War in Ukraine: failed ceasefire and new attacks

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that was supposed to allow civilians to be evacuated. According to the Russian military, it continued its attacks on Mariupol and Wolnowacha.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of violating the first limited ceasefire in the Ukraine war to evacuate civilians from the combat zone. The “Russian side” is not adhering to the ceasefire in the port city of Mariupol, the city announced on the Telegram news channel at noon. “For security reasons, the evacuation is therefore postponed.”

Russia, on the other hand, accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the agreed humanitarian corridor had been shelled. Shots were also fired from Mariupol in the Donenzk region in south-eastern Ukraine at positions of Russian troops, the ministry said in a statement in Moscow. In addition, a residential building in which up to 200 people could have stayed was blown up in the morning.

According to the Russian military, it continued its attacks on Mariupol and Wolnowacha. According to the Interfax agency, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said the fighting resumed at 4:00 p.m. (CET) after a ceasefire of several hours. The information could not be verified.

Red Cross speaks of “heartbreaking scenes”

The ceasefire around Mariupol and the city of Volnowakha in the Donetsk region, 65 kilometers away, was actually scheduled for seven hours. Both sides agreed on such humanitarian corridors during negotiations in Belarus on Thursday.

“The scenes from Mariupol and other cities today are heartbreaking,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said. The evacuations via the corridors would not start today. One stays in touch with the parties to the conflict so that civilians can be brought to safety. “Regardless of whether humanitarian corridors are implemented in the coming days, the parties must continue to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law.”

Located on the Azov Sea, Mariupol, with a population of almost half a million, has been under military pressure from the advancing Russian army for days. The announced evacuation was considered a harbinger of the capture of the port city. This would allow Russian troops to merge with units from Crimea and eastern Donbass.

Bitter battles continue

Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said “troops of the Donetsk People’s Republic” closed the ring around Mariupol. In addition, the Russian armed forces continued the “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Ammunition depots in the western Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr were destroyed with anti-tank missiles. In total, more than 2,000 objects of military infrastructure and more than 700 tanks of Ukraine have been destroyed so far.

The Ukrainian military also spoke of heavy fighting with Russian troops. There is “bitter fighting to liberate Ukrainian cities from the Russian occupiers”. Regions and cities were not named. In the capital Kyiv itself, according to the authorities, the night was quiet. According to the Ukrainian account, the Russian side is trying to encircle Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Ukrainian army repeatedly emphasizes that attacks are repulsed and that opponents are defeated.

Zelenskyj announces a counterattack in Kharkiv

For example, in the western suburbs and the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian troops advancing on Kyiv encountered fierce resistance. Artillery and rocket fire killed dozens of civilians in Chernihiv. “There were bodies all over the ground,” a local resident told an AFP reporter at the scene. The city presented a picture of destruction.

Despite the shelling that has been intensifying for days, Russia has only captured two important cities during its ten-day invasion: Berdyansk and Cherson on the southern Black Sea coast. According to Russian information, the forces of the pro-Russian separatists recently took control of six towns in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Russian troops advancing in the south took ten villages and towns. The capture of Mariupol would be a significant achievement.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov acknowledged territorial losses. However, only a “small part” of the country is still under Russian control and Ukrainian fighters are pushing “the enemy” back. President Volodymir Zelenskyy announced a counterattack by Ukrainian forces around Kharkiv. The country’s second largest city had been the target of heavy attacks and bombings in recent days.

Different information on losses

Information on victims of the war has so far been difficult to verify. Kyiv speaks of at least 350 civilians killed and more than 9,000 Russian soldiers killed, but does not provide any information on its own military losses. According to Moscow, it has only lost around 500 fighters and killed 2,870 Ukrainians.

There are at least 351 confirmed civilian deaths, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office. Another 707 civilians were injured. At the same time, the UN agency points out that the actual numbers are probably much higher. Most of the victims died in explosions from grenades and rockets or in airstrikes. According to the UN, more than 1.3 million people have now left Ukraine, the majority of whom are being cared for in the western neighboring countries and especially in Poland.

Third round of negotiations this weekend?

According to Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian president, a third round of negotiations for a comprehensive ceasefire could take place this weekend. However, the chances of success are considered slim. Russian President Vladimir Putin had formulated the implementation of “all Russian demands” as a condition, including a “neutral” status for Ukraine and its “demilitarization”. Kyiv rejects this.

Putin on Saturday warned the West against imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which is being called for by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We consider any movement in this direction as a country’s participation in the armed conflict,” Putin said at a meeting with employees of the Russian airline Aeroflot. Due to western sanctions, the airline is stopping all international flights.