Putin no longer sees any reason to invade the industrial area of Mariupol. The corresponding plans will no longer be implemented, Putin said on Thursday. However, the system must be blocked in such a way that not even a fly can pass undetected. Gaining control of the port city in southeastern Ukraine is a success.
According to the Interfax news agency, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia has taken the Ukrainian port of Mariupol. However, more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are still at the Azovstal steelworks, Shoigu informed the Russian president.
Putin: But the facility must be blocked in such a way that not even a fly can pass undetected.
– © Reuters / SPUTNIK
Ukraine: no land gains
According to Ukrainian information, Russian troops have not made any gains on the main fronts in the last 24 hours. Russia also understands that it cannot take the Mariupol steel plant by force, Oleksiy Arestovych, who is a close adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Thursday.
Civilians in Mariupol wait and wait for an evacuation.
– © Reuters / Alexander Ermochenko
“They can’t take Azovstal, they understand that, they have huge losses there.” Ukrainian defenders continued to maintain the steel industry. Arestovych was responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to abandon the seizure of the Azov Valley works and instead close it completely.
evacuation request
The Ukrainian government has asked Russia to provide safe passage for wounded civilians and soldiers from Azovstal Steel Works in Mariupol, which is besieged by Russian troops. “There are about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers there,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an online post. “All of them must be taken from Azovstal today.”
According to Russian sources, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are continuing. Russia is still awaiting a response to its latest proposals related to the deliberations, said Presidential Office spokesman Dmitry Peskov. We are surprised by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s statement that he had not seen the latest proposals. Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he had not seen or heard anything about a document the Russian leadership sent to Ukraine.
Russia is closing the Baltic States’ consulates and declaring their employees undesirable. Latvia’s representations in St. Petersburg and Pskov would be closed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow announced. The Estonian consulate in Saint Petersburg and its office in Pskov would be closed, as would the Lithuanian consulate in Saint Petersburg. Russia was reacting to measures taken by the Baltic countries in April. Latvia and Estonia closed two Russian consulates because of the attack on Ukraine. Lithuania had asked the Russian ambassador to leave the country.
Forbidden Z symbol
Latvia’s parliament unanimously passed a resolution on Thursday accusing Russia of genocide against the Ukrainian people. Estonia has banned the use of the Z symbol in public. The letter is used by supporters of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and means “za pobedu” (“For victory”).
According to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, Kharkiv is under heavy fire. “Big explosions, the Russian Federation is furiously bombing the city,” Terekhov said in a televised speech. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine after Kiev and is located in the northeast of the country. About a million people are still in Kharkiv, says Terekhov. About 30% of the estimated 1.5 million peacetime residents were brought to safety – especially women, children and the elderly.
Russia and Belarus want to react to the increase in NATO troops on their borders. That’s what Alexey Polishchuk, a diplomat at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Tass news agency. It refers to the state of union, i.e. the union of Russia and Belarus, as well as the Russian-led military alliance CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization). “Together with Belarus’ allies, we must react to the military reinforcement of NATO forces on the borders of the Union State and CSTO and coordinate the steps at the international level.” In addition to Russia and Belarus, OKVS also includes Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
According to the Russian military, rockets and artillery hit 1,001 military targets in Ukraine overnight. Among them are 162 combat posts, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said. In addition, Russian forces and Russian-backed separatists have taken full control of the city of Kreminna in eastern Ukraine.
visit to Kiev
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wanted to visit Ukrainian President Selenskyj in Kiev later in the day. The announcement was made by the Spanish and Danish governments. Sanchez, therefore, has already arrived in the Ukrainian capital. The Danish government said it wanted to talk about more support for Ukraine in the war with Russia and the prosecution of war crimes and human rights violations.
Bidens speech
US President Joe Biden wants to speak again today about the war in Ukraine in a speech at the White House. It will likely also be about US efforts for more support for Ukraine and arms deliveries to Ukraine, it was said in government circles. The speech is scheduled for 3:45 pm (9:45 am local time). (apa, dpa, afp, Reuters)