Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was urging the Ukrainian leader to get out and fight, shifted the blame to Ukraine. He said that Moscow could stop the invasion “only if Kyiv ceases all hostilities.”
According to Oleksiy Arestovich, a presidential adviser, intense shelling was conducted late Sunday in Kharkiv. Local officials claim that heavy artillery struck Kharkiv’s residential areas and damaged a television tower.
These attacks shattered hopes that more could escape fightingin Ukraine. Russia’s plans to rapidly overrun the country have been stopped by fierce resistance. Russia has made important advances along the coast of Ukraine, but many of its efforts have been stalled. This includes an enormous military convoy that has been virtually in motion for several days north of Kyiv.
In Mariupol the south port city of Mariupol where Russian and Ukrainian forces had reached an 11-hour ceasefire, civilians and wounded could be evacuated, food, water and nearly all other supplies were in desperate short supply. Officials from Ukraine said that Russian forces closed down the humanitarian corridor quickly.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Interior Ministry, stated on Telegram that there can’t be ‘green corridors’ as only the sick brains of the Russians determine when and where to shoot.
Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zilenskyy rallied the people, especially those living in Russian-occupied cities.
“You should go out on the streets!” He said on Saturday that you should fight! It is essential to drive the evil from our cities and our country.
Zelenskyy also requested that NATO and the United States send more warplanes and fighters to Ukraine. However, this idea is complicated by questions about who would supply the aircraft and how they would be replaced.
Later, he urged the West not to loosen its sanctions against Russia. He stated that the “audacity” of the aggressor was a clear indication that the existing sanctions are inadequate.
1.5 million people fled their country due to the war in, which is now in its 11th year. According to the U.N. refugee agency, the exodus is “the most rapidly growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”.
According to a senior US defense official, 95% of Russian forces previously deployed around Ukraine are now inside the country. According to the official, Russian forces are still advancing and trying to isolate Kyiv Kharkhiv Chernihiv. However, strong Ukrainian resistance is being faced.
According to the official, who spoke under anonymity in order to discuss military assessments, the convoy to Kyiv is still stalled.
Putin, as he does so often, blamed Ukraine for the conflict, telling Recep Tayyip Erdan on Sunday that Kyiv must stop all hostilities, and meet “the well-known demands” of Russia.
Putin began his invasion by making a series of false accusations against Kyiv. These included that the Kyiv leadership is led and funded by neo Nazis who want to undermine Russia through nuclear weapons development.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its troops would strike Ukraine’s military industrial complex using precision weapons. Igor Konashenkov (a ministry spokesperson) claimed that Ukrainian personnel were being forced into repairing damaged military equipment in order to be returned to action.
Zelenskyy criticised Western leaders for failing to respond to Russia’s latest threat.
Zelenskyy stated Sunday evening, “I didn’t hear even one world leader react to that.”
Putin and Macron, the French President, spoke out about Ukraine’s nuclear situation. Ukraine has four nuclear reactors and was the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.
According to a French official, the men had agreed to a “dialogue” that would include Russia, Ukraine, and the U.N.’s Atomic Watchdog. This was in keeping with the practice of the presidency. He said that potential talks on the topic will be held in the coming days.
Putin also claimed that the Zaporizhzhia fire, which occurred last week, was caused by Russian attackers. Officials in Ukraine said it was the result of a “provocation” by Ukrainian radicals.
According to the French official, he stated that attempts to shift blame for the incident on the Russian military were part of a cynical propagandist campaign.
Pope Francis and other international leaders appealed for Putin to negotiate.
The pope made a very unusual decision and said that he had sent two cardinals to Ukraine in an effort to end the conflict.
In his Sunday blessing, the pontiff stated that “in Ukraine rivers of blood and tears flow”.
Officials from Ukraine said that Russian forces redoubled their bombardment of Mariupol after Saturday’s cease-fire failed. They also dropped large bombs on Chernihiv’s residential areas.
According to Mayor Oleksander Markyshin, eight civilians were killed in Russian shelling at the Irpin town, which is located on the northwest outskirts Kyiv. A family was among the dead.
Video footage captured a shell hitting a street in the city, just a few meters from a bridge that was used for fleeing fighters. The family was assisted by a group of fighters.
Mariupol was devastated according to the few residents that managed to flee the city before the humanitarian corridor closed.
Yelena Zamay, a pro-Russian separatist, said that she saw “everything”: burning houses, people in basements, and fleeing to one of the republics in eastern Ukraine. “No communication, no water, no gas, no light, no water. It was all empty.”
British military officers compared Russia’s tactics with those used by Moscow in Chechnya or Syria, where the surrounded cities were pulverized using airstrikes as well as artillery.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense stated that “this is likely to be an attempt to break Ukrainian morale.”
Zelenskyy repeated his request that foreign protectors impose a no fly zone over Ukraine. NATO has so far ruled this out due to concerns that such an action could lead to a wider war.
Zelenskyy declared Sunday that the world was strong enough to close our skies in a video address.
Zelenskyy had pleaded with American lawmakers the day before in a video conference to get more warplanes to Ukraine.
According to U.S. officials, Washington is looking at ways to send the planes to Ukraine. This scenario would also include American-made F-16s being sent to countries of the Soviet bloc, including Poland, which are members of NATO. These countries would then send Ukraine Soviet-era MiGs that their pilots can fly, and they would also be able to send them to Ukraine.
Due to production delays on U.S. warplanes the Eastern European countries would have to surrender their MiGs the Ukraines and accept U.S. promises to get F-16s as soon possible. The fact that F-16s are destined for Taiwan is adding to the problems. And the U.S. Congress wouldn’t hesitate to delay these deliveries.
According to the Russian military, Ukraine’s neighbours should not host its warplanes. Moscow might consider these counties part of the conflict if Ukrainian planes fly combat missions from their territory.
In the fog of war, it is still not clear how many civilians have died. Although the U.N. claims it has only confirmed a handful of civilian deaths, it warns that this is an inordinately low number.
Russia is outmatched in military strength by Ukraine, but the country’s professional and volunteer forces are fighting back with great determination. Saturday saw hundreds of volunteers line up in Kyiv to join the military.
Even in fallen cities, signs of resistance were evident.
According to the Ukrainian government’s video, Chernihiv residents cheered as a Russian military aircraft fell from the sky. Hundreds of protestors waved yellow and blue Ukrainian flags in Kherson and shouted “Go home!”
Russia has made important advances in the south of Ukraine to try to prevent access to the Sea of Azov. Moscow could establish a land corridor from Crimea to Moscow by capturing Mariupol, which Russia annexed in 2014 from Ukraine. This move was considered illegal by most countries.
The West has generally backed Ukraine by offering weapons and aid, and also imposing massive sanctions on Russia. However, no NATO troops were sent to Ukraine. This leaves the Ukrainians fighting Russian troops on their own.
Russia has been isolated since the invasion, becoming more closed to external sources of information and severing its economic ties with the West. The ruble’s value has plummeted and many multinational companies have stopped or drastically reduced their work in Russia.
American Express announced that it would cease operations in Russia and in Russian-allied Belarus on Sunday. TikTok announced that Russian users would no longer be able post videos and view videos from other parts of the world. Moscow’s “fake news”, which makes it illegal to refer to the fighting as an invasion, was blamed by the company. Netflix also stopped providing service to Russia, but did not provide details.
Russia has already blocked Twitter and Facebook, as well as access to major international media outlets’ websites. TikTok is part the Chinese tech company ByteDance.
