Officials reported that a public building in which residents sought shelter was under attack for the second time in less then a week. Local officials confirmed that a bomb was placed in a Mariupol theater, where more than 1,300 people were believed to have been present on Wednesday.
The strike at the art school was reported to have caused casualties. However, this could not be independently verified immediately. Since Friday’s announcement that at least 130 people had been rescued, Ukrainian officials have not provided any updates on the search of this theater.
Mariupol is a strategically important port on the Azov sea. It has been under bombardment since at least three weeks. More than 2,300 people died in the conflict, many of them were buried in mass graves. Food, water, and electricity are all running low.
In his nightly video address to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that “To do such to a peaceful town, what the occupiers did is a terror which will be remembered for many centuries to come.” “Russia’s terror against Ukraine is a growing threat. The more it does so, the worse it will be.”
Recent days have seen Russian forces battle their way into the city. They cut it off from the Azov sea and destroyed a huge steel plant. The Russians would win the fall of Mariupol, but it would be a costly victory. Their advance has been largely stopped outside major cities for more than three weeks. This is the largest land invasion in Europe since World War II.
Russian bombardments have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in major cities, as well as women, children, and children. Millions of civilians fled to underground shelters.
At least 20 children carried by Ukrainian surrogate mother are trapped in a bomb shelter in Kyiv’s capital. They wait for their parents to take them into the war zone. These infants, some of which are just days old, are being taken care of by nurses. They are unable to leave the shelter due to constant bombardment by Russian troops trying the encircle the city.
Dmytro Zohytskyy, regional governor, announced Sunday that authorities had evacuated 71 abandoned children from Sumy in northeastern Sumy. Dmytro Zhyvytskyy stated that the orphans, who are most in need of constant medical attention, would be transferred to an unknown foreign country.
At least five civilians were killed by Russian shelling in Kharkiv (an eastern city that is Ukraine’s second-largest).
According to the British Defense Ministry, Russia’s failure “has significantly hampered their operational progress”, forcing them to rely upon stand-off weapons that are launched from Russian airspace.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a Kinzhal hypersonic rocket hit a Ukrainian fuel depot near Kostiantynivka. According to the Russian military, Saturday’s attack on a Ukrainian ammunition depot was the first use of a Kinzhal in combat.
Russia claims that the Kinzhal is carried by MiG-31 fighter planes and has a range up to 1,250 miles. It also flies at 10x the speed of sound. John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, said Saturday that the U.S. could not confirm the use a hypersonic weapon in Ukraine.
Konashenkov stated that Kalibr cruise missiles, launched from Russian warships in the Caspian Sea by Russian warships, were also part of the strike on Kostiantynivka’s fuel depot. They were used to destroy an armor repair facility in northern Ukraine.
After ordering his troops to invade Ukraine, Vladimir Putin ordered them to do so on February 24, and the unexpectedly strong resistance from Ukraine has thwarted Putin’s plans for a quick victory.
The Kremlin claims Russia is conducting an “special military operation” to target legitimate targets. However, U.S. Defense secretary Lloyd Austin stated Saturday that Russia’s troops had advanced using “brutal, savage tactics” against civilians.
U.N. agencies have confirmed 847 civilian deaths since the start of the war, but they acknowledge that the true toll could be much higher. Nearly 3.4 million people fled Ukraine as refugees, according to the U.N.
Although estimates of Russian deaths vary, even conservative estimates are within the thousands. Dmitry Gorenburg, a Virginia-based researcher on Russia’s security at CNA think tank, stated that four Russian generals died in battle, out of an estimated twenty who were deployed in Ukraine.
According to Michael Clarke (ex-head of the British-based Royal United Services Institute), a defense think-tank, Russia would require 800,000 troops to take control of Ukraine under prolonged armed opposition.
Clarke stated that unless the Russians are intent to be totally genocidal — and they could flatten every major city, and Ukrainians would rise up against Russian occupation — there’ll be constant guerrilla warfare.
While Russia and Ukraine have had several rounds of negotiations to end the conflict, the neighbors remain divided on many issues. Zelenskyy stated that he would be willing to give up Ukraine’s application to NATO, but he wants Russia to provide security guarantees. Moscow insists on Ukraine’s total demilitarization.
The evacuation from Mariupol was carried out along eight of the 10 humanitarian corridors agreed to by Russia and Ukraine on Saturday. Officials stated that 6,623 people had left Kyiv and other cities.
Vereshchuk stated that humanitarian aid planned for Kherson’s southern city was not possible because Russian troops stopped the trucks on their way.
Mariupol authorities stated Sunday that almost 40,000 people have fled the city within the past week, most of them in their own cars despite ongoing air- and artillery attacks.
Many Russians have fled their country due to a crackdown on dissent. Since the invasion of Ukraine began, thousands of antiwar protesters have been arrested by police. Meanwhile, government agencies have shut down independent media outlets and blocked access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Zelenskyy in Ukraine ordered Sunday that 11 political parties linked to Russia be stopped from operating during the period under martial law. The country’s largest party has 44 of the 450 seats.
He stated that “activities by politicians aimed to discord and collaboration won’t succeed.”
