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Russia-Ukraine conflict: Day 16

Key battleground developments on Day 16 of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Russia says it has launched a high-precision, long-range attack on two military airfields in the cities of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk. Moscow says the airfields are now out of action. It says Russian forces have destroyed over 32-hundred Ukrainian military installations since the beginning of the offensive. Russian troops are now edging closer to the capital Kiev. The city’s mayor says half of the population fled the capital, which is being transformed into “a fortress.” Civilians continue to flee other cities too. The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of bombing corridors meant to evacuate the civilians. At least four major Ukrainian cities are now encircled by Russian forces. They include Kharkiv in the east and Sumy in the northeast. Meanwhile, pro-Russian forces, fighting for independence for years, say they have captured Volnovakha. It’s located north of the besieged city of Mariupol.

Sanctions removal talks

Negotiations to revive the 2015 landmark Iran deal are underway in Austria’s capital. Iran’s foreign minister says a good and durable agreement is within reach if the United States acts realistically and consistently. In a tweet, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said no single party can determine the end result of the negotiations. He said a joint endeavor is needed to accomplish the Vienna Talks. Earlier, the top diplomat rejected what he called US excessive demands, saying they do not have a logical justification. Iran says a deal is possible if the West makes necessary decisions. The verifiable removal of sanctions and guarantees that the US does not leave the agreement are Iran’s key demands. It says a deal will not be possible if everything is not agreed upon. The US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

US-North Korea tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders the expansion and modernizing of a satellite launching station on the northwest coast. North Korean media say the order aims to ensure that various rockets could be launched to carry multi-purpose satellites, including a military reconnaissance one. In the meantime, neighboring South Korea and its ally, the United States, say North Korea recently used intercontinental ballistic missiles in two secretive launches. Seoul and Washington say the ICBM system used in those tests could be the largest ever Pyongyang has. The US says the tests are a serious escalation that requires a united global response. Japan also says it’s considering more sanctions against North Korea. Pyongyang is already under crippling international sanctions over its missile and nuclear weapons program.

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