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Destroyed military vehicles in the Ukrainian city of Bucha
Photo: SERHII NUZHNENKO / REUTERS
The exodus of Ukrainians continues on the seventh day of the war.
Hundreds of thousands have now fled the country.
Meanwhile, both Moscow and Kyiv are reporting further successes.
In view of increasing international isolation, the situation in the Russian economy is also deteriorating.
The civilian population is also feeling the effects.
Now the Kremlin is ready for further talks with Ukraine.
The developments of the past few hours at a glance:
military situation
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, almost 6,000 Russian soldiers have been killed.
According to media reports, Russian soldiers attacked a military medical center in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
According to Ukrainian sources, at least 21 people were killed in heavy Russian attacks on the city.
Heavy shelling also reportedly erupted on Wednesday.
The Russian Defense Ministry also announced that attacks on Ukraine's military infrastructure had continued.
"High-precision weapons" were used against secret service facilities in Kyiv.
The hardware transmission of the television tower is now deactivated.
There is conflicting information about the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson.
The Russian army reported the capture of the port city.
According to local Ukrainian authorities, Cherson has so far only been surrounded.
The southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea is still under Ukrainian control, according to the city council.
However, the city council announced on social media that it was contested.
Russian military are attacking civilian facilities, including apartment blocks, hospitals and makeshift shelters for people displaced by the fighting.
Fighting continued in other cities as well.
Local mayor Sergey Sukhomline reported from Zhytomyr that Russian rockets hit residential buildings and a hospital.
In Kyiv, there are also fears of an increase in attacks from Belarus.
Vehicle convoys carrying food and ammunition were observed, the Ministry of Defense said.
Given the movements, Belarus "in the future could probably support the Russian invaders in the Russo-Ukrainian war," the ministry warned.
situation of the refugees
The flight movement from Ukraine does not stop.
According to the government, Poland alone has already taken in around half a million refugees.
“We have an obligation to help our neighbors, and we do it.
We have set up a humanitarian corridor, we have accelerated all procedures that we could accelerate from our side," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki before a joint visit with EU Council President Charles Michel at the Korczowa border crossing.
Michel said EU member countries must stand together in solidarity, take in Ukrainians and provide humanitarian assistance.
"Poland helps all people who are fleeing the war, all war refugees, no matter what country they come from," said Morawiecki.
Everyone would be treated equally.
He warned not to believe Russian propaganda campaigns about border operations.
"We have thousands of proofs and testimonies for all of these situations."
Previously, there had been allegations that non-white refugees on the Ukrainian side had been rudely prevented from crossing the border for days in the bitter cold and without care by border officials.
The number of refugees is also increasing in other Ukrainian neighboring countries.
According to Israeli information, more than a hundred Jewish orphans have been brought to safety across the border to Romania.
The European railways are also expanding their offer to bring refugees from Ukraine to safety, as reported by Deutsche Bahn.
The two-class society at the border crossing to Poland: They came from the Congo or from Algeria, lived in the Ukraine - now they too have to flee: At the border crossing to Poland they have to stand in an extra line and wait for days.
Sometimes they sleep outdoors.
Ukrainian exodus: more than half a million Ukrainians are fleeing, fighting is taking place in many places in the country.
A graphical overview.
Children rescued from Kyiv: Roman Kornijko's children's home is located in the middle of the combat zone near Kyiv.
Here the doctor tells how he saved 167 children to Germany: three sleepless days fleeing in buses, without provisions, but with the help of the police.
Effects on Russia and the population there
According to Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borissov, the consequences of the sanctions against Russia are difficult to assess.
It is difficult to predict the impact on the economy, he says, according to the Interfax news agency.
However, the ruble is experiencing an unprecedented devaluation compared to foreign currencies.
The stock exchange in Moscow will remain closed today, Wednesday.
The Russian central bank still wants to decide on the following day.
From this Wednesday, Russia has banned the export of foreign cash worth the equivalent of 10,000 dollars (almost 9,000 euros).
Foreign currencies are affected by the ban, according to a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This is to prevent an outflow of capital.
Many people are also leaving Russia because of Putin's attack on Ukraine, fearing that the situation will worsen.
So they try to keep their cash safe.
Long queues have been forming at ATMs in Moscow for days because of the Western sanctions against Russian banks.
The isolation of Russia is also promoted elsewhere:
Apple is suspending sales of its devices in Russia in response to the invasion.
According to the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, it will stop supplying parts, maintenance and technical support for Russian airlines and important business activities in Russia.
The second largest US automaker Ford is withdrawing from Russia until further notice
Russian and Belarusian athletes are not allowed to compete in the Biathlon World Cup until further notice
"The state propaganda works very well," is the assessment of SPIEGEL correspondent Christina lever.
She reports from the surrounding Russian city of Belgorod, only about 40 kilometers from Kharkiv in Ukraine.
The mood is strange, the support for the military offensive is great.
The population believes in the propaganda of the state media that it is a protective operation.
In the meantime, the hacker group has called for information about Russia's actions in Ukraine to be brought to the Russian population via online reviews.
The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has also called for resistance to the war.
International Developments
US President Joe Biden has announced new punitive measures against Russia and threatened Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin with severe consequences for the attack on Ukraine.
Sweden wants to strengthen its military capabilities after Russia invaded Ukraine.
In response to gas problems in the winter and the Russian attack on Ukraine, the federal government bought gas for 1.5 billion euros as a reserve for the near future.
outlook
According to the Kremlin, Russia is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine on Wednesday.
"This afternoon, late afternoon, our delegation will be there waiting for the Ukrainian negotiators," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow, according to the Interfax agency.
"Our delegation will be ready to continue the conversation this evening." At first Peskow did not name the location.
"I don't want to do it in advance."
According to his office, French President Emmanuel Macron wants to discuss the situation in Ukraine in a television speech on Wednesday evening.
You can read more recent developments in the Ukraine war blog.
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