Ukraine war: That happened on Wednesday night

Created: 03/09/2022, 06:00

By: Caroline Schäfer

The war in Ukraine rages on.

Airstrikes were reported in many Ukrainian regions.

Children are also among the victims.

Kyiv – Russia* started a war of aggression on Ukraine* on February 24, 2022.

Fighting continues in cities like Mariupol, Sumy and Kyiv.

The Ukrainian armed forces continue to put up fierce resistance against the Russian troops.

Here is an overview of what happened on Wednesday night (March 9th, 2022).

There have been renewed Russian airstrikes on several cities in Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian sources, many people were killed or injured.

Including three children.

Among others, cities such as Kharkiv, Malyn and in the Sumy region were under fire.

War in Ukraine: Thousands evacuated from Sumy via evacuation corridor

The outskirts of Kyiv* were also under fire.

According to Yaroslav Moskalenko, coordinator for humanitarian aid in the Kyiv region, civilians are said to have sought refuge in air raid shelters.

In addition, the supply of food and water is scarce.

A woman carries belongings from a shelled apartment building.

The mayor of the embattled Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv has accused the attacking Russian troops of intentionally shelling civilian infrastructure.

© Andrew Marienko/dpa

Meanwhile, in the Ukrainian city of Sumy, civilians were brought to safety for the first time via an escape corridor.

As the German Press Agency (dpa) announced, the escape routes are said to have led to Poltava, to Lviv (Lemberg) or to neighboring EU countries.

Thousands of people were thus able to leave the contested region.

Instead, in Mariupol one must continue to hope for an escape corridor.

According to the Red Cross, 200,000 people are waiting to leave the city.

However, from 8 a.m. CET on Wednesday, Russia announced local ceasefires for further evacuation corridors.

While the situation is not only deteriorating in contested regions in Ukraine, the situation in Ukraine's nuclear power plants remains tense - especially in the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced, there is currently no longer a connection to the monitoring devices in the nuclear power plant.

The devices ensure that nuclear material in Chernobyl is in its designated place.

Ukraine war: Poland provides fighter jets - Pentagon rejects

To support Ukraine, Poland wanted to hand over all MiG-29 fighter jets to the United States.

In this detour, they were then to be made available to the Ukraine.

In concrete terms, this meant: move the fighter planes to the US air force base in Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate.

However, the Pentagon waved the decision off.

The use of fighter jets handed over to the US military and launched from a NATO base in Ukraine during the war with Russia raises "serious concerns," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby warned.

In addition, the logistical requirements are enormous.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* had repeatedly asked the USA to support the capital Kyiv with fighter jets.

His wife Olena Zelenska, who condemned Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine, also wrote an open letter calling for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the country.

"Close heaven, and on earth we will make it ourselves," the letter said.

Ukraine war: Zelenskyy ready for negotiations with Russia

In addition, Selenskyj was ready for serious negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin*.

This was confirmed by Ihor Showkwa, foreign policy adviser to the Ukrainian President, on Tuesday evening (March 8th, 2022) in the ARD Tagesthemen.

However, only after the end of hostilities in Ukraine and a ceasefire.

Selenskyj offered to postpone joining NATO* for the time being in exchange for security guarantees.

To do this, Russia must confirm without a doubt that it recognizes Ukrainian statehood "and guarantees that it will not threaten our state," according to Zelenskyy's Sluha Narodu party.

At the same time, Zhowkva pointed out that Russia would not stop at the Ukrainian borders if "the Russian aggressors could not be stopped".

(kas/dpa)