Situation on the ground, international reactions, sanctions: update on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Evacuation from Mariupol postponed
The evacuation of residents of Mariupol, a strategic Ukrainian port surrounded by Russian forces and their allies, has been postponed because of multiple Russian violations of the ceasefire, its town hall accused on Saturday.
For its part, Moscow claimed to have respected the ceasefire and accused Ukrainian “nationalists” of preventing civilians from leaving encircled towns, such as Mariupol, and of taking advantage of the truce to consolidate their defences.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) described the situation in Mariupol as “heartbreaking”.
The capture of this city of some 450,000 inhabitants, located on the Sea of Azov, would be a turning point in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It would allow the junction between the Russian forces coming from annexed Crimea, which have already taken the key ports of Berdiansk and Kherson, and the separatist and Russian troops in the Donbass.
Putin warns of no-fly zone
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Saturday that Russia would consider co-belligerent any country trying to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, a claim by Kiev that NATO has rejected.
The master of the Kremlin has also declared that he does not plan to introduce martial law in Russia, in response to insistent rumors in this direction.
Advance of Russian troops
Russian forces are closing in on Kiev, encountering stubborn resistance and sometimes bombing apartment buildings, notably in Cherniguiv, 150 km north of the capital, where dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had launched a counterattack around Kharkiv (northeast), Ukraine’s second city (1.4 million inhabitants), the scene of some of the most intense bombardments. since the start of the war.
The Russian army, which continues to shell the surroundings of Kiev in the northwest and east in particular, has occupied since Friday the nuclear power plant of Zaporozhye (south), where strikes from its artillery, according to the Ukrainians, have caused a fire – which Moscow denies being the cause – raising fears of a catastrophic nuclear accident.
In Poland Blinken promises more aid for refugees
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Poland on Saturday, hailed the country for welcoming hundreds of thousands of fleeing Ukrainians and said Washington plans to advance $2.75 billion additional resources to deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the war.
Some 1.37 million people have already fled Ukraine, according to the UN, prompting strong mobilization, particularly in border countries such as Poland.
Mr Blinken will then travel to Moldova, which is also seeing an influx of Ukrainians, and the three Baltic states, which are particularly concerned about Russia’s actions.
3rd negotiation session expected for this weekend
According to Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, a third round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations could take place on Saturday or Sunday.
The previous two did not lead to a cessation of fighting, but the parties had agreed to set up “humanitarian corridors” for the evacuation of civilians.
Erdogan calls on Putin to end the war
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to call on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to “immediately end the war” and offer to host high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The Turkish Foreign Minister expressed Friday the hope of being able to bring together his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts at the Diplomacy Forum scheduled to take place from March 11 to 13 in Antalya (southern Turkey).
A member of NATO and an ally of Ukraine, Turkey also has strong ties with Russia.
Companies suspend their activities in Russia
Like many other companies, South Korean giant Samsung Electronics has suspended shipments to Russia due to “geopolitical events”.
The Spanish clothing giant Inditex (Zara brand) has announced that it will temporarily stop its activities in Russia.
The German public television channels ARD and ZDF, as well as the Italian public television channel RAI, announced, after other international media (BBC, CNN, etc.) the suspension of their coverage of the events from Moscow , after the new Russian law punishing by up to fifteen years in prison the dissemination of information aimed at “discrediting” the military forces.
Faced with sanctions imposed by the West in air transport, the Russian company Aeroflot has announced that it will suspend its international flights from March 8.
Uncertain balance sheets
After ten days of war, the balance sheet is impossible to verify independently. Kiev reports at least 350 civilians and more than 9,000 Russian soldiers killed, without mentioning its military losses, and Moscow mentions 2,870 dead on the Ukrainian side and 498 on the Russian side.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday accused Russian soldiers of “raping women in occupied Ukrainian cities”.