War in Ukraine: Separatists target Mariupol

Russian separatists want to encircle Mariupol and call on the population to leave the city. Meanwhile, Russian military vehicles appear to be miles from Kyiv, while a missile fell in the center of Kharkiv.

According to Russia, the Ukrainian military no longer has direct access to the Sea of ​​Azov. This was announced by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, according to the TASS news agency. Russia would thus have created a land connection between its heartland and the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Ukraine in 2014. Heavy shelling had previously been reported from the port city of Mariupol on the east coast.

On Monday, Russian forces took over the port city of Berdyansk, which is roughly in the middle of the Ukrainian coast. The RIA news agency also reported that pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine had closed ranks with Russian forces in the area.

According to their own statements, the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine want to encircle the port city of Mariupol today. “Today’s task is to encircle Mariupol,” the RIA news agency quoted Donetsk separatist leader Denis Puschilin as saying. The spokesman for the insurgents, Eduard Bassurin, called on the population to leave the city. According to their own statements, they want to build two “humanitarian corridors” for this purpose.

People could leave the embattled city by Wednesday: “We guarantee safety on sections of the E58 trunk road both in the direction of the Zaporizhia region and in the direction of the territory of the Russian Federation,” Bassurin continued. Russian troops should help in this. “The next phase will be the most difficult – to force the nationalists to lay down their arms so that the local population does not suffer,” said the separatist spokesman, echoing the Russian narrative of the “denazification” of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, according to the governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, the city has lost power after a Russian offensive. Mariupol and Volnowakha are “under pressure from the enemy, but they are holding out,” he said on Facebook. However, Wolnowacha, which has around 20,000 inhabitants, is largely “destroyed”. The Russian army is currently advancing along the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov from two sides – from the annexed Crimea peninsula and from the Russian border. The capture of Mariupol, a strategic port city of half a million people, and Volnovakha would facilitate a merger of Russian troops.

Rocket hit in the center of Kharkiv

According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian military is stepping up its attacks on other cities in the country. So in the morning there was a heavy explosion in the second largest city, Kharkiv. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a video on Twitter showing a rocket impact directly on the central Freedom Square. A huge explosion can be seen in front of the administration building, after cars drove past there shortly before the impact. “Today the enemy viciously shelled the city center and residential areas. With multiple rocket launchers and cruise missiles. The square in front of the city administration was hit. They have no choice but such pathetic attacks,” said Kharkiv chief executive Oleg Sinegubov.

According to the Interior Ministry, at least ten people were killed and 35 injured. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “state terrorism”. In a video he explained that the attacks on Ukrainian cities should be investigated by an international war crimes tribunal. “No one is forgiven. No one is forgotten,” said the President.

After the missile attack, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Russia of violating international law, killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. According to one of Zelenskyy’s advisors, Russia is deliberately targeting residential areas and inner cities. “Russia’s goal is clear – mass panic, civilian casualties and destroyed infrastructure,” said Mykhailo Podoliak.

Russia vehemently denies this. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu accused Ukraine of using civilians as shields, according to the Interfax agency. He reiterated that Russia is determined to continue the “special operation” until the desired goal is achieved. The most important thing is to protect Russia “from the military threat from Western countries that are trying to use the Ukrainian people to fight against our country,” Shoigu said. According to him, “the Russian side is not occupying Ukrainian territory and is doing everything to ensure the safety of the civilian population.”

Military column in front of Kyiv

Meanwhile, fears are growing that Russian attacks on the capital, Kyiv, are about to escalate again. Satellite images taken on Monday showed a 60-kilometer Russian military convoy north-west of the capital.

The convoy stretched “from the area around Antonov Airport (about 25 kilometers from central Kiev) in the south to the area around Prybirsk in the north,” the US satellite imagery company Maxar said. The images show dozens of vehicles lined up on roads in the Ukrainian countryside.

In view of the uncertain situation, President Zelenskyy appointed a military commander for the capital. “Vitali Klitschko will remain mayor of Kyiv, he will have his area of ​​responsibility,” said the head of state in a video message. The 55-year-old General Mykola Schyrnow has been organizing defense measures since 2014. After the war everything will be reversed.

Is a “tactic of destruction” coming?

So far, the Russian armed forces have not succeeded in taking control of any of the major cities, despite their alleged military superiority. Ukrainian armed forces and civil society are vehemently opposed to the invasion. This is fueling increasing fears that Russian commanders may employ tactics of destruction.

“The veil has fallen,” said Podoljak. “Russia is actively bombing city centers, firing rockets and artillery aimed at residential areas and government offices.” The Russian military had already used similar tactics in Syria and Chechnya, where the cities of Aleppo and Grozny were reduced to rubble.

Unclear information about victims

According to the regional administrator, more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by Russian gunfire at a military base in Oktyrka, between Kharkiv and Kyiv. On Telegram, Dmytro Shyvytskyi shared images of a burned-out four-story building where rescuers were deployed. He later wrote on Facebook that many Russian soldiers and residents were killed in Sunday’s fighting. There is no independent confirmation for this information either.

According to the United Nations, a total of 136 civilians have been killed and 400 injured since the Russian invasion began – but the actual numbers are likely “considerably” higher. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government reported 352 civilians killed and 2,040 injured, and said thousands of Russian soldiers had died. The Russian government did not provide figures.

The humanitarian situation is apparently getting worse in many towns and cities. Long queues in front of grocery stores in Kyiv, for example, could be seen in pictures on Monday. President Zelensky announced in the evening that he would work on restoring the interrupted supply chains.