Status: 02/28/2022 03:17 a.m
In the war in Ukraine, President Zelenskyj speaks of decisive hours. According to US information, the advance of Russian troops should be slowed down. Rumor has it that Belarus could intervene in the war.
Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers continues in Ukraine. According to estimates by the US Department of Defense, the Russian advance is being slowed down by fierce resistance from the Ukrainians. “Ukrainians are putting up fierce resistance,” a senior ministry official said in a briefing for journalists. “It’s heroic, it’s inspirational, and it’s very clear for the world to see.” One also observes “fuel and logistics bottlenecks” of the Russian troops, it said.
In a conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, is said to have described the next 24 hours as crucial for his country.
Demian von Osten, ARD Moscow: “People in Russia are very afraid to speak out”
daily topics 11:00 p.m., 28.2.2022
Klitschko hopes for support
Bombers and fighter planes are said to have taken off from Crimea in the direction of Ukraine. Kiev, the cities of Mykolaiv and Cherson in the south and Kharkiv in the east are said to be among the targets, according to the Ukrainian agency Unian. This information cannot be independently verified.
According to its mayor Vitali Klitschko, the capital Kiev is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. “We now still have electricity and water and heating in our houses,” he said in an interview with the AP news agency on Sunday. “But the infrastructure is destroyed to deliver food and medicine.” At the same time, Klitschko appealed to the world to support Ukraine as a whole. “We are strong.” The US company Maxar, which specializes in high-resolution satellite images, reported that a kilometer-long Russian convoy consisting of troops, tanks and supply vehicles was moving towards Kiev.
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Sabine Krebs, WDR, daily topics 11:00 p.m., February 28, 2022
Will Belarus intervene?
Observers report that Belarus could potentially intervene directly in the war. Belarusian paratroopers are said to have received orders to fly to Ukraine in the morning hours, writes the Ukrainian agency Unian. She relies on information from the non-governmental organization Bysol (Belarus Solidarity Foundation), which works for those affected by political repression in Belarus. This, too, could not be verified independently.
First peace talks expected
It is expected that today there will be first talks about a possible peace solution between representatives of Ukraine and Russia. This is reported by the Russian state agency Tass and the “Ukrainska Pravda”. The meeting, which was supposed to start on Sunday, will take place on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Gomel region of Belarus. Kiev had not set any conditions, the Ukrainian Presidential Office had previously announced. However, President Zelenskyy was skeptical: “I don’t believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let’s try.”
Selenskyj also phoned EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We talked about concrete decisions to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, macro-financial assistance and Ukraine’s membership of the EU,” Zelenskyy tweeted during the night. Von der Leyen spoke out in favor of Ukraine joining the EU on Sunday. When asked by a Euronews reporter about the country’s inclusion in the community, she said: “Over time, they actually belong to us. They are one of us and we want them in.”
Russia reports fallen soldiers
For the first time, the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted losses in the offensive, which it still belittles as a “special operation”. There were dead and injured, and “a few” Russian soldiers were captured. Exact numbers were not given.
At the same time, military successes were reported. More than 1,000 military targets – aircraft, tanks and other combat vehicles – have already been destroyed. 471 Ukrainian soldiers were captured, and Ukrainians “refused to fight en masse.”
The Interior Ministry of Ukraine reported 352 civilians killed on Sunday evening, including 14 children. 1684 people were wounded, including 116 children.
conflicting parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body.