What there is to know
>> This life is over now.
Russia on Monday, March 13, voted to extend Ukraine’s grain exports deal, which expires on March 18, for 60 days, rather than 120 as has been the case so far. The announcement was made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verchinin following talks he held in Geneva, Switzerland, with UN High Representative for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan , Had led. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said the Russian proposal contradicted the original agreement signed in July.
Ukrainian armed forces speak of “violent fighting” around the center of Bakhmout. “Heavy fighting” with Russian forces is ongoing in central Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine, says Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrsky. “Attack Commands [du groupe paramilitaire russe] Wagner is attacking from multiple directions, trying to break through our troops’ defenses and advance towards the central districts,” he said Monday, quoted by the Army Press Center. “The closer we are to downtown, the fiercer the fighting,” said Yevgueni Prigoyine, head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
The NGO Human Rights Watch denounces the “devastating” consequences of the war for orphans. According to her, “thousands” have been “forcedly relocated” to Russia or to areas under Russian occupation. “Russia has to put an end to it [ces] “Returns,” the NGO said in a statement. “The return of children illegally captured by Russian forces should be an international priority.”
The Ukrainian army promises a counteroffensive. “We need to buy time” by further defending Bakhmout “to gather reserves and launch a counter-offensive that is not far away,” Ukrainian Ground Forces commander Oleksandr Syrsky said on Sunday.