Ukraine is attacking Russian troops in the north of Kyiv, who are leaving the areas – because Russia is now concentrating its attack on the east of the country.
(Photo: Reuters)
Dusseldorf According to British intelligence, the Ukrainian army is advancing on Russian troops who are retreating near Kyiv. The Ministry of Defense said in London on Saturday that the Ukrainians are continuing to work on an advance from the north-western edge of the capital towards Bucha and Hostomel. The British government had previously presented secret service findings publicly on a regular basis.
The Russians have meanwhile withdrawn from the important cargo airport Hostomel, which has been fought over since the beginning of the war on February 24, it was said. Several villages in the east of the country were also recaptured by Ukrainian units, as was an important road in the city of Kharkiv in the east of the country. As with all reports from contested areas, it was not possible to independently verify this information.
According to Ukrainian sources, Russian troops fired rockets at several large cities in the south of the country on Saturday night. Two or three heavy explosions were heard in the city of Dnipro, the portal Ukrajinska Pravda reported, citing the regional administration.
The area around the city of Kryvyi Rih was fired at with rocket launchers. A gas station caught fire, said the head of the local military administration, Olexander Wilkul. According to him, the Russian forces used Grad (Hagel) multiple rocket launchers.
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According to Ukrainian reports, the Russian military also fired rockets at a city not far from the port metropolis of Odessa. The Russians fired three Iskander missiles from the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014, the head of the regional administration, Maxym Marchenko, wrote on Telegram on Friday evening. There have been injuries. He did not give any further details.
Russia said dozens of military facilities had been destroyed, including two military airfields and a petrol and diesel depot. A total of 67 military objects were destroyed within one day, including ammunition depots. In addition, two Mi-24 attack helicopters and 24 drones were shot down.
Zelensky warns of landmines and shelling after Russian withdrawal
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian forces left “a complete disaster” in their wake in the north of the country. He warned residents, including towns on the outskirts of Kiev, of further Russian shelling and landmines.
“They’re mining the entire area, they’re mining homes, equipment and even the bodies of people who have been killed,” he said in his late-night video address to the nation late Friday.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has warned people in northern Kyiv about land mines being used by the Russian army, which is withdrawing from the areas.
(Photo: dpa)
He urged residents to wait until they were reassured that the mines had been cleared and the threat of shelling had passed before resuming their normal lives.
Red Cross wants to evacuate civilians from Mariupol again
After the failed evacuation mission, the Red Cross plans to launch a new attempt on Saturday to bring civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. An adviser to Ukraine’s President Zelensky said he expected good news this time.
Another attempt is to be made today to set up a rescue corridor out of the embattled city.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
“Our delegation reached an agreement in Istanbul (at the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia) to make evacuations possible,” Olexi Arestovich told Ukrainian television. “I think that today or maybe tomorrow we have good news regarding the evacuation of Mariupol residents.”
Deputy Prime Minister Irina Wereshchuk had previously announced that a total of seven escape corridors from embattled cities are to be set up on Saturday. People should therefore be able to flee from Mariupol and Berdyansk in private vehicles in the direction of Zaporizhia.
Five corridors led to the city of Bakhmut from embattled areas in the east of the country, Vereshchuk wrote on her Telegram news channel. The routes are announced anew for each day. Russia and Ukraine repeatedly accuse each other of sabotaging the evacuation of towns and cities.
Ukraine expects economic downturn
The Ukrainian Ministry of Economic Affairs expects the economy to slump as a result of the Russian attack. The ministry announced that economic output would be at least 40 percent lower. In the first quarter alone, economic output fell by 16 percent. “The sectors where home office is not possible have suffered the most.”
The situation is particularly critical for farmers, whose harvests form a crucial part of global exports in many areas. For example, Ukraine is an important producer of wheat, mustard seed and sunflower seeds. In view of the war, the forthcoming sowing and later harvests are likely to be far smaller than before.
Other current reports on the crisis:
Almost 300,000 refugees have now arrived in Germany
According to the Federal Police, around 5,300 other refugees from Ukraine arrived in Germany within one day. As the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced on Twitter on Saturday, the police have recorded almost 300,000 war refugees since the start of the Russian war of aggression on February 24. The exact number was given as 299-823. The majority are women, children and the elderly.
It is believed that the actual number of refugees is significantly higher because there are no fixed controls at the borders and people with Ukrainian passports can stay in the EU for 90 days without a visa. Most of the war refugees from Ukraine are staying in neighboring Poland: more than 2.4 million people.
Pentagon hands Ukraine another $300m for arms
The US Department of Defense wants to send Ukraine more weapons worth 300 million dollars (270 million euros). Among other things, the new package should include various drones, missile systems, armored vehicles, ammunition, night vision devices, secure communication systems, machine guns, medical supplies and the provision of commercial satellite images, as the Pentagon announced on Friday evening (local time).
The US government has already pledged $1.65 billion worth of military aid and arms supplies to Ukraine since the war began. Since the beginning of last year, US aid has totaled $2.3 billion.
However, the new weapons deliveries announced by the Pentagon should take a little longer. The process is not about handing over weapons and systems already in US possession, but about orders to the manufacturers. The move “represents the beginning of a process to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with new capabilities,” it said.
The US wants to support the Ukrainian army with more weapons.
(Photo: Reuters)
At the same time, work will continue with the allies in order to send further arms deliveries to Ukraine. “The United States will continue to use all available means to support Ukrainian forces in the face of the Russian attack,” the Pentagon said. The US Congress passed a budget in March that earmarked $13.6 billion in humanitarian, economic and military aid for Ukraine by the end of September.
According to a media report, the United States, together with allies, want to deliver Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine. These should strengthen the defense in the Donbass region, writes the New York Times, citing a US official. The tanks were to be taken there soon. The official quoted did not say how many tanks are involved and which country they are from. The US Department of Defense declined to comment, and the US Presidential Office initially declined to comment.
That’s going to be important today
Diplomatic efforts related to the war in Ukraine are expected to continue on Saturday. Top US diplomat Victoria Nuland is coming to Europe to coordinate the response to Russia’s crackdown. Stations of their trip until April 9 should be France, Germany, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, as the US State Department announced.
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