Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: EU Imposes New Sanctions, Moscow Increases Aggression, Hundreds of Civilian Victims

Another difficult night around the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A series of international reactions and new sanctions mark the fourth night of shelling.

Sanctions

Western countries have adopted a new set of sanctions, aimed in particular at excluding many Russian banks from the Swift interbank platform, an essential mechanism in global finance, said the German government, which chairs the G-7 forum.

This action will "prevent banks from carrying out most of their global financial transactions, and therefore Russian exports and imports will be blocked," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Western partners have also decided to limit Russia's central bank's access to capital markets and "damage the assets of Russia's central bank" to prevent Moscow from using it to finance the conflict in Ukraine, von der Leyen said.

The new sanctions also target Russian oligarchs and their families, who will prevent them from obtaining citizenship in Western countries.

These measures have been taken by the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and the European Commission.

The war in and around Kiev

On Saturday night against Sunday, air defense sirens sounded again in Kyiv, which has become a ghost town with curfew until eight o'clock on Monday. Residents of the city were called to take refuge in shelters in the capital.

Russian forces "continue their offensive against Kyiv" after "completing their regrouping" on the northern front, the Ukrainian army confirmed on Saturday night.

The Kyiv metro is closed and serves as "refuge" for residents.

The oil base near Vasilkiv, about 30 kilometers...