Russia increases its attacks against civilians; there are 660,000 displaced persons, warns the UNHCR

Putin’s troops bombed the central square of Kharkov, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the main TV tower in Kiev; there were 23 deaths

KYIV.

On the sixth day of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army intensified its siege against civilian targets.

The military deployed by Vladimir Putin bombed the center of Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, leaving 18 dead and 26 wounded. In addition, in Kiev a projectile hit the main television tower, leaving five dead and five injured. In Yítomir, a city of 266,000 inhabitants, a bombardment caused two deaths and damaged a dozen buildings.

Satellites captured a column of more than 60 kilometers of Russian armored vehicles and artillery advancing from the north in the direction of Kiev.

Via videoconference, the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, reiterated before the European Parliament his request for his country to join the EU.

According to UNHCR, 660,000 people have left Ukraine in recent days for neighboring countries.

RUSSIA RAVES ON KEY CITIES

Russian troops yesterday attacked the Kiev television tower and bombed the city of Kharkov, including civilian buildings, intensifying their offensive in Ukraine despite the constant tightening of Western sanctions against Russia.

The bombings in Kharkov (east), the second largest city in the country, with 1.4 million inhabitants, left 18 dead and 26 wounded, according to the relief services.

In the capital, Kiev, a projectile hit the television tower, leaving five dead and five injured. And in Yítomir, a city of 266 thousand inhabitants to the west of Kiev, a bombardment caused two deaths, three wounded and damage to a dozen residential buildings.

Ukrainian media reported new explosions in the capital and in Bila Tserkva, some 80 km to the south. In addition, observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported explosions in Kharkov, Donetsk and Kherson.

Satellite images captured a column of more than 60 kilometers of Russian armored vehicles and artillery advancing from the north towards Kiev.

The Ukrainian military reported on Telegram that Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkov.

ADVANCE IN THE SOUTH

The Russians appeared to be making gains in the south of the country, in the Azov Sea region.

The Mariúpol port was without electricity due to the bombing and the governor of the region indicated that the town of Volnovaja, with 20,000 inhabitants, was almost “destroyed”.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its troops were advancing along the coast from the Crimean peninsula (annexed in 2014), with the support of pro-Russian separatist militias from Donetsk, which provides strategic territorial continuity for the invading forces.

This information could not be verified.

The Russian army also controls access to the coastal city of Kherson, further west, according to its mayor.

For his part, the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelensky, highlighted in a telephone conversation with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, the need to “stop” the Russian invasion “as soon as possible”.

Zelenskiy also spoke by video conference before the European Parliament and reiterated his call for Kiev to join the EU immediately.

Adding to the condemnation of the Russian government, the European Union announced further measures. He decided to ban the broadcast of the Russian state media RT and Sputnik.

Despite this unprecedented pressure, Putin seems determined to continue the offensive and put an end to Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and NATO.

Faced with the catastrophe that is beginning to take shape, the UN launched a call to collect 1.7 billion dollars in emergency aid for Kiev, since it estimates that 12 million people inside Ukraine will need help and projects that some four million displaced could require aid in neighboring countries in the coming months

HEARINGS ANNOUNCED IN THE HAGUE

The International Court of Justice, the main judicial body of the United Nations, announced the holding of a couple of public hearings for next Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8, in the case of the lawsuit that Ukraine initiated against Russia accusing the administration of Vladimir Putin of planning a genocide of his countrymen.

According to the application filed with the Court located in The Hague, the Netherlands, Ukraine maintains that “the Russian Federation has falsely claimed that acts of genocide have taken place in the Lugansk and Donetsk region, and on that basis recognized the now self-styled Republic Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic, and then declared and implemented a ‘special military operation’ against Ukraine”.

-Enrique Sanchez

THE G7 ASSESSES MORE SANCTIONS
The finance ministers of the G7 countries yesterday addressed the discussion of new sanctions against Russia, which is already under a series of measures with a “massive impact” on its economy, the German minister reported.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have enacted a series of financial sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

These sanctions do not seem to intimidate the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is willing to negotiate with the Ukrainians, but orders the advance of his troops, as well as the maximum alert of his deterrence forces.

The Kremlin said yesterday that it is still premature to “evaluate” talks with Ukraine to end the armed conflict.

Government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin was informed of the talks, but that it is too early to “evaluate” the outcome of the dialogue.

The two sides met on Monday at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border for the first time since the start of the offensive.

The senior official added that “direct negotiations are ongoing between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.”

Today the dialogue resumes.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russia will continue its offensive in Ukraine “until the set objectives are met.”