INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian forces bombarded Ukraine's capital late Thursday during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who decried the
"absurdity" of war in the 21st century, as U.S
President Joe Biden asked for $33 billion more to support Kyiv.At least three people were wounded in the strikes in the western part of the
city, which were the first in the capital in nearly two weeks, and came after Guterres toured Bucha and other suburbs where Moscow is
alleged to have committed war crimes.Ukrainian prosecutors said they were investigating 10 Russian soldiers for suspected atrocities in
Bucha, where dozens of bodies in civilian clothes were found after Moscow's retreat, and had identified more than 8,000 alleged war crimes
occupation of various parts of Ukraine, prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova told a German TV channel.In Washington, Biden urged U.S
lawmakers to approve his huge aid package, as well as proposed new laws to allow using luxury assets stripped from Russian oligarchs to
compensate Ukraine for damage inflicted since Moscow invaded on Feb
24."The cost of this fight is not cheap
Biden's proposal as an "important step" and "necessary."'Shocking'In a residential part of Kyiv, AFP correspondents saw one building in
flames and black smoke pouring into the air."I heard the sound of two rockets and two explosions
It was a sound similar to a flying plane, and then two explosions with an interval of three to four seconds," Oleksandr Stroganov, 34, told
AFP.Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there had been "two hits in the Shevchenkovsky district," with one hitting "the lower floors of a
Three people were taken to hospital, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear."It is a war zone but it is shocking that it
happened close to us," Saviano Abreu, spokesman for the UN's humanitarian office who was travelling with Guterres, told AFP, adding that the
everything that the organization represents."A Russian military spokesman told reporters that Moscow's army had conducted air strikes
against 38 military targets, destroying seven munitions depots, but made no immediate mention of Kyiv or the wider region around the
capital.Guterres, who arrived in Kyiv after talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, called the war "evil" after visiting
Bucha and demanded that the Kremlin cooperate with an International Criminal Court investigation into the accusations.Prosecutors said the
10 servicemen under investigation are suspected of "premeditated murder," cruel treatment and other violations of the laws and customs of
war during their occupation of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, in March.At a joint press conference with Zelensky, Guterres admitted the UN
Security Council had "failed to do everything in its power to prevent and end this war.""This is the source of great disappointment,
frustration and anger," he added.'Idle comments'In Washington, Biden pushed back against increasingly heated claims by Russian officials and
We are helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression," Biden said.The U.S
leader also blasted Moscow for "idle comments" on the possible use of nuclear weapons.The $33 billion package sought by Biden is a
Europe increasingly heed Zelensky's call for heavier firepower, despite their misgivings about being drawn into a conflict with Moscow.The
German parliament on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor of providing Kyiv with heavy weapons, a major shift in policy.In its economic
Both are now receiving gas from EU neighbors.On Thursday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Kiril Petkov urged Europe to be "stronger" and wean
itself off Russian gas as he also visited Ukraine, arguing "everybody in Europe should be able to."Biden said the West would not
invasion failed to reach Kyiv or overthrow Zelensky's government after encountering stiff Ukrainian resistance reinforced with Western
weapons.The Russian campaign has since refocused on seizing the east and south of the country while using long-range missiles against west
and central Ukraine.Guterres said the United Nations was doing everything possible to evacuate civilians from the "apocalypse" in the
besieged port city of Mariupol.A Russian official meanwhile said Thursday that the ruble will soon be introduced in areas of Ukraine under
"act of annexation" and "gross violation" of UN Charter articles.Nearly 5.4 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the invasion,
according to the United Nations, and more than 12 million others are displaced internally."We feel bad, we shouldn't be standing here,"
Svitlana Gordienko, a nurse forced to relocate to the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, told AFP as she queued for food at a humanitarian
