Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv. Earlier on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry had released a video showing a column of the Russian military moving towards the capital city of Ukraine to capture it.

Zelenskyy Ready To Talk To Putin

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s deputy has said that the Ukrainian President is ready to talk to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin directly. Speaking to an international news network, Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that even though talks between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign minister, held on Thursday in the Turkish city of Antalya, did not yield any major breakthroughs, Ukraine had not been too hopeful from the beginning.  He also went on to say that President Zelenskyy is ready to directly speak with Putin, but he “will not make any compromise to the Russian position during these negotiations”.