War in Ukraine: 35-hour curfew in kyiv while the bombing does not stop

The authorities of Ukraine announced on Tuesday a new attempt to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupolbesieged by Russian troops since almost the beginning of the invasion a month ago, and put the capital, kyiv, under curfew.

More than 200,000 people are trapped in Mariupoldescribed by those who managed to get out as “a frozen hell full of corpses and destroyed buildings”Human Rights Watch said, citing data from a local official.

SIGHT: 4 reasons why the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is so important to Russia

“We know that there will not be enough space for everyone” on Tuesday, but “we will try to carry out the evacuation until we have removed all the inhabitants of Mariupol”, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk said.

With his country under constant attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Pope Francis to mediate between the two sides, a day after being open to discussing any issue in direct dialogue with Vladimir Putin.

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On the ground there was no truce with the violence, although without great victories for the troops of Russialeading some to fear a resurgence of attacks.

US President Joe Biden warned that Putin is considering the use of chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, while talking with his European allies about what he called Moscow’s “brutal tactics”.

SIGHT: Ukraine estimates 15,300 Russian soldiers killed in the war

This Thursday, the leader of the White House will travel to Brussels for a series of meetings with leaders of NATO, the European Union (EU) and the G7 before going to Poland, which has received the majority of the 3 million Ukrainian exiles .

desperate attempt

Since the invasion began on February 24, at least 117 children have been killed in the war, Ukraine’s federal prosecutor’s office said. In addition, 548 schools were damaged72 of them completely destroyed.

A US defense official claimed that Moscow intensified its military activity, with 300 flights in 24 hours, in a “desperate” attempt to turn the tide against the Ukrainian resistance.

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The Ukrainian military command claimed that Russian troops have ammunition, food and fuel for only three days. He also claimed that 300 Russian soldiers deserted in the Sumy region (northeast).

Even in the areas captured by Russia, resistance persists. Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday accused Russian troops of shooting at unarmed protesters in the occupied southern city of Kherson.

Videos uploaded on social networks and the Telegram application showed dozens of people gathered in Jersón’s Plaza Libertad to protest against the takeover of the city.

Russian soldiers are shown shooting into the air, while a bloody older man was removed, although authorities said no one was killed.

Negotiate with Putin

On the front lines, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday’s priority was the evacuation of residents from Mariupol. For this, three routes have been designed between this city and Zaporizhia, more than 200 km to the northwest by car.

The town, on the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov, has been bombed relentlessly and more than 2,000 people have diedaccording to local authorities.

Russia had given to Mariupol until 5 a.m. Monday to surrender, but kyiv rejected the ultimatum, saying resistance in the city had strengthened the defense of all of Ukraine.

Mariupol is a key target in the war Putinfor serving as a bridge between Russian forces in Crimea and Russian-controlled territories to the north and east.

Negotiations between Moscow and the former Soviet republic have made little headway so far. This Tuesday, after speaking by phone with Pope Francis, the Ukrainian president stated that his government “would appreciate” the Holy See assuming “a role of mediator […] to end human suffering” in Ukraine.

on the eve, Zelensky had insisted on engaging in a direct discussion with Putin in which all issues could be “addressed”, including the status of the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia and the pro-Russian separatist areas of Donbas (east).

SIGHT: Zelensky says he is ready to negotiate with Putin but warns that if the dialogue fails there will be a “third world war”

“In the first meeting with the president of Russia, I am ready to address these issues,” he declared. Zelensky. “Would we solve everything there? No, but there is a chance that we can at least partially stop the war,” she added.

He insisted that Ukraine He “already understood” that he cannot join NATO, but added that his compatriots cannot simply “hand over” the capital or the cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol, a heavily bombed port.

“Ukraine cannot accept any ultimatum from Russia. First of all, it will be necessary to destroy us all, only then will their ultimatums be respected, ”she maintained.

A group of people examines the damage caused after the Russian bombing of a shopping center in kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. (EFREM LUKATSKY AP).

Curfew in Kyiv

This Tuesday, Kyiv still respect a 35 hour curfew which began at 8:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) on Monday, after Russian bombing destroyed the Retroville shopping center, killing at least eight people.

“It was the biggest bomb that has fallen on the city so far”commented Dima Stepanienko, 30 years old.

SIGHT: LIVE | War in Ukraine: Russian bombing of a shopping center in kyiv leaves at least 8 dead | VIDEO

Russia He claimed that the mall was used to store rocket systems and ammunition.

The head of human rights of the Ukrainian Parliament, Liudmila Denisova, reported on Tuesday several Russian attacks in the east.

According to her, “artillery fire and aerial bombardment” “completely” destroyed Avdivka, on the outskirts of Donetskwhere five civilians died.

On Lysyshansk, 150 km to the northeast, two other people were killed. And in Kharkiv (northeast), two parents and their nine-year-old daughter were killed and their 17-year-old son was injured when a Russian tank fired on their car despite waving a white flag.

The war displaced around 10 million Ukrainians, a third of whom have left the country, according to the UN, as fears of famine grow in other countries as Russia and Ukraine are major agricultural exporters.

To try to soften Ukraine’s economic devastation, European leaders pushed for the creation of a trust fund for the country, according to a draft of the document seen by AFP.

“The EU undertakes to provide support to the Ukrainian government for its immediate needs and, once the Russian attack has ceased, for the reconstruction of a democratic Ukraine,” the text states.

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Source: Elcomercio