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A Russian drone during an attack on Kiev (icon image)
Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS
This article will be continuously updated.
London: Russia probably worried about explosions in Mariupol
9.33 a.m .:
According to British intelligence experts, Moscow should be concerned about explosions in military locations in occupied Mariupol.
According to the Defense Ministry's daily intelligence update, there have been 14 explosions since February 21 alone, including at an ammunition depot, two fuel depots and a steel plant used by the military.
Moscow probably did not expect that the Ukrainian army would be able to hit targets in the city, which is 80 kilometers behind the front line, it said.
Despite extensive destruction, Mariupol is important for Russia because it is the largest city conquered since the beginning of the war that is still in Russian hands.
It is also on an important supply route.
Ukraine reports one
dead and four injured in Iranian drone attack
9:27 a.m .:
According to Ukrainian sources, at least one person was killed and four others injured in a Russian drone attack on the city of Khmelnytskyi.
The mayor of Khmelnytskyi, Oleksandr Symchyshyn, announced via Telegram that buildings in the city were damaged by the Iranian Shahed drone.
The dead man belonged to the rescue workers.
According to the Ukrainian army, Russia had attacked Ukraine overnight with up to 14 drones, eleven of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
Turkey: NATO talks with Sweden and Finland in March
9.18 a.m .:
Turkey announces the resumption of talks with Sweden and Finland about NATO membership for the two Scandinavian countries for the coming week.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said a meeting was planned for March 9 in Brussels.
Çavuşoğlu promised new talks last week, but did not give a date.
Turkey is currently blocking Sweden and Finland from joining the defense alliance.
Above all, she demands tougher action against extremists such as members of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK from Sweden.
China: Always been in contact with Ukraine
9:09 a.m .:
China responds to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that talks with representatives of the People’s Republic are desirable.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said China has always maintained communication with all sides of the conflict, including the government in Kiev.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday that it was encouraging that China was considering peace mediation.
He would like to meet with Chinese officials, he said when asked about the prospects of meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Smartphones from China instead of Apple and Samsung in Russia
8.42 a.m .:
According to calculations by market researchers, Chinese smartphone providers have taken the place of Samsung and Apple in Russia.
The two largest manufacturers left the market last year after Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Chinese brands accounted for around 95 percent of the market at the turn of the year, the broadcaster CNN reported at the weekend, citing figures from the analysis company Counterpoint Research.
The largest provider is Xiaomi with more than 50 percent.
Chinese smartphones were already popular in Russia before the war.
Counterpoint estimated their stake at around 40 percent at the end of 2021.
Samsung with its various models and Apple with the iPhones together accounted for around 53 percent of the market.
Now the number 2 after Xiaomi is the company Realme.
Report: More than 70,000 Russian war crimes
8:38 a.m.:
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has registered more than 71,500 war crimes and crimes of aggression.
This is what the news portal The Kyiv Independent writes.
Accordingly, until yesterday there were 71,586
such crimes have been committed.
svs/dpa/Reuters/AFP