The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A UKRAINIAN international relations expert has provided insight into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, detailing the latest Russian attacks against the country and the toll the war has taken on ordinary Ukrainian civilians.

Dr Volodymyr Dubovyk, an associate professor at the Department of International Relations, spoke on the war’s latest developments during a virtual press briefing hosted by the US Embassy in Guatemala yesterday.

Russia launched a “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine on February 24, drawing widespread condemnation from around the world.

Thousands have been reported dead after weapon strikes in Ukraine while millions are said to have fled to neighbouring countries.

“For the last several days, there have been a number of air raid alerts,” Dr Dubovyk said of the war yesterday. “Just yesterday (Sunday), we had eleven air raid alerts. We’ve had several missile attacks. Some missiles were intercepted by anti-aircraft weapons and also by the Ukraine air force capable of intercepting some of those missiles, but some have reached their targets.”

“The most important front is the Donbas in far eastern Ukraine. That’s where the most heavy fighting has taken place. Russians are now contemplating trying to attack. They’re on the offensive but their offensive is extremely slow, it’s something like crouching,” he added.

“They move just a couple kilometers a day, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes, they take some towns and villages and sometimes they lose some so basically, it’s already not so much kinetic warfare with a lot of movement and troops back and forth, but it’s becoming more of a trench warfare.”

Dr Dubovyk said civilian casualties remain the highest. Meanwhile, many Ukrainians, he added, also continue to flee to other countries to escape the war.

“Most of the people we’ve lost in the last three and half months were civilians and not military necessarily. And, of course, people are still leaving dangerous areas and going west. Some people are going abroad. There have been 45 million who are refugees outside of Ukraine and Europe mostly and some people are becoming displaced within their own country.”

He also said the war has dealt a tremendous blow to the Ukrainian economy, which he said is projected to contract by 50 percent by year’s end.

The Bahamas is among several countries that have condemned and sanctioned Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

In March, Attorney General Ryan Pinder announced that the government decided it will suspend the automatic exchange of financial information with Russia on its citizens.

It follows a directive on March 9 by the Office of the Attorney General and financial services regulators that all licensed entities were to report whether they held individual or company sanctioned accounts.

He said on March 20 and 21, a report from regulators said there were very few sanctioned relationships in the country. Mr Pinder said there were less than five relationships and a small number of liquid assets meaning deposits, managed assets or securities valued at about $7.5m.