Ukraine: Mariupol leveled – New ‘blows’ in Kyiv amid diplomatic divide

LAST UPDATE: 23.20

The besieged city of Mariupol is a leveled city after 90% of its buildings have been destroyed by daily Russian bombing. Russian forces are regrouping, but at the same time maintaining the siege around major Ukrainian cities. Kyiv θηκε was “hit” at least three times on Thursday night, while in Odessa the Russian fleet is visible from the land and fears of a landing are growing. In the diplomatic field, there was no bridge in the Kiev-Moscow gap during today’s talks.

Mariupol: Humanitarian crisis in a “ghost town”

The city “is being destroyed by the sky” wrote on Twitter the Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko and reiterated the call of President Volodymyr Zelensky to the western states to impose a no-fly zone over the country.

At the same time, rescue teams are trying to locate survivors of the attack on a theater in Mariupol, where about 1,000 civilians were hiding in a shelter to escape the bombing. So far, 130 survivors have been pulled from the wreckage of the theater.

Why Russians need Mariupol so much#Mariupol is the most important #Ukrainian port on the Sea of #Azov. In addition, by capturing the city, #Russia will receive a land corridor to the annexed #Crimeawhich it has been dreaming of for a long time.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/G2h2RBCjEb

– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 17, 2022

Satellite images, taken a few days before the bombing, show the word “children” written in white letters in Russian, in front of and behind the building, while a video released by the Ukrainians shows the theater to be Local authorities allege that the Russians also bombed a municipal swimming pool, where women and children had also taken refuge, and that there were reports of Russian bombings in Mariupol and by sea.

“The only word that describes what happened is ‘genocide.’ Genocide of our nation, of the Ukrainian people,” said Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boichenko.

The Russians deny bombing the theater and attribute the attack to nationalists of the Azov Order.

He also spoke about the situation in Mariupol Greek consul. In an interview given to the journalist Kostas Onisenko and posted on Facebook, Mr. Androulakis noted that “I lived the city alive, with its shops, its people, now I leave a city destroyed”.

“Every day was worse. Listening to the battles from afar, as if it’s okay, is far away. Every day that approached, this sound became closer and closer. We realized that the city was blocked,” added Mr. Androulakis.

As he stressed, “a lot of civilians and structures were hit, and when I say it was hit, I mean there is nothing left.” “I see no reason for anyone to return to this city,” he said.

“It is a tragedy. From the first 3 to 4 days of the siege all the infrastructure was lost. No water, no electricity, no telecommunications and of course there was no supply, fuel, food,” he said, adding that “we are witnessing a great humanitarian crisis “.

At the same time, his correspondent Guardian in Ukraine broadcasts how the trapped inhabitants of Mariupol run out of drinking water and are forced to find alternative sources. In a photo he publishes, the Guardian reporter shows residents melting snow into fires to fill juice cans with the resulting water.

Citizens trapped in #Mariupol are running out of water. They melt snow & use a juice carton box as a pot.#Ukraine #war #Russian #invasion #Putin pic.twitter.com/Mufgz23WYz

– Lorenzo Tondo (@lorenzo_tondo) March 17, 2022

According to Reuters, about 30,000 civilians have fled Mariupol so far, and local authorities estimate that more than 350,000 people are still seeking refuge in the city.

Another 1,000 Chechen fighters are on their way to Ukraine

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced today that Chechen fighters would invade the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

As Kadyrov wrote in the Telegram, State Duma deputy Adam Delimhanov lives in the war zone and is personally preparing for the invasion of the factory. “A large number of fighters from nationalist battalions settled on the factory site after their positions in Mariupol were broken into,” Kadyrov said.

“Chechen special forces have been instructed to systematically clean Azovstal and inflict as little damage on staff as possible. The release of this facility will cause irreparable damage to the nationalists, as they will lose both a strategically important object and men,” he said. Kadyrov, according to the Russian Pravda.

The Chechen leader said in another Telegram message that “1,000” Chechen volunteers were on their way to fight in Ukraine.

According to him, his colleague Apti Alaudinov is “leading thousands of volunteers from the Chechen Republic” who are “on their way to join the special operation to de-Nazify and demilitarize Ukraine.”

New bombings in Kyiv

Attacks on and around the Ukrainian capital continue. Early in the evening a child was killed in a bombing in a village near Kyiv. Rocket attack near Irpin, where a warehouse caught fire and two people were killed by a new “hit”.

The BBC reports that Russian troops are continuing their efforts to encircle Kyiv and cut off access to the Ukrainian capital, although large areas, mainly in the north, remain under Ukrainian control. Representatives of the Ukrainian army also note that they have focused their efforts on keeping the Russian artillery out of range towards the center of Kiev.

Russia’s attacks on Ukraine have “largely stopped on all fronts,” the Pentagon said in a new assessment. The report added that Russian forces “have made little progress on land, sea or air in recent days and continue to suffer heavy casualties”, indicating that the Russian military is recovering from the blows it has received during the three weeks of military operations.

The Russian fleet is visible off Odessa

At the same time, the Russian fleet is now visible from the land off Odessa. In recent days, Odessa and the surrounding areas have been bombed by sea, and concern has escalated over a landing operation by Russian forces in the area.

Under this fear, the shores of Odessa have been mined to prevent the Russians from landing.

At least 27 killed by Russian fire in Kharkov

At least 27 people were killed today by Russian artillery fire in the besieged Kharkiv region, local authorities said.

“Russian soldiers opened fire on the town of Merefa in the Kharkiv region at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday to Friday. A school and a cultural center were destroyed. 21 people were killed and 25 wounded, 10 of whom are in critical condition.” wrote in a post on Facebook the regional prosecutor.

Consequences of nocturnal attics in #Merefa, # Járkov. pic.twitter.com/oxlWx4F6ir

– Camarada Fibrik (@Fibrik_Oficial) March 17, 2022

The town of Merefa is located about 30 km southwest of Kharkov. “The clearing of rubble is in progress,” according to the prosecutor’s office, which posted two photos of buildings destroyed by explosions.

At least six people were also killed by cluster bombs in the village of Kozacha Lopan, about 50 kilometers north of Kharkiv, the mayor of a neighboring village said on Facebook.

“Occupying forces bombed the station, shops, pharmacies and other political buildings in the center of the village,” he said, adding that the military infrastructure had not been damaged.

M. Pontoliak: “Negotiations are difficult, we have different positions”

On the diplomatic chessboard, the talks between Russia and Ukraine continued today via teleconference. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the delegations would focus on military, political and humanitarian issues.

With the information stating that today’s talks ended around 7.30 pm. (Greek time) the adviser of the Ukrainian president, Mikhail Pontoliak, called on “those who are NOT in the negotiations not to spread lies in a country that is at war”.

In a Twitter post, Mr Pontoliak said: “The negotiations are complex. The positions of the parties are different. For us, fundamental issues are inviolable.”

I would like to softly recommend the “active commentators of the negotiation process” who are NOT inside: Do not spread your lies in a country that is at war. Negotiations are complicated. The positions of the parties are different. For us, fundamental issues are inviolable.

– Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 17, 2022

Kyiv and Moscow are taking the peace talks very seriously, however a very large gap remains between the two sides Western officials said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear to have any intention of compromising.

Although both sides indicated earlier this week that there had been some progress in the negotiations, Putin showed little sign of backing down in his latest TV appearance, where he spoke of “traitors and scum” in Russia who helped the West, adding that the Russian people would “spit” on them.

“Both sides are taking the (talks) seriously, but there is a very, very big gap between their positions,” a Western official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia is channeling colossal energy into talks on a possible peace deal with Ukraine that could quickly halt Russian military operations there. The Russian delegation is ready to negotiate with the Ukrainian side around the clock, but there is no zeal on the Ukrainian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov told reporters, according to the Russian agency Ria Novosti.

But on the contrary, with statements by the advisor to the Ukrainian president, Alexei Arestovich stated that Volodymyr Zelensky has not changed his position that the borders of Ukraine should be recognized as they were when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses German parliament today continued the historical parallels as in his speech to the US Congress and stated that Ukraine would become a member of the European Union.

In other statements, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said told MEPs on Wednesday that Russia was using Belarus as a logistics hub for its war against Ukraine and called on them to recognize Putin as a “war criminal”.