The South African government has called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine as the US and its allies impose a raft of sanctions in response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his neighbour, citing security concerns.
SA ambassador in Kyiv, Andre Groenwald, has meanwhile described a very tense situation in the city which he said was in the grip of fear.
In an interview, Groenewald described being awoken at around 3 am on Thursday morning to the sounds of explosions.
“We expected some action in eastern Ukraine, but not this part of the country. There have been some serious military incidences in many cities in Ukraine,” he said.
Groenewald said Kyiv is the “7th busiest traffic city in the world and he’s never gotten to his office this quickly” as he described a solemn feeling in the capital. “People are scared,” he said.
Ukraine ambassador to South Africa Liubov Abravitova, says they plan to use diplomatic channels to call on the South African government to impose sanctions against the Russian government.
“We officially requested this through diplomatic channels. We’re calling on all the countries in the region to follow this example of other countries that are already implementing sanctions. As you know sanctions hurt both sides when they are implemented,” she said.
Meanwhile, missiles and shells reportedly rained down on cities across Ukraine on Thursday, supported by a ground offensive displacing hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are fleeing to Poland.
In a televised address on Thursday morning, Putin justified the invasion saying the leaders of two separatist territories, Donetsk and Luhansk, had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.
