Ukrainian soldiers fighting fiercely with the Russian army in the Donbas, the situation in Mariupol is frightening

The fierce war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops are fiercely fighting Russian troops trying to advance in the southern and eastern parts of the country. Russia is trying to capture the industrial region Donbas. A US defense official said Russia’s strikes were going much slower than it had planned. On the one hand, while cannon attacks, sirens and explosions were heard in some cities on Friday, on the other hand the United Nations appeared busy trying to evacuate people from Mariupol.

Ukrainian soldiers fighting fiercely with Russian forces in the Donbass

The mayor of Mariupol said that the situation in the city is dire. Mayor Vedim Boichenko said citizens were begging to save lives. Now it is not a matter of days but a matter of hours. On the other hand, a former US soldier has died while fighting with Ukrainian forces in the war. His family has said it is the first case of an American man killed in the Ukraine war. However, the US did not confirm this. The same Ukrainian forces are cracking down on people accused of helping Russian forces. About 400 people have been arrested in this connection in Kharkiv alone.

The effect of sanctions on Russia

The sanctions imposed on Russia regarding the war are now showing effect. The Russian central bank has said that Russia’s economy could shrink by 10 percent this year. Russia had to make last-minute payments to avoid a default on debt repayment. Giving this information, US revenue officials said that Russia had to spend its precious foreign exchange reserves (US dollars) kept outside the country to avoid default. However, the amount paid has not been disclosed yet. But earlier this month the Russian finance ministry said it had attempted to pay $649 million, due by April 6, to two bonds from two unidentified US banks. Earlier the name of the bank was given as JP Morgan Chase.