An February 24, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. In large parts of the country, numerous targets were attacked within a few hours. The Russian armed forces have also attacked the capital Kyiv from the air and with rockets. Meanwhile, NATO’s concern that Russia is stepping up attacks on civilian targets is becoming more and more true. Ukrainian observers report numerous civilian casualties. Russia, on the other hand, claims to only attack military installations. Verified numbers of victims are not available. More and more people are fleeing abroad.
This article is updated daily. You can also find up-to-date information in the Ukraine live blog of the FAZ
March 9, 2022
New escape corridors
According to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Wereshchuk, new escape corridors have been agreed. In addition to the routes from Enerhodar to Zaporizhia in the south of the country and from Izyum to Lozova in the east, three routes were also set up in the Kiev region. In this way, civilians should be able to get to the capital from the suburbs of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel.
However, the escape is hampered by destroyed roads and bridges. Images taken by the US satellite company Maxar on March 8 show a destroyed bridge near Irpin. Several bomb craters can be seen in and around the fields. (omer.)
March 8, 2022
Russian troops apparently reach Kiev suburbs
According to reports from the Washington Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces have reached the outskirts of Kyiv. Russian troops gather supplies, await reinforcements, and shell suburbs north-west of the capital with artillery and rockets. Russian troops have also advanced into Brovary, east of Kyiv. According to the think tank, a large-scale ground offensive on the Ukrainian capital could take place in the next 24 to 96 hours.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency UNHCR reports that the number of people who have fled Ukraine has passed the two million mark. (omer.)
March 7, 2022
Russia threatens to stop Nord Stream 1 gas supply
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Nowak threatened in the evening with a delivery stop through the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1.
“But we’re not making that decision yet. Nobody wins,” said the politician. However, Russia now sees itself pushed in this direction by European politicians and their accusations. Russia felt provoked by the American threat and the shutdown of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. “We have every right to make a fair decision,” Nowak said on Russian television in the evening.
The European Union obtains more than a third of its natural gas requirements from Russia. 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline alone every year. Although European natural gas production is not insignificant, it has been falling faster than consumption since 2015. Alternatives are being sought to reduce dependency on Russian gas. Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck recently gave the go-ahead for the construction of the first liquid gas terminal in Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein. (dpa, omer., Wagner)
Over 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled
According to estimates by the UN refugee agency, more than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine as a result of the war. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell assumes that Europe will have to adjust to five million refugees.
Europe must mobilize all resources to take in the people, Borrell said. All neighboring countries of Ukraine should get help. It’s not just about humanitarian aid. “More money, more absorption capacity, more food aid,” Borrell said at an informal meeting of European development ministers in Montpellier.
March 6, 2022
Evacuation of Mariupol also fails in the second attempt
The planned evacuation of the city of Mariupol, which was surrounded by Russian troops, via a humanitarian corridor failed on both Saturday and Sunday because the ceasefire agreed for this did not materialize. According to the Mariupol administration, a convoy of civilians could not leave the city even after a second attempt. Both sides blamed the other for breaking the ceasefire. Meanwhile, in the north of the country, Russian troops continued their advance into the south-western outskirts of the capital Kyiv, while at the same time units coming from Sumy were being brought to the eastern part of the city.
March 4, 2022
Satellite images show Russian military convoy more than 60 kilometers long
A large Russian military convoy is rolling towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. A video from the US satellite company Maxar shows parts of the more than 60-kilometer-long column in an overflight. Recently she has hardly moved. According to Maxar, the military convoy extends from the village of Ivankiv to the Antonov airport near Hostomel, around 25 kilometers from the center of Kiev. The images were taken on February 28th, heavy cloud cover is currently preventing the creation of more recent images.
March 4, 2022
Russian troops seize Ukrainian nuclear power plant
Early Friday morning, Ukrainian authorities reported that a building at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was on fire after being shelled by Russian forces. The fire has now been extinguished and Russia now controls the site. In the north of Kyiv, Russian troops continue to meet determined resistance from the Ukrainian army. In an attempt to encircle Kyiv, Russian forces are now retreating further west. Northwest of Kyiv they opened a new line of advance from Belarus towards Zhytomyr.
To the east, the city of Kharkiv continues to be under heavy artillery and rocket fire. Mariupol is now completely surrounded but, according to the Ukrainians, under their control. Russian troops brutally attack the port city to force its surrender. The southern city of Kherson is now largely under Russian control, allowing Russian forces to continue their advance on Mykolayiv. However, according to reports, the Ukrainian military was able to repel an attempted Russian attack on an airfield there. In the vicinity of Odessa, Russia has amassed a sizeable amphibious landing ship fleet.
March 3, 2022
Large majority for UN resolution condemning Russian attack
With a historically large majority, the world community condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine. 141 countries voted on Wednesday at the emergency session of the UN General Assembly in New York for a resolution calling for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from the neighboring country – far more than in previous conflicts of a similar nature. 35 countries abstained and only 5 opposed the draft text . The three-day emergency session was only the eleventh meeting of its kind at the UN in more than 70 years.
Last week, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on the Ukraine war. However, no state alone can prevent a decision in the General Assembly. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said after the vote, “Today’s resolution reflects a key truth: the world wants an end to the enormous human suffering in Ukraine.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the “contrast between right and wrong” is still there never been so clear.
March 2, 2022
Attacks on Kharkiv and Mariupol
Cities continue to be attacked in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces are conducting three main operations there, according to the Institute for the Study of War: one to capture Kharkiv, one to capture the city of Mariupol and secure the land bridge to Crimea, and one to secure Cherson. According to the institute, the latter should enable a westward advance in the direction of Mykolaiv and Odessa.
The operation against Mariupol recently made the biggest gains. Russian troops on Tuesday claimed to have surrounded Mariupol and have reportedly entered the southern city of Kherson. There were explosions in a residential complex. However, Ukrainian forces retained control of the city on Tuesday. According to observers, the Russian armed forces received supplies and reinforcements that could enable a much faster approach in the next 24 to 72 hours.
Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, remains in Ukrainian hands, but Russian forces have targeted civilian facilities. An administration building in the city center and a hospital were destroyed on Tuesday. There were several dead and injured, according to the city’s mayor. University buildings were also attacked. Russian troops are also apparently moving towards the city of Zaporizhia. Fighting with the Ukrainian army is taking place about 40 kilometers away. The Enerhodar nuclear power plant was still controlled by the Ukrainian military on Tuesday but is currently surrounded by Russian troops.
March 2, 2022
A million Ukrainians on the run
More than a million Ukrainians have fled their homeland since the Russian invasion, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported on Wednesday. More than half of them crossed the border into Poland, others fled to Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia. As the refugee agency reported a few days earlier, at least 48,000 people had fled to Russia. A large part of them from the so-called “People’s Republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk. You can find the numbers for each country on our map.
However, not everyone can leave Ukraine: the government has declared martial law, according to which men between the ages of 18 and 60 are no longer allowed to leave the country. In addition, non-Ukrainian citizens are said to be stuck in the country. The Indian government tried to get about 15,000 Indian students out of the country earlier in the week. According to media reports, numerous students from African countries were also stuck in Ukrainian cities. According to a report by Deutsche Welle, some of them had difficulties leaving Ukraine.
According to the United Nations, it is preparing for up to four million refugees from Ukraine in the coming days and weeks.
March 1, 2022
Russian military convoy in front of Kyiv
In front of Kyiv there is a 64-kilometer military convoy which, according to estimates, could bring around 15,000 Russian armed forces towards Kyiv. An attack from military targets was announced in Russian media. Russian attacks have been going on for days. An oil depot in Vasylkiv was hit on Sunday, and the capital’s most important radio and television tower on Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it wanted to destroy sources of information attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said five people were killed in the attack.
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