Russia-Ukraine war: Special flight evacuated 11 seriously ill Ukrainian children to Israel

In a key development, media reports suggest that eleven seriously ill Ukrainian children and their parents were transported to Israel via a special aircraft as Moscow's unprovoked invasion of neighbouring Ukraine transcended to the 14th day. According to media agency Nexta, Schneider Children's Hospital will oversee their treatment. The agency's Tweet on the development reads, "A special flight evacuated 11 seriously ill #Ukrainian children and their accompanying parents to #Israel. They will be treated at Schneider Children's Hospital."

Ukrainian govt. preparing for next round of peace talks with Russia 

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky recently indicated that the Ukrainian administration is preparing for the next round of peace talks with Russia as the ongoing military offensive by Moscow keeps escalating, adding to casualties. It is pertinent to mention here that hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the Russian bombing of key cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol in the first 14 days of the war, with thousands of residents unable to flee the relentless bombardment.

Furthermore, starting at 7 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, the Kremlin committed to suspending its attacks to preserve humanitarian corridors linking Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumi, Kharkiv, and Mariupol. Moreover, British intelligence claims that Russia is losing its foothold in the fight north of Kyiv. Moscow's troops have failed to make "significant breakthroughs" northwest of Kyiv, according to the UK Ministry of Defence, two weeks after President Vladimir Putin initiated the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has blamed previous failures to facilitate safe passage for people on Russian airstrikes. Moscow too has been condemned for proposing evacuation corridors that would pass through Russia and Belarus however, the same was refused by the Ukrainian authorities. According to the United Nations, there could be as many as 2.2 million Ukrainians escaping the violence.

According to Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk, the country aims to try to open six humanitarian corridors on Wednesday. In a video message, Iryna Vereshchuk announced that the Ukrainian army has agreed to cease firing in some areas from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said "help at the border" should take precedence over discussions over how many refugees each European country should accept. According to Grandi, Moldova, a non-EU member that has taken in over 200,000 Ukrainian refugees, is particularly vulnerable.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP