Enlarge image
Destroyed houses in Ukraine
Photo: OLEG PETRASYUK / EPA
What has happened in the past few hours
According to Ukrainian sources,
several people were killed
by
Russian shelling
in
eastern Ukraine
.
At least ten people were killed in
attacks on the city of
Severodonetsk , said the governor of the
Luhansk
region , Serhiy Gaiday, on Monday in the messenger service Telegram.
The governor of the adjacent
Donetsk
region , Pavo Kyrylenko, spoke of nine civilians killed and 16 injured by Russian attacks there.
Russian troops would bombard the Severodonetsk
"
incessantly," Gaiday wrote.
Because of the ongoing shelling, access to the area and communication are currently made significantly more difficult.
He urged residents not to leave the shelters.
In an earlier statement, Gaiday warned of artillery attacks on Severodonetsk and the nearby city of
Lysychansk
.
This caused fires in residential areas.
"Severodonetsk was hit hard," he wrote, posting photos of the destruction.
"We're still in the process of determining the number of damaged houses."
That says Kyiv
According to the
Ukrainian army
, it has gained further
territory
in the region around the city of
Kharkiv
in the north-east of the country.
Soldiers from the 127th brigade had "driven out the Russians and recaptured the state border," the Ministry of Defense said in Kyiv.
Meanwhile, in the
Donbass region
, the Ukrainian army was preparing for increased attacks by Russia.
Moscow says so
In view of
Finland's and Sweden's possible NATO memberships
, Russian President
Vladimir Putin has
warned
of a further deterioration in international relations
.
"This exacerbates the already difficult international security situation," Putin said.
humanitarian situation
In
Mariupol
, after weeks of siege, Ukrainian soldiers are being
transported away from the steel works
surrounded by Russian units .
A Reuters eyewitness saw around a dozen buses leave the huge factory premises on Monday.
Instead of the feared Russian storm, a good 260 Ukrainian soldiers have now left the site after weeks of blockade, according to the authorities.
Among them were
53 seriously injured
, the Ukrainian general staff announced on Facebook on Monday.
In addition, 211 other Ukrainian fighters were brought to the town of Olenivka, which was occupied by Russian troops.
A total of around 600 soldiers are said to have entrenched themselves.
The steelworks has become a
symbol of the Ukrainian resistance
against the Russian occupiers.
A commander of the trapped troops explained in a video that he was carrying out orders from the high command to save the lives of the soldiers.
But he left open what exactly was meant.
He did not mention a possible surrender.
It is also still unclear what will happen to the
remaining forces in the steelworks
and how a possible evacuation would be organized.
According to UNICEF, the war in
Ukraine is
exacerbating the
problem
of severe
malnutrition among children.
"Even before the war in Ukraine, many families were struggling to feed their children due to conflict, climate shock and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.
Now there are additional problems.
The Ukraine, which is regarded as Europe's granary, can export far less grain as a result of the war, among other things.
The Unicef report released on Tuesday warns that both the number of children affected by malnutrition and the cost of the supplemental food they need will rise.
Supplementary food, also called peanut paste, consists mainly of peanuts, oil, sugar and milk powder.
It also has a long shelf life without refrigeration.
According to Unicef, it is the main supplier of such peanut paste worldwide.
The
President
of the International Federation of
Red Cross
and
Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC), Francesco Rocca, has accused the Europeans of
treating Ukrainian
and
African refugees
unequally.
"Yes, there is a
double standard
," Rocca said at a United Nations news conference in New York on Monday.
While millions of people from Ukraine are welcomed with open arms, this does not apply to people from Africa.
"Those fleeing violence and seeking protection should be treated equally," he said.
"Ethnicity and nationality should not be decisive factors in saving lives."
International Reactions
The
Benedictine Father
Anselm Grün
complained that the
Russian Orthodox Church
was being used as an instrument in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine
.
"It is very bitter that Kirill
allows himself to be abused
by Putin and justifies the war - especially where there are also many Russian Orthodox Christians in Ukraine," said Grün of the "Augsburger Allgemeine".
Moscow Patriarch Kirill has always backed the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The relationship between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate in Moscow is also considered very difficult.
what is happening today
The
defense ministers
of the
European Union
deal with the Ukraine war (from 10.15 a.m.).
At the Brussels meeting, the representatives of the EU countries want to exchange views via video conference with the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov and NATO Secretary General
Jens Stoltenberg
.
Ukraine is hoping for more heavy weapons from Germany, among others
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö
travels to Sweden at the invitation of King Carl XVI.
Gustaf to Sweden.
Against the background of the decisions of both countries for an application for
NATO
membership
,
the meeting in Stockholm should deal, among other things, with the common defense policy
jok/Reuters/dpa
