Friday, March 29

‘Heavy fighting’ expected in suburbs of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in the ‘coming days,’ intel says


The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday that “despite Russian statements indicating an intended reduction of military activity around Chernihiv, significant Russian shelling and missile strikes have continued.

“Russian forces continue to hold positions to the east and west of Kyiv despite the withdrawal of a limited number of units,” it added in a tweet. “Heavy fighting will likely take place in the suburbs of the city in coming days.”

Ukraine says it needs more weapons soon, argues it’s paying ‘high price’ as defender of democracy

Ukrainian officials on Thursday said Kyiv needs more weapons as its war with Russia ensues for a fifth week, arguing it has shouldered the burden as the defender of “the values ​​of a democratic world.”

American troops have been training Ukrainian forces to effectively use weaponry like Javelins, stingers, and grenade launchers, and the US has pledged more than $2.5 billion in security assistance and humanitarian aid.

But Ukraine continues to push the US and NATO for more as security officials warn Russia is re-evaluating its strategy in the war-torn nation.

“We do not have enough weapons. And we need it to continue our struggle,” Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour. “The whole world can see that Ukrainians are a nation that will never stop fighting because we are fighting for our land. We are fighting for our country. We are fighting for the whole democratic world.”

For more on this story: Ukraine says it needs more weapons soon, argues it’s paying ‘a very high price’ as defender of democracy

Mariupol evacuation attempt set for Friday: ‘Lives of tens of thousands depend on it’

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that it is gearing up to evacuate Ukrainians from the besieged city of Mariupol, vowing that “the lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”

“Our teams are traveling right now with pre-positioned relief items and medical supplies to be ready to facilitate the safe passage of civilians out of Mariupol,” it said in a tweet.

“For logistics and security reasons, we’ll be ready to lead the safe passage operation tomorrow, Friday, provided all the parties agree to the exact terms, including the route, the start time, and the duration,” it added.

Also Read  COVID-19 cases in other countries are rising. How worried should the US be?

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Ukraine is sending 45 buses to Mariupol to evacuate people, the Associated Press reported.

Ukrainian writer warns ‘we can never trust the words of Moscow’

Asami Tarajima, a writer at ‘Kyiv Independent,’ argues Ukrainian people don’t have faith in the ongoing peace negotiations with Russia.

Zelenskyy recalls ambassadors, suggests they haven’t done enough to get help against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recalled Ukraine’s ambassadors to Georgia and Morocco after suggesting they hadn’t done enough to persuade those countries to help them against Russia.

“With all due respect, if there won’t be weapons, won’t be sanctions, won’t be restrictions for Russian business, then please look for other work,” Zelenskyy said in his nighttime video address to the nation Wednesday. “I am waiting for concrete results in the coming days from the work of our representatives in Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.”

I have added that “the diplomatic front is one of the key fronts” in Ukraine’s battle to win the war against Russia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Zelenskyy warns what would happen ‘if we don’t stop Russia now’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Australia’s parliament Thursday that other countries could feel emboldened to start wars against their neighbors if Russia isn’t stopped in Ukraine.

“If we don’t stop Russia now, if we don’t hold Russia accountable, then some other countries of the world who are looking forward to a similar war against their neighbors will decide that such things are possible for them as well,” Zelenskyy said, according to Reuters.

In a separate video address to the Dutch parliament, Zelenskyy urged lawmakers to halt trade with Moscow and to provide Ukraine with more weapons, the Associated Press reported.

Zelenskyy also will address Belgium’s government within the hour.

Russia orders 134,500 new conscripts into army, claims it is unrelated with Ukraine war

US Army veteran returns to Ukraine to administer aid

Army veteran Anthony Pate shares experiences from his latest trip to Ukraine.

Ukraine-Russia talks to summarize Friday by video, Turkey hoping for another in-person meeting

Talks aimed at ending the war are set to resume Friday by video, Ukrainian delegation leader David Arakhamia says.

During in-person talks in Istanbul Tuesday, Ukraine set out a detailed framework for a peace deal under which the country would remain neutral but its security would be guaranteed by a group of third countries, including the US, Britain, France, Turkey, China and Poland.

Meanwhile, top Turkish diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that Turkey is hoping to arrange another meeting between Ukraine and Russia within the next two weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukraine claims Russia has lost about 17,500 people, more than 6,000 tanks

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense claimed that Russia has lost about 17,500 people, 6,614 tanks, 1,735 armored vehicles, 311 artillery systems, 54 anti-aircraft systems, 135 planes, 131 helicopters, 1,201 vehicles, 7 ships, and more.

Ukraine says 380 children killed or injured in war

Ukraine’s prosecutor general claimed that 148 children have been killed and another 232 injured during the Russian invasion. She further said that 797 educational institutions had been damaged, 76 of which had been completely destroyed.

The United Nations Children’s Fund said Wednesday that two million children have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24.

“The situation inside Ukraine is spiraling,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “As the number of children fleeing their homes continues to climb, we must remember that every single one of them needs protection, education, safety and support.”

UNICEF also estimates that more than 2.5 million children have been internally displaced within Ukraine. Overall, the UN believes more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine during the conflict.

Ukraine retakes three settlements from Russia

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that Ukrainian forces retouched three settlements: Orlove, Zagradivka, and Kochubeyevka on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian forces also claimed that the Russian armed forces lost several senior military officers, including: Commander of the 1st Panzer Army Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel, removed from office; Commander of the 6th General Army Lieutenant General Vladislav Yershov, removed from office and arrested; Chief of Staff – Deputy Commander of the 35th All-Military Army, Major General Sergei Nirkov, was seriously wounded; Chief of Staff – Deputy Commander of the 36th General Army, Major General Andrei Seritsky, was seriously wounded; Deputy Commander of the 41st All-Military Army, Lieutenant General Andriy Sukhovetsky, died; Commander of the 49th General Army Lieutenant General Yakov Ryazantsev, died; Commander of the 58th All-Military Army, Lieutenant General Mykhailo Zusk, was removed from office and arrested.

United Nations names panel of experts to examine war crimes in Russia

The United Nations named three human rights experts on Wednesday to investigate possible war crimes in Ukraine where Russia has been accused of indiscriminate bombardment of civilians, Reuters reported.

The independent panel, led by Erik Mose of Norway, will probe all accusations of rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law “in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation,” a statement said.

China says it is seeking closer ties with Russia

China is seeking closer ties with Russia, even as the US and other NATO nations have called on China to apply more pressure to Moscow amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

China and Russia are “more determined” to tighten their relationship, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

“Both sides are more determined to develop bilateral ties, and are more confident in promoting cooperation in various fields,” Wang said.

“China is willing to work with Russia to take China-Russian ties to a higher level in a new era under the guidance of the consensus reached by the heads of state,” he added.

Both sides have also condemned what they called illegal counter-productive sanctions against Russia, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Click here for Wednesday’s live coverage.




www.foxnews.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *