Russia surpasses North Korea and Iran to become to the most sanctioned nation in the world

Russia surpasses North Korea and Iran to become to the most sanctioned nation in the world
Two foreign fighters from the UK asked to be identified as “Scouser" and “Jacks" pose for a picture as they are ready to depart towards the front line in the east of Ukraine following the Russian invasion, at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

After 10 days of conflict, Russia has surpassed North Korea and Iran to become the most sanctioned country in the world.

The UN estimates that about 1.5 million civilians have fled Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, with more trying to get out.

And now, civilians are trapped in city centers because ongoing Russian shelling makes it impossible for them to leave, despite several agreed-on ceasefires. The suburbs have become particularly dangerous since Russian forces trying to close in on cities are essentially moving through those areas.

On Monday, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met to discuss creating humanitarian corridors for people to escape through, but without very much progress. This comes after a temporary ceasefire was put in place on Saturday to let civilians escape, which Russia ended abruptly later in the day with resumed fighting.

According to Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, “there were some small positive shifts regarding logistics of humanitarian corridors.”

“Our expectations from the talks have failed, but we hope that we would be able to make a more significant step forward next time,” said Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky. “The talks will continue.”

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