War in Ukraine | Encirclement of Kyiv feared, humanitarian aid convoy to Mariupol hoped for

(Kyiv) Ukraine fears an encirclement of Kyiv and promises a “relentless defense” of its capital against Russian forces, which are pounding the south of the country where the besieged city of Mariupol hopes for the arrival Sunday of an aid convoy humanitarian.

This convoy remained blocked for more than five hours at a Russian checkpoint on Saturday, and the hope was that it could reach Mariupol this Sunday, coming from Zaporozhye via Berdiansk, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said on Saturday.

The stakes are crucial for Mariupol: this strategic port city, located in the south-east of the country between the Crimea and the Donbass, is plunged into a critical situation, “almost hopeless” according to Médecins sans frontières (MSF), lacking food and deprived of water, gas, electricity and communications.

Attempts to evacuate hundreds of thousands of civilians have repeatedly failed. “Mariupol is still surrounded, which they cannot have by war, [les Russes] want to have it through hunger and despair. As they cannot bring down the Ukrainian army, they are targeting the population,” analyzes a French military source.

Moscow recognizes that the situation “in some cities” has taken on “catastrophic proportions”, in the words of General Mikhail Mizintsev, quoted on Saturday by Russian news agencies. But the military accused Ukrainian “nationalists” of mining residential areas and destroying infrastructure, depriving civilians of escape routes and basic resources.

Bombs on Mykolaiv

Still to the south, the metropolis of Odessa continues to prepare for an offensive by Russian troops, who are currently concentrating about a hundred kilometers to the east in the city of Mykolaiv. The massive bombardments notably affected a cancer center and an ophthalmological hospital, noted an AFP journalist.

Victims litter the streets of some cities, and the tolls are impossible to verify. “About 1,300” Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, in a first official count provided by the Ukrainian authorities since the start of the invasion.

The Russian army has lost “about 12,000 men”, says the head of state. Russia, for its part, announced on March 2 its one and only death toll of 498 soldiers.

At least 579 civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations tally on Saturday, which stresses that its tolls are probably much lower than the reality. And nearly 2.6 million people have fled Ukraine since February 24, in addition to around two million internally displaced people, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Kyiv, whose only roads to the south remain clear, is increasingly surrounded by Russian soldiers, who destroyed the nearby airport of Vassylkiv on Saturday, according to the Ukrainians.

Present in the suburbs, the Russian troops are trying to neutralize the surrounding localities to “block” Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian general staff, and the northwestern suburbs (Irpin, Boutcha) have been heavily bombarded in recent days.

The British Ministry of Defense estimates that the Russian forces were on Saturday 25 kilometers from the capital and that a column north of the city had dispersed, reinforcing the idea of ​​a desire to encircle.

However, they are encountering resistance from the Ukrainian army, both to the west and to the east of the capital, noted AFP journalists on the spot.

The Ukrainian presidency promises a “relentless defense” of Kyiv. Ukrainian soldiers met by AFP ensure that their morale remains intact. And that of their enemies? “They are forced to camp in villages with temperatures approaching -10°C at night. They lack supplies, and have to loot the houses,” said Ukrainian soldier Illia Berezenko.

Between “lies” and “signal”

Vladimir Putin also always displays his determination. On Saturday, the Russian president accused Ukrainian forces of “flagrant violations” of humanitarian law, during a telephone interview with French leaders Emmanuel Macron and German Olaf Scholz.

“Lies”, reacted the French presidency. And calls from MM. Macron and Scholz to an “immediate ceasefire” remained a dead letter.

But on the diplomatic front, a shift may have emerged this weekend: Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed a “fundamentally different approach” from Moscow in his recent talks with Kyiv, noting that Russia was more content with “just issuing ultimatums”.

Asked about statements made Friday by Vladimir Putin referring to “advances” in the Russian-Ukrainian talks, his Ukrainian counterpart said he was “happy to have a signal from Russia”, during a press conference in Kyiv.

A meeting was held Thursday between the heads of Russian and Ukrainian diplomacy in Turkey, without result. Previously, three sessions of talks had been held at delegation level. Talks that will continue by videoconference, according to the Kremlin.

New American aid

Mr. Zelensky, however, deplored that “Western partners (of Ukraine) are not sufficiently committed” to this approach.

Westerners refuse to enter into the conflict, but have multiplied economic and trade sanctions against Russia, and assured Kyiv of particular military support.

Washington thus authorized Saturday a new aid in arms of 200 million dollars for Ukraine, which follows an initial aid in military equipment of 350 million dollars, two thirds of which were delivered to March 4, according to an official of the Pentagon.

This first aid package was intended to “urgently provide Ukraine with the necessary ammunition, Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles”, explained to Congress the head of American diplomacy for politico-military affairs, Jessica Lewis. .

The new announcement from the White House comes after statements by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who said he had “warned the United States” that these “convoys” were becoming “legitimate targets”, citing the systems portable air defense and anti-tank missile systems.