Russia has launched a new phase of the war in Ukraine, or what it calls a special military operation, said the country’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov while announcing an ultimatum for the Ukrainian forces to desist from combat and surrender.

During an interview with a television station, Sergei Lavrov said that the operation in eastern Ukraine is aimed, as announced from the beginning, at completely liberating the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

“Another stage of this operation (in eastern Ukraine) begins, and I am sure it will be a very important moment of this entire special operation.”

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Army had neutralized 13 Ukrainian positions in Donbas, including the key city of Sloviansk, and bombed another 60 military targets, some on the eastern front line.

According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Russian troops are gradually implementing their plan to liberate pro-Russian breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine.

Russia gives Ukraine an ultimatum

The last Ukrainian forces entrenched in an industrial complex in the port city of Mariupol received a new ultimatum from Russia.

“We call on the kyiv authorities to be reasonable, to order the fighters to leave the senseless resistance and leave the epicenter of the resistance.”

Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center

Faced with this scenario, local Ukrainian authorities have called on civilians to leave the Donbas region.

The conflict in Ukraine has already caused almost 5 million refugees in other countries and more than 7 million internally displaced persons, according to the United Nations

War in Ukraine will have an economic impact

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the war in Ukraine will have an impact on growth in the eurozone, according to its economic forecasts updated on Tuesday, due to its effects on energy prices and the manufacturing sector.

The institution foresees growth in the countries of the eurozone of 2.8%, a notable slowdown compared to the 3.9% anticipated in its previous forecasts for January and the 4.3% in the projections for October.

“The main channels through which the war in Ukraine and the economic sanctions imposed on Russia affect the eurozone economy are the global rise in energy prices and energy security,” the IMF points out in its economic forecasts.

Last month, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) already confirmed something similar, estimating that the growth of the area would be cut by around 1.4 points and that inflation would increase by 2.5 points in a year if the effects of the war will last.

“The war in Ukraine severely affects the economy of the eurozone”, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, also acknowledged on Thursday, especially due to the decline in confidence and the persistence of high energy costs. for homes and businesses.