War in Ukraine: what to remember from the fifteenth day of the Russian invasion

Europe 1 with AFP 07:23, March 10, 2022

THE ESSENTIAL

On the fifteenth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's army continues to approach Kiev, being only about fifteen kilometers away.

A facility housing a pediatric hospital and a maternity hospital in Mariupol, a besieged port in southeastern Ukraine, was destroyed yesterday by Russian bombing, leaving 17 hospital staff confirmed injured according to an initial report, according to local authorities.

Maternity destroyed in Mariupol

"Today we must unite in condemning this war crime by Russia, which reflects all the harm the invaders have done to our country," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message, calling on Western leaders to to show "courage" to "finally do what they should have done on the first day of the invasion. Either close the air skies to Russian missiles and bombs, or give us fighter jets so that we can do everything ourselves -selves".

Moscow, for its part, claims that Ukrainian "nationalist battalions" used the hospital as a firing base.

The nine-day Russian siege on the strategic port of Mariupol in southern Ukraine has left a total of 1,207 civilians dead, the town hall said on Telegram on Wednesday.

Some 300,000 civilians have been trapped for days by fighting in the strategic port of Mariupol, on the Sea of ​​Azov, deprived of water, food and electricity and where humanitarian aid has not been able to arrive.

Talks in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey on Wednesday evening, where he is to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, for the first diplomatic meeting at this level since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, said a Turkish official.

The two belligerents agreed on Wednesday for a twelve-hour ceasefire around a series of humanitarian corridors in order to evacuate civilians.

Russian advance towards Kiev

Russian troops approached Kiev on Wednesday, columns of tanks being only about fifteen kilometers away, near Brovary.

Thirty kilometers from this locality, fighting also took place near Rusaniv, Ukrainian soldiers told AFP.

Russia has for the first time recognized the presence of conscripts in Ukraine.

Mig-29: not definitive from Washington

The United States definitively rejected on Wednesday Poland's proposal to deliver its Mig-29 planes to the American army for subsequent handover to Ukraine, deeming Warsaw's offer "risky" and likely to provoke a Russian escalation.

Washington does not "support the transfer of additional combat aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time" to help it deal with the invasion decided by Vladimir Putin, the spokesperson said of the Pentagon John Kirby, following an exchange on Wednesday between the American Minister of Defense and his Polish counterpart.

Warsaw had offered to make these planes available to the United States and then deliver them to Ukraine.

Chernobyl: "no major impact on security"

The power cut at the Chernobyl nuclear site has "no major impact on security", said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), informed of the problem by the Ukrainian authorities.

Chemical weapons: Washington accuses Moscow of "lies"

The United States on Wednesday accused Russia and China of spreading "lies" about alleged American biological and chemical weapons laboratories in Ukraine, saying it fears instead a Russian use of such prohibited weapons.

Aids

The IMF on Wednesday approved emergency aid amounting to $1.4 billion for Ukraine, which is facing "a very serious humanitarian and economic crisis" since the invasion of the country by the army Russian.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has announced two billion euros to provide "targeted support for refugees, businesses and energy security".

The elected members of the American House of Representatives will decide on an envelope of nearly 14 billion dollars, which includes an economic and humanitarian component, but also weapons and ammunition.

The British government has indicated that it intends to continue its deliveries of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.

And Canada will send him additional military equipment.

EU expands sanctions

The Twenty-Seven have extended their sanctions against Moscow and Minsk following the invasion of Ukraine, in particular by targeting cryptocurrencies, sanctioning Belarusian finance and adding 160 Russian oligarchs and parliamentarians to their blacklist.

France will help Russian artists "forced into exile"

France intends to help Russian artists "forced into exile" because of their opposition to President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine, Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot said on Wednesday.