The United States announced further financial sanctions against Russia on Thursday, targeting the political world, the oligarchs and the defense industry in response to the invasion of Ukraine, and is strengthening coordination with Western allies to prevent Moscow from using its gold reserves, AFP reports. These measures, which mainly involve a freeze of their assets in the United States, involve more than 300 members of the State Duma and the institution itself, as well as dozens of ‘large public companies’ in the defense sector. Also on Thursday, the Russians and Ukrainians exchanged prisoners, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereşciuk announced on Facebook. On the ground, almost a month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fighting continues, and the damage is growing, as are the casualties. Kharkov (northeast), the country’s second most important city, was bombarded again. In Kherson (south), Makariv and Irpin (near Kyiv), the Ukrainians regained key positions. Russian bombs continue to fall on Kyiv, Nikolaev (south) and Chernihiv (center). In Odessa (Black Sea port) barricades are being erected and aid is being distributed. However, the most dramatic situation remains in Mariupol (port at the Sea of Azov), a city bombed incessantly for days on end and 90% destroyed. On the other hand, Ukraine allegedly managed to hit with a ballistic missile a large landing ship of Russian forces in the coastal city of Berdyansk (Sea of Azov). Near the landing ship, two other large Russian ships were allegedly hit and left the port immediately.
