Civilian death toll hits 352 as Russia, Ukraine hold peace talk

The Ukrainian Health Ministry has confirmed that at least 352 civilians, including 14 children, have been killed, while 1,684 people had been wounded so far following the invasion of the country by Russia, last Thursday.

As the conflict enters the fifth day, the Ministry, in a statement late Sunday, said among the injured were 116 children, while more than 350,000 had so far fled the country as refugees.

“We have recorded 352 civilian deaths including 14 children since Thursday. By Sunday afternoon, 1,684 civilians and 116 children had been wounded,” the Minister said.

But in a statement to counter the Ukrainian claim, the Russian defence ministry said its troops are targeting only Ukrainian military facilities and that Ukraine’s civilian population is not in danger.

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Meanwhile, both countries have both agreed to meet on Monday at a location on the Belarus’ border, for talks in an attempt to end Moscow’s invasion as Russian troops continue to advance into Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Sunday, agreed to send a delegation to meet with Russian negotiators during a phone call with Belarus’ leader Alexander Lukashenko, a Ukrainian presidential spokesman announced.

He added that the two sides have “agreed to meet on Monday at the Pripyat River on the border, north of Chernobyl, an area that is currently under Russian military control.”

On its part, the Russian delegation will include officials from Russia’s foreign and defense ministries as well as the presidential administration.

The talks would be the first between the two sides since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion on Thursday.

Earlier on Sunday, Ukraine had rejected a proposal from Russia to hold the talks in the southern Belarusian city of Gomel, on the grounds that Belarus is directly involved in Russia’s attack, having hosted the Russian invasion force.