Russian soldiers are said to have also attacked a military medical center in the country’s second largest city.
(Photo: Reuters)
Dusseldorf So far, the capital Kyiv has been spared major fighting in the Ukraine war, but the situation there remains tense. In many parts of the country, however, attacks by the Russian army are increasing.
There is currently heavy fighting around Kharkiv in the north-east. According to a media report, Russian soldiers are said to have attacked a military medical center in the country’s second largest city. The Ukrainian news agency Unian reported that there was a fight with Ukrainian units. The city has around 1.5 million inhabitants and was the target of several rocket attacks on Tuesday.
There are conflicting reports about the situation in Cherson in southern Ukraine. The RIA news agency, citing the Moscow Defense Ministry, reported that the Russian armed forces had taken the city. The Ukrainian authorities reported that Cherson was surrounded by Russian troops but did not fall. The city is northwest of Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
The southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea is also under heavy shelling. The city council said it was still in Ukrainian hands. Russian military are attacking civilian facilities, including apartment blocks, hospitals and makeshift shelters for people displaced by the fighting.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has so far confirmed one case in which a hospital has come under fire in the past few weeks. Four people were killed and ten injured. Reports of further attacks are still under investigation. Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has maintained that civilian targets are not being attacked.
Talks probably on Wednesday
In the morning, the Kremlin announced that it was ready for renewed negotiations with the Ukrainian side. “This afternoon, late afternoon, our delegation will be there waiting for the Ukrainian negotiators,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
In the afternoon, Ukraine agreed to the meeting this Wednesday, according to information from the Unian news agency. The time and place for the talks were not given. Ukrainian President Zelensky had previously stated several times that talks only make sense if Russia stops the attacks beforehand.
After the first talks on Monday, both sides named the Belarusian-Polish border as a place for negotiations. The first round had remained without tangible results.
Moscow does not want to make concessions in advance. Peskov made it clear that Russia insists on the demands formulated by President Vladimir Putin.
>> Read here: The current developments in our news blog
The government in Kyiv must therefore recognize the “people’s republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk and Russia’s sovereignty over the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. In addition, Russia is demanding a “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side said they were ready to talk, but not ready to accept Russian ultimatums.
Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing
The war continues to drive hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from their homes. According to the government, around 500,000 refugees from the neighboring country have now arrived in Poland. “We have an obligation to help our neighbors and we do it. We have established a humanitarian corridor, we have accelerated all procedures that we could accelerate from our side,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
More than 113,000 Ukrainians have fled to Romania since the invasion began, according to border police data. The federal government is also preparing for more refugees, as a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said in Berlin. According to him, 5,309 Ukrainians have entered the country so far. However, the actual number could be higher.
The EU Commission wants to quickly grant protection to the war refugees in the EU countries. The Brussels authority officially proposed to put in place EU rules in the event of a “mass influx” of displaced people, which would allow Ukrainians to be temporarily protected without lengthy asylum procedures.
Should the rules come into force, Ukrainians would be allowed to apply for protection status in any EU country. The protection is initially valid for one year, but can be extended by a total of two more years. The right to apply for asylum continues to exist.
Navalny calls for protests
Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in a Russian prison camp, has called on people in Russia to protest against the war in neighboring Ukraine. There should be protests every day – “wherever you are: in Russia, Belarus or on the other side of the planet,” said Navalny’s Twitter account.
“We, Russia, want to be a nation of peace. Alas, few people would call us that these days. But at least let’s not become a nation of fearful silent people.”
The 45-year-old called for people to dare to take to the streets despite the threat of arrest. The Russian authorities urgently warn against participating in rallies not authorized by the authorities. According to civil rights activists, thousands of people have been arrested at anti-war demonstrations across Russia in the past few days.
“In order to stop the war, we have to fill the prisons and prisoner transporters,” said Navalny’s account. “Everything has it’s price. And now, in the spring of 2022, we have to pay that price.” The Russian regime is cracking down on protests. At least 6,000 anti-war demonstrators have now been arrested.
Scholz continues to rule out NATO deployment
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) meanwhile emphasized during his first visit to Israel that NATO will not intervene militarily in the war. “That would be wrong in this situation,” he said in Jerusalem.
“What we do is support,” added the Federal Chancellor. Specifically, he mentioned financial aid and relief supplies. The sanctions against Russia have already had an effect. This shows that the attitude between consistency and the necessary caution is correct. “I believe these are the right decisions.”
Scholz also wants to work to ensure that the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are continued soon. “Of course it’s now about diplomacy getting a great chance again,” he said. At the same time, he again called on Russia to stop all hostilities immediately. “Attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians must stop,” he said.
You can find more reports from the Handelsblatt here:
Because NATO supports Ukraine with arms deliveries, Russia has warned of a conflict with the defense alliance. There are “no guarantees that there will be no incidents,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told state broadcaster Rossiya-24 on Wednesday. Several NATO members, including Germany, have shipped arms to Kyiv after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht traveled to Romania for talks. The SPD politician wants to find out more about the NATO mission to protect the alliance’s south-eastern flank.
The Bundeswehr has stationed six Eurofighters in Romania, which participate in armed airspace patrols (“combat air patrol”) with alliance partners. She also wants to send infantry soldiers to Romania for a NATO battle group. From this year until 2024, Germany will provide around 13,600 of the 40,000 soldiers for the NATO Response Force.
EU wants to sanction Belarus
The European Union on Wednesday passed new sanctions against Belarus for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The French EU Council Presidency announced on Twitter that the Belarusian timber, potash and steel industries were particularly affected. The measures will come into force as soon as they are published in the EU Official Journal.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is seen as an ally and military supporter of Kremlin chief Putin in the war against Ukraine. Russian attacks on the neighboring country are also carried out from Belarusian territory. However, Belarus denies this.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced punitive measures against Belarus on Sunday and called the Lukashenko government “the other aggressor in this war”.
The current punitive measures against Russia do not go far enough for the EU country Poland. Poland is demanding a European embargo on oil, gas and coal from Russia. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country would immediately unilaterally stop imports of Russian coal. All he needs is an assurance from the EU Commission that Poland will not be penalized because sanctions policy is an EU matter.
With agency material