*Ukraine Authority Says Over 20,000 Civilians Buried, 20,000 Children Abducted

*Says About $40b Required To Rebuild Infrastructure

*Seeks Greater Cooperation With Africa On Grain Shipment

*Urges The World To Further Prevail On Russia To Relinquish Occupied Territories

It is already 22 months since Russia declared a full-scale war against Ukraine, yet the country is still under siege.

Many, including Ukrainians, had expected that the situation would be brought under control immediately but Ukraine’s resolve to end all forms of intimidation by Russia has led to protracted and consistent attacks on Ukraine.

In fact, last Friday’s drone attack on Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, was described by Kyiv State authorities as the most extensive drone attack on the city since the outbreak of the war in February 2022.

Beyond the recent attack, the regular sirens announcing impending air raids or missile attacks have become a mundane experience for the people as they gradually become accustomed to the unpredicted but unproved destruction of lives and properties across the various regions of the country.

Unfortunately, as months go by, the hostility against the people, the endless wait for the return of abducted Ukrainian children, the constant fear of imminent attacks and the continuous destruction of infrastructure have become part of the current realities of the Ukrainian people, even as it appears that the support of the global community is beginning to dwindle.

The recent visit of journalists from nine African countries to the mostly affected regions, including Kyiv, Borodyanka, Irpin, Odesa and Bucha, served as an eyewitness to the level of destruction of lives and properties in Ukraine.

The visit was put together by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of a Non-Governmental Organization – The New Ukraine Initiative, to provide African media and by extension, the people of the continent, ample information about the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and to show how much Russia undermined human values.

Borodyanka was the first city to be struck by Russia and today, the city is still bears evidence of the attacks – damaged buildings and infrastructures, mass graves and assemblage of burnt vehicles with little or no activities. About 229 civilians were said to have died, others escaped, leaving only about 80 people in a city that once accommodated over 26,000 civilians.

Emotions were steered as the Deputy Head of the City, Kostyantyn Moroz, relayed how Russian forces short directly at helpless civilians, raped many women and girls and tortured others to death.

“Today, we are in Borodyanka to see how far Russia tried to undermine human values. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine and the first city to be struck was Borodyanka. Before the full scale invasion, 26,000 people had lived in Borodyanka and the nearby territories; only 80 people can be found here now.”

Moroz, however stated that tat he dawn of the full-scale war; more Ukrainians took up arms to defend their mother. According to him, the heroic deed of those people prevented Russian army from occupying the city after it was captured.

“When Russians came here, they forbade people from evacuating the dead and the injured, and prevented many more civilians from leaving the city, forcing them to stay in their damaged houses. More than 229 people were buried under the debris of destroyed houses.

“A total of 1203 houses were destroyed by the Russian army and gas plants bombed. Our top priority last year was how to see people go through the winter and live in the city in spite of the obstacles.”

According to Moroz, billions of dollars are needed to totally restore infrastructural facilities and create the conditions as they were before the war.

Irpin had a population of about 100,000 people. In the first months of the war, about 95,000 were evacuated. However, because it houses the Internally Displaced People, its population has currently increased to approximately 120,000 people.

Across the Irpin River lies Romanivka Bridge, which was destroyed by Ukrainian army to block Russian advancement towards Kyiv, which is five kilometres away.

“We are planning to preserve this bridge as a war monument for the next generations of Ukrainians to see. On the left side, we are already completing a new bridge and On the right was a temporary bridge built in one week. We blew it up because it is only five kilometres from Kyiv. The rail bridge was also destroyed for the same purposes”, the authority said.

At the controversial Black Sea in Odesa, the General Manager, Odesa Seaport Authority, Denys Karpov and the Deputy Head of Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, Dmitiy Barinov, urged African countries groaning under food insecurity to hold Russia responsible.

“For African countries experiencing high cost of grain, Russian Federation is blocking the way. That is the simply the reason. That is their typical behaviour of blackmailing. From the beginning of the war, all ports were blocked, that was the cause of the sharp increase.

They believed that under normal circumstances, food insecurity should not be experienced in the 21st Century. There should be freedom of movement for ships carrying food to different parts of the world.

“Our message to Africa country is also a message to the whole world. There is no place in the 21st century for the lack of food and the act of terrorism as this. Shipping should be free because more than 95 per cent of free trade is shipping.

“African countries should push Russia on that ground to stop its nefarious activities. Also, we are thinking about security measures and that is the reason we are asking for international partners to help us with the air defense of our ports and ports infrastructures.

“Ukraine was, is and will be a good partner and supplier in the world food market. We have good land for agriculture; we know how to be productive and how to put it into the world food market. That is why we should stop the blackmailing of the lack of food”, Karpov said.

Earlier, he tried to explain the magnitude of destruction at port. He pointed to the administrative block of the seaport that was bombed, a terminal used for grain initiative and some other facilities that were touched by Russian missiles. This, he said, affected grain export to the global market and culminated into food insecurity and the escalated cost of foodstuff, especially in Africa, which relied majorly on imported grains for wheat.

“This terminal was used as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative that was signed in Istanbul in July 22, 2022. During the working of the initiative, more than 33 million cargos in about 1,000 vessels conveyed a greater part of grains to the ports of Africa.”

But with Russia pulling out of the agreement and blocking the Black Sea, Ukraine managed to open temporary corridors for the passage of vessels.

According to Karpov, about four million tons of foods conveyed by 128 ships had come in and went out of Ukraine.”

“During the last four months, a lot of infrastructures used in food production were destroyed. The injectors were damaged by up to 40 per cent. So, there is a reduction in the opportunity to work the grain cargo. Within this period, 3,000 tons of grain were destroyed, seven civil vessels and more than 22 civilians were injured and three of them died.”

Dmitiy Barinov explained, however, that with the ability of Ukrainian military force, the country is gradually returning to its export business.

“We increase our volume of exports through the ports month by month. In March 2022, it was zero ton in terms of agricultural products, then 400,000 tonnes in April, 800,000 in May and by May this year, it was more than three million tonnes of export of agriculture produce through the three ports.”

Yet, it was impossible to match the faster and simpler Black Sea corridors. “That is why it is very important to unblock the port and make the navigation free,” Barinov said.

Adding: “It is an international sea and as such, should be free. Russia started blocking the sea two or three weeks before the war. It didn’t give any reason for blocking the Black Sea.”

Unfortunately, while Ukraine may know how to challenge Russia, it lacks the technological equipment to do so and unless the world comes to its aid, there may be no end to Russian intimidation.

“We need to have powerful weapons which will give us the possibility to protect ourselves. Russia started the attack on our ports with missiles and then continued with drones,” he added.

In a meeting between African journalists and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, he harped on the need for the world to understand the gravity of hostility inflicted on Ukraine by Russia.

“We are the victims; the crises affect us and we are struggling to get people to understand the situation through African leaders.”

President Zelensky also used the forum to reiterate his readiness to visit Africa to strengthen relationships, especially on the easy movement of grains.

For African countries that don’t get direct shipment of grains from Ukraine, he pledged a commitment to hold conversations with their leadership to resolve the hurdles.

“We would be available to supply directly without the third party”, he assured.
Zelensky once more, call on the international community not to abandon Ukraine as Russia continued to use technological advantage against the country.

Although about $40 billion has been lost to the war, the president said the country was more devastated by the state of the 20,000 children adopted by Russia. For him, more than 20,000 local residents have been buried since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

He said, “We cannot compare the hostility in the Middle East with the full-scale war in Ukraine. We have never before invaded Russia. Ours was an unprovoked development. That is the reason I will not compare this with the tragedy in the Middle East.”

Zelensky touched on several issues bordering on the effects of the Russian invasion on the people of Ukraine – the traumatic experience, the loss of loved ones, constant apprehension on the minds of the people over Russian regular attacks, economic loss and the psychological effects of the war on the citizens.

While the government is trying to rebuild both the economy and help those affected in one way or another, President Zelensky has called on the global community to prevail on the Russians to pull out of the occupied territories, unblock the Black Sea, release abducted children and end the war.

According to him, as a sovereign nation, Russia lacked control over the management of its affairs.

Interestingly, although battered and bruised, Ukrainians have remained resolute. They want the relationship between both countries to be redefined once and for all.

Even the country’s political opposition parties have joined forces with Zelensky in the struggle to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The civil society organisations are not only providing necessary assistance; they are at the forefront in the call for justice. They want President Vladimir Putin of Russia to be held accountable for crimes against humanity for deliberately maiming and killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.

“We are proud of our president. He is the leader of democracy in Ukraine and the world. He is the democratic leader of the Ukrainian resistance,” said a youth.

If there is anything working for Ukraine, it is the unity of purpose with which citizens pursue their liberty from their common enemy – Russia. Although no one can predict the next victim of Russia’s aggression, they go about their businesses without fear.