Russian forces pounding the port city of Mariupol shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people, including children, the Ukrainian government said on Saturday. Fighting also raged on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as Russia’s expanding invasion bombarded cities into rubble.
There was no immediate word of casualties from the shelling of Mariupol’s elegant, city-center mosque.
Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said he has moved 12,000 troops along the borders with Russia, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania while asserting that Vladimir Putin will not be victorious in the war he has waged against Ukraine.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its third week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday some progress had been made in Moscow’s talks with Ukraine, while the Kremlin said the conflict would end when the West took action to address Moscow concerns.
The conflict began escalating on February 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops in a peacekeeping role.
Here are the latest updates:
Zelensky says he spoke to Israeli PM, discussed prospects for peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and discussed the prospects for peace talks to end the conflict with Russia.
Zelensky made the announcement in a tweet and also said he had asked Bennett for help in freeing the mayor of the city of Melitopol, whom Ukraine says was abducted by Russian forces. - Reuters
Ukraine says Russia plans to control Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant - IAEA
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Ukraine told it on Saturday that Russia was planning to take full and permanent control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe’s biggest, but that Russia had later denied this.
“The President of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant operator Energoatom, Petro Kotin, said in a letter to the Director General that around 400 Russian soldiers were ‘being present full time on site’ (at Zaporizhzhya),” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) added in a statement on its website.
The IAEA said the Ukrainian regulator had also informed it that efforts to repair damaged power lines at the Chernobyl nuclear plant were continuing and that diesel generators were providing back-up power to systems relevant for safety. - Reuters
Humanitarian situation in some Ukraine cities ‘catastrophic’: Russian military
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is deteriorating quickly and has become catastrophic in a number of cities, the Russian military said on Saturday, speaking on the 17th day of what Moscow has termed a “special military operation”.
“Unfortunately, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is continuing to deteriorate rapidly, and in some cities it has reached catastrophic proportions,” the head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, Mikhail Mizintsev, said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. - AFP
Biden to authorise further $200M for Ukraine
U.S. President Joe Biden is authorising the State Department to provide additional aid to Ukraine of up to $200 million.
The funds would cover weapons as well as military services, education and training as Ukrainians seek to repel a Russian invasion. The aid is part of broader U.S. support in the form of aid and sanctions. When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that $1 billion in aid had been provided to Ukraine.
The ongoing warfare has led to additional support with Congress this week approving $13.6 billion in additional aid, a sum that includes $6.5 billion for the costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and $6.8 billion for refugees and economic aid.
Mr. Biden plans to sign the spending bill with the additional aid when he receives it next week. —AP
Most Ukrainian businesses not operating since Russian invasion, Zelenskiy says
Most Ukrainian businesses have stopped operating since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday.
Mr. Zelenskiy’s economic adviser previously estimated that the Russian invasion had already caused more than $100 billion of damage. —Reuters
Russia strikes near Ukraine’s capital; mosque reported hit
Russian forces pounding the port city of Mariupol shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people, including children, the Ukrainian government said Saturday. Fighting also raged on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as Russia’s expanding invasion bombarded cities into rubble.
There was no immediate word of casualties from the shelling of Mariupol’s elegant, city-center mosque. The encircled city of 4,46,000 people has suffered some of the greatest misery from Russia’s war in Ukraine, with unceasing barrages thwarting repeated attempts to bring in food and water, evacuate trapped civilians and to bury all of the dead. —AP
Moved 12,000 U.S. troops along borders with Russia but not fighting WWIII in Ukraine, says Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden said he has moved 12,000 troops along the borders with Russia, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania while asserting that Vladimir Putin will not be victorious in the war he has waged against Ukraine.
Addressing members of the House Democratic Caucus on Friday, Mr. Biden stressed over "not fighting a third World War in Ukraine" but avowed sending an "unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory".
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a group of 30 North American and European nations. According to NATO, its purpose "is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means." Mr. Biden said the people of Ukraine have demonstrated remarkable bravery and courage in the face of a Russian military offensive but the security assistance that the U.S. provides has been critical in their defence.
"And as we provide support to Ukraine, we're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory with a united galvanized NATO," the US president said.
"That's why I've moved 12,000 American forces along the borders with Russia — Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, etc... Granted, if we respond, it is World War three. But we have a sacred obligation on NATO territory... although we will not fight a third World War in Ukraine."
"The idea that we're going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understand — and don't kid yourself, no matter what you all say — that's called World War Three," he said. — PTI
Ukraine says Russian forces capture outskirts of Mariupol
Ukraine’s military says Russian forces have captured the eastern outskirts of the besieged city of Mariupol.
In a Facebook update Saturday, the military said the capture of Mariupol and Severodonetsk in the east were a priority for Russian forces. Mariupol has been under siege for over a week, with no electricity, gas or water.
Repeated efforts to evacuate people from the city of 4,30,000 have fallen apart as humanitarian convoys come under shelling. -AP
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Debua thanks India for evacuating four Nepalese citizens from Ukraine
Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday expressed gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for evacuating four Nepalese nationals stranded in Ukraine amidst the military offensive by Russia.
The evacuation of the Nepalese students was done as part of India’s ‘Operation Ganga’ that was launched to bring back the Indians stuck in Ukraine after Russia launched a military attack on February 24.
“Four Nepali nationals have just arrived in Nepal from Ukraine via India. Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi and the Government of India for the assistance in repatriating Nepali nationals through the #OperationGanga,” Mr. Deuba said in a tweet on Saturday. - PTI
Ukraine says mosque sheltering 80 civilians shelled in Mariupol
A mosque in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where 80 civilians were taking shelter, has been shelled by Russian forces, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.
“The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana (Hurrem Sultan) in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders. More than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey,” the ministry wrote on its Twitter account.
It did not specify when the shelling took place.
Contacted by AFP, the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Istanbul said it had “no information”.
However, the Ukrainian embassy in Ankara told AFP it had alerted Turkey’s Foreign Ministry to the attack, without specifying when or whether it had received any response. -AFP
France says Scholz, Macron holding new talks with Putin
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were holding new talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine on Saturday, the Elysee palace said.
The three leaders had already had spoken by telephone on Thursday when both Mr. Macron and Mr. Scholz had “demanded an immediate ceasefire by Russia.”
Since meeting Mr. Putin in the Kremlin on February 7, Mr. Macron has had nine phone calls with the Russian leader, his office said.-AFP
Russians push toward Kyiv, keep up siege of other cities
Russian forces appeared to make progress from the northeast in their slow fight toward Ukraine’s capital, while tanks and artillery pounded places already under siege with shelling so heavy that residents of one city were unable to bury the growing number of dead.
In Mariupol, unceasing barrages into the city have thwarted repeated attempts to bring in food and water and evacuate trapped civilians. On Friday, an Associated Press photographer captured the moment when a tank appeared to fire directly on an apartment building, enveloping one side in a billowing orange fireball. -AP
U.S. targets Russian oligarchs, elites in fresh sanctions
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on more Russian oligarchs and elites, increasing pressure on those close to Russian President Vladimir Putin in punishment over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Those hit with sanctions on Friday include 10 people comprising VTB Bank’s board, 12 members of the Duma and the family of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement. -Reuters
Pentagon revives team to speed arms to Ukraine and allies- sources
The Pentagon is turning to a special team to respond to increased demand for new weapons sales and requests to transfer existing weapons among U.S. allies as countries including Ukraine scramble to obtain arms following Russia’s invasion, three people familiar with the effort said.
The Pentagon’s Office of Acquisition and Sustainment, the weapons buyer for the U.S. Department of Defense, has been fielding increased demand from European allies hoping to ship weapons to Ukraine through third party transfers or to buy arms to bolster their own defenses, the sources said. -Reuters
U.S. State Dept warns Americans not to travel to Ukraine
The U.S. State Department on Friday said that U.S. citizens who travel to Ukraine, including those who go to participate in the conflict, face a very real risk of capture or death as it warned that Washington would not be able to facilitate evacuation.
“They may be subject to potential attempts at criminal prosecution and may be at heightened risk for mistreatment,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. -AP
More U.S. troops deploy overseas in wake of Ukraine invasion
U.S. soldiers continued to deploy Friday to Europe, joining thousands already sent overseas to support NATO allies amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
About 130 soldiers from the 87th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, lined up with rucksacks inside a terminal at Hunter Airfield in Savannah before marching outside and boarding their chartered flight. It departed amid grey skies and rain. -AP
