03/26/2022 17:00 (act. 03/26/2022 17:14)
© APA
Russian troops apparently took control of the town of Slavutych near Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant
They took over the hospital and kidnapped the mayor, informed the governor of the Kiev region on Saturday. Russia said it had destroyed an arsenal of weapons and military equipment in a rocket attack. Meanwhile, the western city of Lviv also reported Russian air raids.
Apparently, the inhabitants of Sławutycz immediately demonstrated against the Russian occupation. They unfurled a large Ukrainian flag, informed the military administration of the Kiev region. According to this information, Russian soldiers fired into the air to disperse people. There are workers in Sławutycz who used to operate the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and are now overseeing the decommissioned power plants. The exclusion zone around Chernobyl has been occupied by Russian forces from the first days of the war. Russian troops have now entered Sławutycz and have taken the hospital, Oleksandr Pawluk, head of the military administration, wrote in Telegram. Pro-Ukrainian rallies are also held time and again in Russian-occupied cities in the south of the country.
Four caliber shells were fired from a warship in the Black Sea and hit a weapon depot near the city of Zhytomyr, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday. The important industrial city of Zhytomyr is located approximately 120 kilometers west of Kiev. A total of 117 military facilities were destroyed within 24 hours, including six command posts and three combat aircraft. As always, none of this information could be verified by an independent party.
Air raids in Lviv
The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadowy, announced on Saturday afternoon that his city had been attacked from the air. Details are not known, they are waiting for information from the military administration – said Sadowyj. He urged people to stay in shelters. Do not distribute photos or videos of the attack.
The regional military administration, as well as a CNN correspondent, spoke of three heavy explosions on the outskirts of the city. The air alarm continues – wrote the military chief Maksym Kosyzkyj. The city, about 80 kilometers from the border with NATO Poland, has so far only survived a few attacks. But it is full of refugees from other parts of Ukraine. US President Joe Biden visited the Polish side of the border on Friday.
Curfew in Kiev
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has again ordered a curfew in the capital of Kiev. So the beginning was on Saturday evening at 20.00; the end is scheduled for Sunday morning at 7:00 (both local hours). First, Kliczko released her until Monday. “I have new information from the military headquarters,” he said in the afternoon. Consequently, there is no curfew on Sunday. “You can move around freely during the day.”
Speculation about the head of department
The Russian Ministry of Defense also released a video of Saturday’s military leadership meeting after speculation about the whereabouts of the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu said the arms orders would be carried out despite Western sanctions against Russia. He also said that the armed forces are armed with precision weapons despite a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Hope for escape corridors
Ten humanitarian corridors were set up on Saturday to allow civilians to escape from particularly difficult regions. This was announced by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk in Kiev. The corridors are located on the outskirts of Kiev and in the East Ukrainian Lugansk region.
According to the Union agency, there is no centralized evacuation by bus from the severely damaged port city of Mariupol, Vereshchuk said. Anyone who leaves Mariupol by car can refuel in nearby Berdyansk.
Macron wants to propose a plan for Russia
According to the mayor of Mariupol, he and the French ambassador were investigating the possibility of helping with the evacuation. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to propose Russia a plan to help evacuate people from the city.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to propose Russia a plan to help evacuate people from the city.
Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on state television that the situation in the city remains critical. There were street fights in the city center. The Russian army is firing air and artillery on civilian and military objects, the Ukrainian General Staff informed in its report on Saturday afternoon. On the ground, Russian forces tried to enter the city center. The Ukrainian advisor to the president, Oleksiy Arestovych, also spoke about the street fights in Mariupol.