Putin orders expanded attack on Ukraine "in all directions"

Attacks on Ukraine are intensifying. Sanctions and threats from the West have failed to stop an unstoppable Putin, who has already ordered a "broadening of the offence" against the Ukrainian country in a forceful manner.

In the centre of Kiev, where citizens live under an approved curfew from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., artillery fire continues. In the last hour the Ukrainian army reported attacks just 7 kilometres from the historic centre of the Kiev city. 

In desperate straits, the Ukrainian authorities are urging the Ukrainian population to help defend the city and halt the unstoppable Russian advance. While Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraged the Ukrainian army to take up arms against his government in a clear call for a coup d'état, the military has shown loyalty to its homeland, encouraged by Zelensky's willingness to resist at all costs.

A few hours ago the Russian embassy in Spain argued that "looking at the latest NATO, EU and US decisions regarding Russia, listening to the speeches of the officials who approved them, one wonders why all these high-ranking people talk only about the consequences and do not try at all to understand the causes. At first glance, such an approach contradicts elementary logic and does not allow for proper decisions to be taken in the national interest". 

This readiness on the part of the military units has prompted an even more aggressive response from Moscow. According to the defence ministry, "today, all units have been ordered to expand the offensive in all directions, in accordance with the plan of attack".

However, these statements did not deter Zelensky, who continued to argue that "we must resist". With this slogan, the Interior Ministry has confirmed the distribution of 25,000 weapons and more than 10 million rounds of ammunition to citizens. Along these lines, the Ukrainian president pointed out that "thousands of Russian military personnel" are already in the country and continue to advance. The whole situation points to the fall of the city in a short period of time. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Ukrainians have crossed the Ukrainian borders into Poland, leaving behind a life that no longer belongs to them. 

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is beginning to have international consequences. We are witnessing a considerable increase in the price of oil and a rise in the prices of basic products such as wheat and pulses. In this context, Arab countries, such as Egypt, Libya and Yemen, which are highly dependent on these products, fear a shortage of bread. 

Egypt is one of these countries that was most dependent on Moscow in this sector. Although it has begun to buy wheat from other suppliers such as Romania, the truth is that 50 percent of imported wheat comes from Russia, while 30 percent comes from Ukraine. The Egyptian government has indicated that it currently has a strategic reserve that is sufficient for the state for a period of approximately nine months", which would feed 103 million people, 70 percent of whom receive five loaves of subsidised bread, but warned that "we will not be able to buy wheat at the price we had before the Russian-Ukrainian crisis". 

Moreover, according to the World Food Programme, Syria is experiencing one of its most dramatic scenarios due to the famine situation facing millions of its citizens. Syria, which was self-sufficient in wheat until 2011, when civil conflict broke out, had to "buy 1.5 million tons of wheat in 2021, mainly from Moscow", according to The Syria Report. 

According to the Middle East Research Institute, "if the war interrupts wheat supplies, the crisis may provoke new demonstrations and instability in several countries". Sudan is one of the countries most likely to be affected by this shock, since before the Russian offensive began, Sudan's second-in-command was visiting Moscow to negotiate trade with Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter. This context, combined with the political and social crisis that is shaking the country, could further aggravate the situation of its population.