Anthony Albanese visits war-torn towns of Ukraine, surveying bombed airport and buildings
Anthony Albanese has stepped into Ukraine and toured towns ravaged by the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a local governor claiming the Prime Minister was ‘amazed’ by the devastation.
Anthony Albanese has visited war-torn Ukraine and toured towns ravaged by the forces of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister has visited the areas of Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, where Ukraine says Russia committed atrocities against civilians – including massacres and rapes – and mass graves were found after Ukrainian forces retook the towns.
Mr Albanese on Sunday night surveyed bombed-out residential buildings, toured the destroyed Antonov airport and met with Ukrainian leaders.
Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Facebook on Sunday night that Mr Albanese was “amazed” by the devastation and pledged to continue supporting the Ukrainian people.
“He was amazed by what he saw: destroyed civilian houses, traces of mines, destroyed Antonov airport,” Mr Kuleba wrote.
He said Mr Albanese had said that Australia “supports Ukraine and advocates fair punishment for the crimes that have taken place here”.
“Grateful to the delegation for their personal visit to Kyiv region. The war in Ukraine, in the centre of Europe, must remain on the world agenda,” Mr Kuleba wrote.
The tour came as Mr Albanese last week condemned Mr Putin and the invasion as “brutal, illegal and unjustified” in front of world leaders in Madrid at the largest NATO summit ever held, as the defence alliance labelled Russia a strategic threat. He also told the summit the West’s united front against Russia and the fallout from the war served as a warning to an increasingly aggressive China.
A total media blackout was declared for the duration of the trip, on Australian Defence Force advice, with Australian media ordered not to report on it until Mr Albanese returned to Poland. But foreign media and the Kyiv Governor revealed the visit.
The airspace over the country has been closed since the February 24 invasion, and the roads into Kyiv are mostly inaccessible due to heavy fighting, which raged on Sunday as Russian troops intensified their offensive in parts of the eastern city of Lysychansk and missiles continued to rain down across Ukraine, killing dozens.
AFP reports that representatives of foreign governments and international organisations will descend on the Ukrainian city of Lugano on Monday with the aim of providing a road map for the war-ravaged country’s recovery.
Before Mr Albanese’s visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, saying Ukraine “requires colossal investments – billions, new technologies, best practices, new institutions and, of course, reforms”.
Mr Zelensky also warned people in the west of the country – who have faced fewer attacks in recent weeks as the Russians focus on taking the east – that the nation cannot relax. “The war is not over,” he said. “Unfortunately, its cruelty is only increasing in some places, and it cannot be forgotten.”
Mr Albanese’s visit came a day after powerful Russian strikes on the southern city of Mykolaiv, which borders the vital Black Sea port of Odesa, sending residents racing for underground shelters.
Kyiv said Moscow has intensified missile attacks on civilian targets far from the frontline, as Russian forces make gains in the east, pounding urban areas with artillery fire.
Mr Albanese’s visit came just days after Indonesian President Joko Widodo made the trip.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also made a surprise second trip to Kyiv last month, where he promised to train up 10,000 Ukraine soldiers every 120 days.
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