Zelenskyy avers no 'painful' sanctions will give Russia a permission to intensify attacks

In a bid to stop further invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the Western countries to impose more stringent sanctions against Moscow. He affirmed without more painful measures and supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin would view the actions as an "opportunity to launch a new bloody attack". In his address to the nation on Wednesday night, Zelenskyy said that the sanctions that were imposed until now were not adequate, and urged the Western nations to impose new and "painful measures" against Moscow.

"New investments in Russia are blocked, restrictions are applied against several systemic banks in Russia, personal sanctions are added, as well as other restrictions. This package has a spectacular look. But this is not enough,"  Zelenskyy said as per an official statement.

The Ukrainian President reiterated he had pleaded for more lethal weapons several times and, "if his demands were not fulfilled it would convey a green signal to Putin for more bloodbath in Ukraine". However, he said it was still possible to stop the Russian President to execute genocide in Ukraine. "It is still possible to impose such sanctions, which Ukraine insists on, our people insist on. It is still possible to give us weapons that will really stop this aggression. The west can do it," the 44-year-old President said. Further, he accused Russia of interfering with an international investigation into possible war crimes by removing bodies and trying to hide other evidence in Bucha, where the authorities discovered more than 400 bodies. "We have information that the Russian troops have changed tactics and are trying to remove the dead people, the dead Ukrainians, from the streets and cellars of the territory they occupied. This is only an attempt to hide the evidence and nothing more," he added.   

Russia-Ukraine war

It is to mention Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill intention to invade Ukraine. On February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine. Since then, it has been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of thousands of civilians. The Russian aggression further escalated in several regions of Ukraine, including Bucha and Borodyanka, where piles of bodies were found, illustrating the alleged cruelty of the Russian forces who have turned a captivating country into a 'graveyard' within 43 days of the war. After the discovery of the Bucha genocide, the West and Europe echoed for tougher action against the "war criminals".    

Image: AP