Kyiv: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Saturday that Ukrainian statehood is in danger, while the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky There was a “desperate solicitation” for more aircraft as Russian forces continued to attack strategic locations with missiles and artillery, and a temporary ceasefire failed.
Sanctions from the West continued, something Putin likened to a “declaration of war”. Here are some important things to know about Saturday’s clash:
Russia has warned Ukraine may lose statehood
Putin continued to blame the Ukrainian leadership for Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying that if they “continue to do what they are doing, they are questioning the future of the Ukrainian state.”
But Zelensky urged resistance. He said Ukrainians managed to take control of major cities in central and southeastern Ukraine. In a video address to the nation, he urged Ukrainians to fight back in cities captured by Russian forces.
“It is a special kind of heroism – to resist when your city is captured,” said Zelensky. “Ukrainians in all our cities who have entered the enemy – go on the offensive! You must take to the streets! You must fight!” Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in cities occupied by the Russian army. Some climbed onto Russian military vehicles and waved the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s desperate plea
In a private call with US lawmakers, Zelensky asked the United States to help his military get more warplanes.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement that Zelensky made a “desperate plea” and wants the US to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies. Schumer said he would do everything he could.
The US is considering sending American-made F-16s to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. In return, they would send their Soviet-era MiGs to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dimtro Kuleba outside the town of Korzowa on the Poland-Ukraine border. Blinken indicated that fighter jets are being considered.
“We’re talking and working on everything,” Blinken said.
ceasefire failed
A temporary ceasefire failed in Ukraine’s two major cities – and both sides blamed each other.
Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes prevented residents from evacuating the eastern city of Volnovakha and the southeast port city of Mariupol, about 430,000. Putin accused Ukraine of foiling the effort.
The mayor said the Russian military had intensified shelling in Mariupol, including dropping airborne bombs in residential areas.
“The city is in a very difficult state of siege,” Vadim Boychenko told Ukrainian TV. “Relentless shelling of residential blocks continues, planes are dropping bombs on residential areas.” Boychenko said thousands of children, women and the elderly were hit by the fire as they prepared for a possible evacuation through a safe passage corridor.
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Russia’s days-long attack has caused growing misery in Mariupol, where AP reporters watched as doctors tried unsuccessfully to save the lives of injured children, pharmacies went bare and thousands of people cold. During the season faced shortage of food and water.
In Irpin, near Kyiv, a sea of people trampled on the remains of a destroyed bridge on foot and even in wheelbarrows to cross a river and leave the city. With the help of Ukrainian soldiers, they dug into flimsy bags filled with pets, babies, purses and less-than-goodies. Some weak and elderly people were carried on the way in blankets and vehicles.
Kyiv’s central railway station was crowded with people desperate to join the more than 1.4 million people who have fled Ukraine.
The sounds of continuous shelling can be heard from Kyiv, the capital of the country.
In stories and videos posted online, Russian state outlets are falsely claiming that Zelensky fled Kyiv. Photos and videos show the President of Ukraine leading the defense of his country.
what’s happening on the ground
Putin’s military launched hundreds of missile and artillery attacks on cities and other sites across the country. But a massive, mile-long Russian armored column threatening Ukraine’s capital remains stalled outside Kyiv.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were occupying major cities in the central and southeastern part of the country on Saturday, while Russians were trying to blockade and encircle Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Oleksey Erestovich, said Ukraine’s military was protecting Ukraine’s largest port city, Odessa, from repeated attempts by Russian ships.
Video released by the Ukrainian government on Saturday showed a Russian military plane falling from the sky and crashing as spectators on the ground cheered. Firefighters sprayed water over the flames and smoke on a structure next to the wreckage of the plane, bearing a red star and the number 24.
nuclear security concerns
Zelensky said that Russian forces had seized two Ukrainian nuclear power plants and were moving towards a third – the Yuzhnoukrensk plant, which is located 120 kilometers (75 mi) north of Mykolaiv, one of several cities. Russia was trying to surround on Saturday.
The announcement comes after Russian troops seized the country’s largest Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant in the southeastern city of Enerhodar. The attack caused global alarm, bringing back memories of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron’s office said France would propose concrete measures to ensure the security of Ukraine’s five major nuclear sites.
back to the negotiating table
A third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place on Monday, said David Arkhamia, head of the parliamentary bloc of Zelensky’s Servants of the People party and a member of Ukraine’s delegation to the talks.
He did not provide further details, including where they would be. The last round was held in Belarus.
deepening humanitarian crisis
The United Nations World Food Program says millions of people inside Ukraine, a major global wheat supplier, will need food aid “immediately” and Ukrainian refugees continue to flock to neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova.
In Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, hundreds of families took refuge in a sports venue. Refugees tried to rest on cots lamenting or lamenting that they had been forced to leave behind.
The Ukrainians also fled to Cyrate, Romania, where Romanian President Klaus Iohannes promised to help them. He said no Ukrainian would be denied entry into his country and promised to help with food, clothing, transportation and personal documents.
The International Organization for Migration says the number of people who have left Ukraine since the start of the fighting has now reached 1.45 million.
The United States is considering a request for $10 billion in emergency funding for humanitarian aid and security needs.
How many casualties?
Russia has acknowledged that about 500 Russian soldiers have been killed and about 1,600 wounded. Ukraine has not released casualties for its armed forces.
Zelensky said 10,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the 10 days of the war, a claim that could not be independently verified.
The UN Human Rights Office says at least 351 civilians have been killed and 707 injured in Ukraine since the start of the attack. The Rights Office uses a strict methodology and only reports casualties that it has confirmed. It said on Saturday that it believes the actual figures are much higher.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said more than 2,000 civilians had been killed, although the claim was impossible to confirm. According to the Ukrainian government, more than 840 children were injured and 28 were killed in the attack.
diplomatic effort
Blinken was in Poland to meet with the prime minister and foreign minister a day after attending a NATO meeting in Brussels in which the coalition promised to increase support for members of the eastern fringes.
In Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was meeting with Putin in the Kremlin. Israel maintains good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, and Bennett has offered to act as a mediator in the conflict. No details of Saturday’s meeting have been revealed yet.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council will hold an open meeting on Monday on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
sanctions on russia
Singapore announced sanctions against Russia, becoming one of the few governments in Southeast Asia to do so. The small city-state imposed controls on the export or transshipment of military-related or dual-use items considered “strategic goods”. Meanwhile, more companies in Russia are suspending operations, including Apple, Mercedes-Benz, BP, Volkswagen, clothing retailer H&M and furnishing store IKEA. Mastercard and Visa also announced that they would be suspending operations.
Spain’s Teatro Real, one of Europe’s leading opera houses, said it is canceling a set of upcoming performances by Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet.
Russia’s major carrier Aeroflot announced that it will stop all international flights except Belarus from March 8. This follows a warning by Russia’s aviation agency that airlines with foreign-leased aircraft run the risk of their planes being confiscated as part of Western sanctions.
Sanctions from the West continued, something Putin likened to a “declaration of war”. Here are some important things to know about Saturday’s clash:
Russia has warned Ukraine may lose statehood
Putin continued to blame the Ukrainian leadership for Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying that if they “continue to do what they are doing, they are questioning the future of the Ukrainian state.”
But Zelensky urged resistance. He said Ukrainians managed to take control of major cities in central and southeastern Ukraine. In a video address to the nation, he urged Ukrainians to fight back in cities captured by Russian forces.
“It is a special kind of heroism – to resist when your city is captured,” said Zelensky. “Ukrainians in all our cities who have entered the enemy – go on the offensive! You must take to the streets! You must fight!” Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in cities occupied by the Russian army. Some climbed onto Russian military vehicles and waved the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s desperate plea
In a private call with US lawmakers, Zelensky asked the United States to help his military get more warplanes.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement that Zelensky made a “desperate plea” and wants the US to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies. Schumer said he would do everything he could.
The US is considering sending American-made F-16s to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. In return, they would send their Soviet-era MiGs to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dimtro Kuleba outside the town of Korzowa on the Poland-Ukraine border. Blinken indicated that fighter jets are being considered.
“We’re talking and working on everything,” Blinken said.
ceasefire failed
A temporary ceasefire failed in Ukraine’s two major cities – and both sides blamed each other.
Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes prevented residents from evacuating the eastern city of Volnovakha and the southeast port city of Mariupol, about 430,000. Putin accused Ukraine of foiling the effort.
The mayor said the Russian military had intensified shelling in Mariupol, including dropping airborne bombs in residential areas.
“The city is in a very difficult state of siege,” Vadim Boychenko told Ukrainian TV. “Relentless shelling of residential blocks continues, planes are dropping bombs on residential areas.” Boychenko said thousands of children, women and the elderly were hit by the fire as they prepared for a possible evacuation through a safe passage corridor.
Directly Viewed or Confirmed by Affiliate Press
Russia’s days-long attack has caused growing misery in Mariupol, where AP reporters watched as doctors tried unsuccessfully to save the lives of injured children, pharmacies went bare and thousands of people cold. During the season faced shortage of food and water.
In Irpin, near Kyiv, a sea of people trampled on the remains of a destroyed bridge on foot and even in wheelbarrows to cross a river and leave the city. With the help of Ukrainian soldiers, they dug into flimsy bags filled with pets, babies, purses and less-than-goodies. Some weak and elderly people were carried on the way in blankets and vehicles.
Kyiv’s central railway station was crowded with people desperate to join the more than 1.4 million people who have fled Ukraine.
The sounds of continuous shelling can be heard from Kyiv, the capital of the country.
In stories and videos posted online, Russian state outlets are falsely claiming that Zelensky fled Kyiv. Photos and videos show the President of Ukraine leading the defense of his country.
what’s happening on the ground
Putin’s military launched hundreds of missile and artillery attacks on cities and other sites across the country. But a massive, mile-long Russian armored column threatening Ukraine’s capital remains stalled outside Kyiv.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were occupying major cities in the central and southeastern part of the country on Saturday, while Russians were trying to blockade and encircle Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Oleksey Erestovich, said Ukraine’s military was protecting Ukraine’s largest port city, Odessa, from repeated attempts by Russian ships.
Video released by the Ukrainian government on Saturday showed a Russian military plane falling from the sky and crashing as spectators on the ground cheered. Firefighters sprayed water over the flames and smoke on a structure next to the wreckage of the plane, bearing a red star and the number 24.
nuclear security concerns
Zelensky said that Russian forces had seized two Ukrainian nuclear power plants and were moving towards a third – the Yuzhnoukrensk plant, which is located 120 kilometers (75 mi) north of Mykolaiv, one of several cities. Russia was trying to surround on Saturday.
The announcement comes after Russian troops seized the country’s largest Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant in the southeastern city of Enerhodar. The attack caused global alarm, bringing back memories of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron’s office said France would propose concrete measures to ensure the security of Ukraine’s five major nuclear sites.
back to the negotiating table
A third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place on Monday, said David Arkhamia, head of the parliamentary bloc of Zelensky’s Servants of the People party and a member of Ukraine’s delegation to the talks.
He did not provide further details, including where they would be. The last round was held in Belarus.
deepening humanitarian crisis
The United Nations World Food Program says millions of people inside Ukraine, a major global wheat supplier, will need food aid “immediately” and Ukrainian refugees continue to flock to neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova.
In Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, hundreds of families took refuge in a sports venue. Refugees tried to rest on cots lamenting or lamenting that they had been forced to leave behind.
The Ukrainians also fled to Cyrate, Romania, where Romanian President Klaus Iohannes promised to help them. He said no Ukrainian would be denied entry into his country and promised to help with food, clothing, transportation and personal documents.
The International Organization for Migration says the number of people who have left Ukraine since the start of the fighting has now reached 1.45 million.
The United States is considering a request for $10 billion in emergency funding for humanitarian aid and security needs.
How many casualties?
Russia has acknowledged that about 500 Russian soldiers have been killed and about 1,600 wounded. Ukraine has not released casualties for its armed forces.
Zelensky said 10,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the 10 days of the war, a claim that could not be independently verified.
The UN Human Rights Office says at least 351 civilians have been killed and 707 injured in Ukraine since the start of the attack. The Rights Office uses a strict methodology and only reports casualties that it has confirmed. It said on Saturday that it believes the actual figures are much higher.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said more than 2,000 civilians had been killed, although the claim was impossible to confirm. According to the Ukrainian government, more than 840 children were injured and 28 were killed in the attack.
diplomatic effort
Blinken was in Poland to meet with the prime minister and foreign minister a day after attending a NATO meeting in Brussels in which the coalition promised to increase support for members of the eastern fringes.
In Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was meeting with Putin in the Kremlin. Israel maintains good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, and Bennett has offered to act as a mediator in the conflict. No details of Saturday’s meeting have been revealed yet.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council will hold an open meeting on Monday on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
sanctions on russia
Singapore announced sanctions against Russia, becoming one of the few governments in Southeast Asia to do so. The small city-state imposed controls on the export or transshipment of military-related or dual-use items considered “strategic goods”. Meanwhile, more companies in Russia are suspending operations, including Apple, Mercedes-Benz, BP, Volkswagen, clothing retailer H&M and furnishing store IKEA. Mastercard and Visa also announced that they would be suspending operations.
Spain’s Teatro Real, one of Europe’s leading opera houses, said it is canceling a set of upcoming performances by Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet.
Russia’s major carrier Aeroflot announced that it will stop all international flights except Belarus from March 8. This follows a warning by Russia’s aviation agency that airlines with foreign-leased aircraft run the risk of their planes being confiscated as part of Western sanctions.