Status: 11.04.2022 4:09 p.m
The Ukrainian army expects Russian attacks from the west as well. President Zelenskyy again called for heavy weapons from the international community. He assumes tens of thousands of dead civilians in Mariupol.
The Ukrainian leadership fears a Russian attack from the west. The Russian troops stationed in the Republic of Moldova could be used for this purpose, it was said in Kyiv. “It cannot be ruled out that the Russian armed forces will carry out provocations on the territory of the Transnistrian region of Moldova,” the Ukrainian General Staff said.
Transnistria, located on the border with Ukraine, is part of the Republic of Moldova under international law, but has been controlled by Russia since 1990. Should Russian troops from Transnistria and pro-Moscow paramilitary groups from the region intervene in the Ukraine war, there is a potential threat of encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the south of the country, especially around the Odessa region. Russia has so far denied any such intentions.
Concentration of Russian troops in the east
In addition, Kyiv reports a further concentration of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. Among them are troops from Siberia and the Russian Far East. “The occupiers will probably try to renew their offensive in the next few days,” the Ukrainian general staff said. At the same time, the general staff reported on its Facebook page in its daily report that another 200 Russian soldiers had been killed, three tanks and twelve armored vehicles, five artillery pieces, three rocket launchers and two aircraft destroyed. The information could not be independently verified.
Shaded in white: advance of the Russian army. Shaded in green: Russian-backed separatist areas. Crimea: annexed by Russia.
Image: ISW/04/10/2022
Ukrainian Army: “Last Battle” for Mariupol
According to the Ukrainian armed forces, they are preparing for a “final battle” for Mariupol. “Today will probably be the last battle as ammunition is running low,” the 36th Naval Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces declared on Facebook. The soldiers were “pushed back” and “surrounded” by the Russian army. Conquest will mean “death for some of us and imprisonment for the rest.”
War against Ukraine: summary of the current situation in Mariupol
Sabine Krebs, ARD Warsaw, daily news at 4:00 p.m., April 11, 2022
Zelenskyy: Tens of thousands dead in Mariupol
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message to the South Korean parliament that he assumed that “tens of thousands of Mariupol citizens were killed”. The Russians “completely destroyed” the southern Ukrainian port city that had been under siege for weeks.
Selenskyj demands heavy weapons again
In his speech, he also asked the international community for more military support, “from planes to tanks.” “There can be no hope that Russia will simply stop itself,” he said. “We need anti-aircraft systems, we need aircraft, tanks, other armored vehicles, artillery systems and ammunition,” he said.
Moscow can only be forced to make peace. However, the previous sanctions were not enough. “The ties between Russian banks and the global financial system must be completely severed,” stressed Zelenskyy. Above all, Russian oil exports must be stopped.
Two Caritas workers killed in Mariupol
The aid organization Caritas International reported the death of two employees in Mariupol. Two Ukrainian employees and one person seeking help there were killed in a rocket attack on the organization’s building. “The fact that the employees of Caritas Ukraine, risking their lives, continue to provide urgently needed humanitarian aid every day is admirable and deserves great respect,” said the head of Caritas International, Oliver Müller. Caritas is also still active in other embattled cities such as Kramatorsk, Zaporizhia or Kyiv.