On Wednesday night, Russian forces shelled Kharkiv and the surrounding region in northeast Ukraine, killing at least seven people, wounding 20 others and damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, authorities said.\u00a0 Overall, Acled has reported more than 10,000 deaths in Ukraine since the war began. Mariupol, in the south-east, Kharkiv, in the north-east, and Bilohorivka, in the east, have seen some of the heaviest casualties.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, is set to host his Turkish counterpart and the U.N. chief for dialogues about the execution of a deal to resume Ukraine grain exports, the volatile situation at a Russia-occupied nuclear power plant and diplomatic efforts to help end the war.<\/p>\n
The war<\/a> is harsh showing no signs of ceasing.\u00a0 Early on Tuesday, blasting ammunition during a fire in Crimea\u2019s Dzhankoi district initiated the evacuation of around 2,000 residents and a cordon around the area, Russian state media reports. Meanwhile, Ukraine\u2019s parliament voted on Monday to unfurl martial law and military mobilization by another 90 days through November 21. These measures were put into place after Russia invaded the country on February 24 nearly a six-month-old war.<\/p>\n U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres arrived Wednesday in Lviv, near Ukraine\u2019s border with Poland, where he will meet Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is making his first trip to Ukraine since the war started.<\/p>\n U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that among other issues, Guterres will discuss \u201chis overall efforts to do what he can to essentially lower the temperature as much as possible with the various authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Turkey and the U.N. helped broker an agreement clearing the way for Ukraine to export 22 million tons of corn and other grain stuck in its Black Sea ports since Russia invaded Feb. 24. A separate memorandum between Russia and the U.N. aimed to clear roadblocks to shipments of Russian food and fertilizer to world markets.<\/p>\n The war and the thwarted exports greatly aggravated the global food crisis because Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers.<\/p>\n Developing nations have been struck especially hard by supply shortages and high prices. Even though ships are now leaving Russia and Ukraine, the food crisis hasn\u2019t ended.<\/p>\n U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters this week that Guterres\u2019 trip to Ukraine will allow him \u201cto see first-hand the results of an initiative critically important to hundreds of millions of people.\u201d<\/p>\n Dujarric added that he expects \u201cthe need for a political solution\u201d to the war to be raised in Thursday\u2019s talks.<\/p>\n He said the three leaders will also discuss the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, Europe\u2019s largest, which Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling.<\/p>\n In his nightly video address Wednesday, Zelensky reaffirmed his demand for the Russian military to leave the plant, emphasizing that \u201conly absolute transparency and control of the situation at and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for the Ukrainian state, for the international community, and for the IAEA can guarantee a gradual return to normal nuclear safety.\u201d The International Atomic Energy Agency is a U.N. agency.<\/p>\n Russia adamantly has rejected the demand.<\/p>\n Erdogan\u2019s office has confirmed that he would discuss the grain deal during the talks as well as ways to end the war through diplomatic means.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Turkish leader met on the same issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n In March, Turkey hosted a round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, who discussed a possible deal to end the hostilities. The talks fell apart after the meeting in Istanbul, with both sides blaming each other.<\/p>\n Erdogan has engaged in a delicate balancing act, maintaining good relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Turkey has provided Ukraine with drones, which played a significant role in deterring a Russian advance early in the conflict, but it has refrained from joining Western sanctions against Russia over the war.<\/p>\n Facing a major economic crisis with official inflation near 80%, Turkey increasingly depends on Russia for trade and tourism. Russian gas covers 45% of Turkish energy needs, and Russia\u2019s atomic agency is building Turkey\u2019s first nuclear power plant, so it is a delicate situation for Turkey.<\/p>\n During their meeting in Sochi this month, Putin and Erdogan agreed to bolster energy, financial and other ties between their countries, raising concerns in the West that Ankara could help Moscow bypass the U.S. and European Union sanctions.<\/p>\n Some updates from Russia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #UPDATE<\/a> Russia's defence ministry says it does not have heavy weapons deployed at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, accusing Kyiv of preparing a "provocation" at the station.<\/p>\n "Russian troops have no heavy weapons either on the territory of the station or in areas around it" pic.twitter.com\/8zm6sMNrDE<\/a><\/p>\n — AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n