Putin’s army yet to make significant attempt on capital city Kyiv
Putin spokesman refuses to rule out use of nuclear weapons
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refused to rule out the possibility of Russia resorting to using nuclear weapons.
Mr Peskov said there were circumstances in which Russia could deploy its nuclear arsenal. “If it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be,” he told CNN.
In his regular video address, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said almost 100,000 people remain trapped in the southern port city Mariupol, where they face “inhuman” conditions.
“There are about 100,000 people in the city – in inhuman conditions, in a complete blockade, no food, no water, no medicine, under constant shelling,” he said.
The leader also renewed calls for Russia to allow safe humanitarian corridors after one convoy carrying desperate supplies to Mariupol along an agreed route west of the city was “captured by the occupiers”. Russian forces have also captured some rescue workers and a bus driver.
Meanwhile, new intelligence reports from the Pentagon claim Russia has lost more than 10 per cent of its combat force and Ukraine is “able and willing” to begin counter offensives to take back its conflict-marred territory.
Italian prime minister calls on China to abstain from supporting Russia
Italy’s prime minister Mario Draghi has called on China to abstain from supporting Russia and participate actively in peace efforts for Ukraine.
Chiara Giordano23 March 2022 08:35
100,000 civilians trapped in besieged city of Mariupol, Zelensky says
Ukraine’s president has said around 100,000 civilians are trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol nearly a month into the Russian invasion.
Volodymyr Zelensky told the nation these residents were living in “inhuman conditions” without food, medicine and water as they faced “constant shelling” from Vladimir Putin’s troops.
Zoe Tidman has the full story:
Chiara Giordano23 March 2022 08:28
Almost 100,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol
Almost 100,000 people remain trapped in the southern port city of Mariupol where they face “inhumane” conditions, Ukraine’s president has said.
Volodymyr Zelensky renewed calls for Russia to allow safe humanitarian corridors after one convoy travelling along an agreed route west of the city was “captured by the occupiers”.
“There are about 100,000 people in the city – in inhumane conditions, in a complete blockade, no food, no water, no medicine, under constant shelling,” he said in his regular video address.
Chiara Giordano23 March 2022 08:03
Putin ally says United States trying to destroy Russia
One of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies has claimed the United States aims to humiliate, divide and ultimately destroy Russia as he vowed the country would never allow that to happen.
Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said such a plan – if ever achieved – could have catastrophic results for the world.
“Russia will never allow such a development,” he said in a message posted on Telegram.
Chiara Giordano23 March 2022 07:53
Ukrainian battlefield ‘largely static’ as Russia reorganising, claims UK
The British defence ministry’s latest intelligence update claims that the Russian forces are likely realigning their positions in Ukraine before starting off with another round of large-scale military action, rendering the battleground “largely static”.
“The battlefield across northern Ukraine remains largely static with Russian forces likely conducting a period of reorganisation before resuming large-scale offensive operations,” the UK ministry citing intelligence inputs said.
Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, it claimed.
“Russian forces are still attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odesa,” the defence ministry said.
Arpan Rai23 March 2022 07:12
Russian casualties breach Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, claims Ukraine
Ukrainian officials have said that the casualties recorded in their country due to the Russian invasion have crossed those recorded in the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan lasting a decade starting in the late 1970s.
As of 22 March, the Russian military has suffered 15,300 casualties, claimed the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces in a daily update.
It added that over the ten years of the USSR’s war in Afghanistan, the reported number was 15,051.
The claims by Ukraine’s general staff have neither been confirmed by the Russian side nor by the western nations monitoring the conflict.
Arpan Rai23 March 2022 07:03
Russia could turn increasingly violent, warns UK intelligence
In a bid to exert more control over the Ukrainian population, Russian troops could turn increasingly violent and resort to coercive measures, the latest intelligence report from Britain’s defence ministry claimed.
“The Ukrainian civilian population in Russian-occupied cities continues to protest against Russian control,” it said.
The defence ministry added: “Russian efforts to subdue the population by manipulating the media, spreading propaganda and installing puppet, pro-Kremlin leaders have so far failed.”
Russia, according to the claims, “will probably respond to these failures by employing increasingly violent and coercive measures in an attempt to suppress the Ukrainian population”.
Arpan Rai23 March 2022 06:45
Three killed, including 2 children, in Luhansk
Two children have been killed in Luhansk Oblast’s Rubizhne, according to the Kyiv Independent, after the shelling of a housing block.
The Russian shell exploded in the apartment building’s fifth floor at around 8pm on Tuesday and killed three people, of which two were children, Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai was quoted as saying.
Arpan Rai23 March 2022 06:28
More sanctions for Russia as Biden leaves for Europe
Joe Biden and his team are planning to impose more sanctions on the members of the Russian parliament, the Duma, as they up the ante against Moscow, officials familiar with the situation said.
The sanctions could come in as soon as Thursday.
This comes a day before Mr Biden is set to depart for Brussels on Wednesday for talks with European leaders over Russia’s invasion.
The US president will be leaving the White House at 8.40am EDT on a trip that will include talks in Brussels with NATO and European leaders and a visit to Warsaw for consultations with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Arpan Rai23 March 2022 05:24
Ex-Ukrainian president asks Boris Johnson not to compare war to Brexit
Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s former president, has asked Boris Johnson not to draw insensitive parallels between the Russia-led war on Kyiv and Brexit.
He asked the British PM “please” not to suggest similarities between the war and the vote.
“How many Britons died because of Brexit?” Mr Poroshenko asked.
“Zero.”
“Only today we have 150 Ukrainian children who were killed by Russian soldiers and Russian artillery,” he said.
Arpan Rai23 March 2022 05:01
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