Russia-Ukraine War: That happened on Friday night

Enlarge image

Soldiers near the towns of Irpin and Bucha

Photo: IMAGO/Pavel Nemecek / IMAGO/CTK Photo

According to their own statements, the Ukrainian armed forces want to have slowed down the attacks by Russian units.

Moscow announces daily flight corridors from Ukraine to Russia.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian troops of attacking an escape corridor from the besieged port city of Mariupol.

The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin criticizes the federal government.

The most important current developments at a glance:

What has happened in the past few hours

According to the Ukrainian army, it held back and slowed down attacks by Russian units in several places.

In the north of the country, Russian troops have been stopped from advancing into the city of

, according to a report by the Ukrainian general staff published on Facebook.

Around the city of

in the east of the country, Russia is continuing its attempts to blockade the city from the north - these have remained unsuccessful.

Accordingly, Russian troops are said to have been “stopped and demoralized”.

This is reported by the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, citing the General Staff.

In addition, the Russians suffered heavy casualties.

The Russian military then regrouped and replenished stocks of rockets, ammunition and fuel, it said.

The report has not yet been independently confirmed.

According to Ukrainian sources, the weather conditions in the theaters of operation on the

have forced Russian Navy ships to return to their bases.

In the south, the occupiers were also trying to gain a foothold at the points they had reached, take control of the city of

and develop an offensive towards

and

, the report said.

The Russian troops were stopped and suffered casualties.

The information cannot be independently verified.

more on the subject

Lavrov after two weeks of war: "We did not attack Ukraine"

According to the Pentagon, the Russian military is trying to surround Ukrainian cities, including the capital

.

"Kharkiv and Chernihiv, Mariupol -- we see this effort to encircle and surround," said a senior US defense official.

This is also observed around Kyiv.

According to the official, the Russian soldiers came from several directions.

"So what we see are these different lines of advance towards Kyiv." The capital is much larger than the other places and is heavily defended.

The Russian armed forces had advanced further in the past 24 hours and could have gained an estimated five kilometers, it said.

But that is not so much in relation to it.

At this point in time, no statement can be made as to how long it will be before the Russians can properly invade Kyiv.

In places, the Russian soldiers are around 15 kilometers from the city center.

In addition, satellite images from the US-based company Maxar Technologies are said to show that a large Russian military convoy, which was last seen northwest of Kyiv near Antonov Airport, has largely been broken up and relocated.

According to the company, the images show armored units maneuvering in and through surrounding towns near the airport.

Parts of the convoy are said to have been repositioned further north near Lubyanka.

According to the Ukrainian parliament, the Russian soldiers shelled an

the city of Kharkiv

that has a

.

A hostel caught fire near the institute, the parliament announced.

Humanitarian situation:

, around 100,000 people have been brought to safety from embattled cities in Ukraine

within two days .

On Thursday alone, 40,000 people were able to flee besieged cities via the escape corridors negotiated with Russia.

At the same time, in a video, Zelenskyy accused Russia of attacking an escape corridor from the besieged port city of Mariupol.

The people in the strategically important city on the Azov Sea have been trapped for ten days.

Aid organizations report the dramatic situation of the approximately 300,000 civilians who are stuck there without water or electricity.

Local ceasefires for evacuations from Mariupol had already failed in the past few days.

Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for this.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has announced that it will unilaterally allow civilians

.

"We officially announce that from now on

for the Russian Federation will be opened unilaterally, without coordination, every day from 10 a.m. (8 a.m. CET)," the Moscow Defense Ministry said.

Escape routes “in other directions” would be negotiated with the Ukrainian side on a case-by-case basis.

According to Russian information, "more than 187,000 people" from Ukraine have been brought to safety in Russia so far.

This information could not be checked independently.

The UN estimates that more than 2.3 million refugees have left Ukraine because of the war of aggression.

Kyiv says:

The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin,

, has sharply criticized what he sees as the German government's hesitant attitude towards arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The clear refusal to deliver MiG-29 combat aircraft from Poland is very disappointing for the Ukrainians, he said on the ZDF program "Markus Lanz".

"It is indeed a cowardly decision - not only by the Americans, but also by the Germans." Germany said no to planes and no to tanks for Ukraine.

In view of the aggressive war, tanks are also defensive weapons.

Read more here.

International Reactions

, Ukraine does not primarily

for the war against Russia

, but anti-aircraft

.

Most of the destruction in Ukraine is due to rockets and artillery.

According to the Pentagon, airplanes are "not the best means" against these weapons.

According to the ministry, the Ukrainian army also has "several squadrons of aircraft" that are airworthy.

The "effectiveness" of the Russian air force in the war was also limited by "ground-based air defense systems."

Recently, there had been discussions about supplying Ukraine with MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland.

However, Washington rejected this suggestion.

The countries are afraid of being held responsible by Moscow for an "escalation" of the conflict with NATO.

called on the

West to also

send

“Estonia decided back in January to help Ukraine in every way: humanitarian, financial, with weapons – including offensive weapons.

Now it is important that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not win this war under any circumstances, "Kallas told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

economic consequences

The

(IMF) will

next month because of the war

.

This was announced by the head of the IMF, Kristalina Georgiewa.

»First we are experiencing a crisis like no other with the pandemic.

And now we're in even more shocking territory.

The unthinkable has happened - we have a war in Europe,' she said.

Georgieva warned that the war would lead to massive economic upheavals – for Ukraine, for Russia and beyond.

It will cause higher commodity prices, further fuel inflation and contribute to a worse business climate and more difficult financing conditions.

Meanwhile, the departure of international companies from Russia continues.

does not want to do any more business in the country for the time being.

The decision was made "in view of the relentless attack on Ukraine and the escalating humanitarian crisis," the company said.

After Goldman Sachs, the largest US bank

is also withdrawing from Russia.

The financial group is thus following the regulatory requirements of governments worldwide.

JPMorgan's activities in the country are now limited to helping clients deal with existing obligations and risks and looking after the employees there.

However, the US money house was not particularly well represented in Russia anyway.

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Safety problems caused by the embargo: »If half of the Russian planes are still in operation in a year, that would be a surprise« An interview by Hilmar Schmundt

How to continue today

• The

  heads of state and government of the European Union

  will discuss the consequences of the Ukraine war on the second day.

  The

  summit meeting at Versailles Palace near Paris

  is about expanding the EU's defense capabilities, as Council President Charles Michel announced in his letter of invitation.

  In addition, the EU leaders are discussing greater independence from Russian oil and gas.

  The Ukrainian wishes for further arms deliveries and EU accession are also likely to be discussed at the meeting.

• Belarusian ruler

  Alexander Lukashenko

  visits Russian President

  Vladimir Putin.

• The Russian Defense Ministry has announced a

  ceasefire

  for Friday and will open escape corridors for the evacuation of civilians from five cities (Kiev, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Chernihiv) from 8 a.m. (CET).

jok/cop/dpa/Reuters/AFP