Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine continued over the weekend, with some of the worst attacks happening in the coastal city of Mariupol. An art school that’s been serving as a bomb shelter was hit on Sunday, likely trapping around 400 people under the rubble, mostly women, children and seniors. But Ukraine has remained defiant, refusing to surrender the city to Russians by today’s Russian imposed deadline.
Civilians in Russian-controlled regions face continued threats on the ground, including limited access to food, water and medication. There were more reports of kidnappings from the city of Melitopol as well. On Monday morning, a family of journalists from a local newspaper have reportedly been abducted by Russian soldiers.
In Kyiv, a mall was destroyed in one bombing, with close to a dozen civilian casualties reported so far.
And there are increasing concerns that a global food crisis is looming. Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat, corn and barley, which are stuck in the besieged country right now. Fertilizers are unable to export out of Russia and Belarus as well, all leading to increased food costs, which are contributing to growing hunger and food insecurity globally.
So what should the U.S. and its NATO partners be doing to put more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end this war?
