War against Ukraine: That's the situation
Created: 2022-03-26Updated: 2022-03-26 05:13
A Russian missile that was launched against Ukraine in 2014 and now serves as a memorial stands opposite a building damaged by a Russian attack in Kharkiv.
© Daniel Carde/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
A ray of hope for the people in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol: France wants to start an evacuation campaign together with Turkey and Greece.
The developments at a glance.
Kyiv - France wants to launch a humanitarian action with Turkey and Greece to rescue people from the heavily contested eastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol at short notice.
This was announced by President Emmanuel Macron after the EU summit in Brussels.
Volunteers build a wall of sandbags to protect against gunfire and shrapnel in Odessa.
© -/Ukrinform/dpa
New sanctions against people and companies in Russia are coming from Great Britain.
And US President Joe Biden wants to give a speech on the Ukraine war during his visit to Warsaw on Saturday.
France plans evacuation in Mariupol
When planning the international rescue operation for the citizens of Mariupol, there are already concrete talks with the mayor and coordination with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, Macron said in Brussels.
An agreement is now also necessary with Russia, whose troops have been besieging the city for weeks.
Zelenskyy described the situation in Mariupol as "absolutely tragic".
Russian military did not allow humanitarian aid to the residents.
"They use Mariupol residents at best for their propagandists," he said in a video address.
So far this week it has been possible to get a little more than 26,000 civilians out of the heavily contested city.
Prime Minister of Ukraine asks for help
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal has asked all mayors worldwide for humanitarian aid for his country.
At the same time, on Friday evening he appealed to all international partners to support the later reconstruction of his country.
"Right now Russia is destroying our towns and villages like the Nazis did 80 years ago," Schmyhal said.
"Support Ukrainian cities with humanitarian aid and reconstruction funds."
more on the subject
War against Ukraine: That's the situation
War against Ukraine: That's the situation
Zelenskyy: Almost 100,000 evacuated, Mariupol further blocked
Schmyhal had estimated the damage to the Ukrainian economy from the war at almost 515 billion euros in mid-March.
According to official Ukrainian calculations, the damage to the infrastructure alone amounted to around 108 billion euros.
The figures could not initially be checked independently.
Zelenskyy: Russia wastes billions on propaganda
According to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, the Russian leadership has spent tens of billions of dollars on propaganda.
"You all know very well what a massive state propaganda system Russia has built up," Zelenskyy said in a video message.
"Probably no one in the world has ever spent such enormous sums on lies." However, Moscow did not take into account that this does not guarantee a result.
Great Britain imposes further sanctions
The British government has sanctioned a further 65 individuals and companies in Russia in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to an update from the British Ministry of Defence, the Russian armaments company Kronstadt is among them as a producer of the armed Orion drone and other unmanned aerial vehicles.
Heavy struggle for the city of Cherson
Ukrainian forces are fighting to recapture the important southern city of Kherson from the Russians, according to a US Defense Department official.
The Russian military no longer has such tight control over the city as before, which is why Kherson is now classified as a "contested area" again.
A burned-out car stands in front of damaged houses after a Russian bombing raid in Mykolaiv.
© Petros Giannakouris/AP/dpa
Kherson, at the beginning of the Dnipro Estuary Delta, is a strategically important port city, the official said.
Should the Ukrainians manage to recapture the city, it would complicate the Russian attack on the nearby embattled city of Mykolaiv.
It would also make a possible ground offensive in the direction of the port city of Odessa significantly more difficult.
Ukraine: Russian attack on Kyiv still possible
The Ukrainian military still believes that a large-scale attack by Russian troops on Kyiv is possible.
To this end, the enemy is continuing to pull together strong forces, said Ukraine's army chief of staff Olexander Grusewitsch.
In addition, according to the findings of the reconnaissance in the Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, special units are being prepared for this mission.
This information could not be independently verified.
Recently, Ukrainian troops had managed to recapture several positions and towns in the Kyiv area.
Ukrainian Air Force Headquarters hit
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Air Force in Vinnytsia in the west of the country has come under fire from several Russian cruise missiles.
Some of the six rockets were shot down as they approached, the rest hit the building, the Air Force leadership said on its Facebook page.
This resulted in "considerable damage" to the infrastructure.
No information was given about possible victims of the attack.
Kyiv warns: The enemy is listening
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has warned against hasty and uncontrolled reports on arms deliveries or military actions in the Russian war of aggression.
These would only play into the hands of the Russian side and help them "target actions more precisely," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar said.
It has already happened that "well-intentioned reports or reports published out of gratitude" about arms purchases or deliveries have led to either contracts being terminated or deliveries being prevented.
"And so today, under conditions of war, we are trying to prevent any information leaking out about the aid we're receiving," she said.
That's going to be important today
On the second day of his visit to Poland, US President Biden will give a speech in Warsaw on Saturday on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The appearance at the Warsaw Royal Castle is planned for the late afternoon between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to the US Embassy in the Polish capital.
Demonstrations against the war are planned across Germany on Saturday.
dpa