At least 40 soldiers were killed in yesterday’s raid on the Mykolayiv barracks in southern Ukraine. Photo from March 19 – Ansa/Afp
Twenty-four days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the sirens fell silent in the night, but the fighting did not stop. According to a British intelligence report, the Kremlin “did not achieve its original objectives”. and he was “surprised by the scale and ferocity of the Ukrainian resistance”. For this he would switch to an attrition strategy. “This will likely result in indiscriminate use of firepower, resulting in increased civilian casualtiesDestruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure and aggravation of the humanitarian crisis,” the report said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this morning that he hoped so “The special operation in Ukraine will end with the signing of a comprehensive agreement on the security and neutrality of Ukraine”. And he accused the US of “preventing Kyiv from accepting Moscow’s minimum demands.” On the economic front Lavrov said bilateral cooperation between Russia and China will “strengthen”: “In view of the fact that the West is trampling on all the pillars of the international system, we, the two great powers, have to consider how we should proceed.” “The demand to send NATO peacekeeping forces to Ukraine is demagogic”said Lavrov. “It is possible that such a request will imply Polish control over the western part of Ukraine.”
Kyiv: Another general killed. Moscow admits to using hypersonic missiles
On the spot, claims the Ukrainian Defense Ministry the killing of a fifth Russian general, Andrei Mordvichev, who died in an artillery attack in the city of Chernobayevka. This is reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense A Kinzhal hypersonic missile was used to “destroy a large underground depot of missiles and ammunition Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatyn in the Ivano-Frankivsk region “to the west”. It is the first time such ballistic missiles have been used in the conflict.
Russian MiG-31 supersonic interceptors armed with Kinzhal-Ansa hypersonic missiles
Fighting continues in Mariuopol while Ukrainian forces have lost access to the Sea of Azov. That’s what a Ukrainian government official said yesterday the Azov Steelworks, one of the largest industrial plants of the country and the largest steelworks in Europe fell into the hands of the Russians. Today, Vladislav Sobolievskyi, a member of the Azov Battalion, a nationalist militia with a strong presence in Mariupol, declared that the steel plant was under their control, despite “the whole city, including the plant, being bombed from the air”.
A total of Since the invasion began, 816 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 1,333 injured Russia on February 24, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office. But sinceU.N it only reports the counts it can verify, admits that the figures significantly underestimate the real budget.
Bound
Fighting continues in the Luhansk region. This morning the Russians again opened fire on Severodonetsk, Kreminna, Privilege: dozens of residential buildings were hit. Rescuers continue to tame the fires caused by the bombing. Every day, rescuers, along with government officials, philanthropists, and volunteers, bring clean and industrial water, food, and medicine to communities. March 18 – Ansa / State Emergency Service of Ukraine
In the night the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video message on Facebook addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin and announcing: “It’s time for peace talks, without hesitation. This is Russia’s only chance to mitigate the damage caused by its mistakes. It’s time to meet, it’s time to speak, it’s time to restore territorial integrity and justice to Ukraine. Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be so great that it will take the country several generations to recover.” Then it will be announced 180,000 people were rescued through the humanitarian corridors with seven continuing yesterday (six in Sumy region and one in Donetsk region), Zelenskyy accused Moscow of blocking the delivery of aid to besieged cities “in most areas”.
Shortly before, the Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky claimed that a meeting between the Ukrainian president and the Kremlin leader would not have been possible without a text of the treaty. “Before there is even a mention of a meeting between the two leaders, the negotiating delegations must prepare and agree on the text of a treaty. The text should then be initialed by the foreign ministers and approved by the governments.” Then we can talk about the possibility of a meeting between the two presidents.
Selenskyj later confirmed this 130 people have been rescued from the bombed Mariupol Theater so far and that rescue operations will continue. Hundreds of civilians had taken refuge in the facility when it was bombed on Wednesday So far there is no clear news about victims.