As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to evolve rapidly, the Ukrainian Ambassador to India Dr Igor Polikha on Monday said that the country has suffered many civilian casualties due to the Russian military operation.
Speaking at a press conference here in New Delhi, Polikha said, "We're suffering a lot of civilian casualties. According to official information of our Ministry, already 16 children were killed from bombings, shellings and so on as a result of Russian peace-fighting operation."
Giving an update on the ongoing conflict, Polikha said the Air space of Europe was closed for Russian airplanes on Sunday. "The Russian economy is crippling every day. Russia is having absolutely unprecedented casualties. Approximately 5,300 Russian soldiers have lost their lives," he claimed.
Polikha also requested all foreign partners of Ukraine to exert pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop the war." "Today, our delegation went to hold the first round of peace talks. Continuous shelling, bombing took place even during the peace talk," he said.
This press conference comes two days after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday over the situation in his country and urged India for its political support in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Russia.
During the presser today, Polikha said the number of Ukrainian refugees has exceeded 4 lakh due to the ongoing conflict in his country.
"If the war is not stopped, the number can reach up to 7 million. there are very long queues on the border. Lakhs of Ukrainians are standing in queues, trying to cross the border," he said.
Last week, the Ukrainian ambassador had called India a "very influential global player" and sought India's support amid the ongoing Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Despite claims of civilian casualties from Ukraine, Russia continues to maintain that they are targeting only military installations in the country.
( With inputs from ANI )
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