(Paris) Situation on the ground, international reactions, sanctions: update on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Updated yesterday at 9:03 p.m.
Russian strike on Kiev TV tower
A Russian strike on Tuesday targeted the television tower in Kiev, killing five people and interrupting the broadcast of the channels for an hour, announced the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior.
The strike, which comes on the sixth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “hit” equipment in this tower.
The Russians have intensified their offensive, but, according to the Pentagon, their progress towards the capital is “at a standstill”, hampered by the resistance encountered and logistical problems.
Biden intends to underline the unity of the West
Joe Biden intends to point out, in his State of the Union address, that Vladimir Putin was “wrong” to launch this invasion in the belief that the West would not respond to it in a united manner.
“We were ready”, and “the dictators” must “pay the price for their aggression”, must declare the American president in his speech, of which the White House broadcast a short extract in advance.
Deadly strikes on Kharkiv
At least eight people were killed by an airstrike on a residential area in Kharkiv, a major city in eastern Ukraine on which invading Russian forces are leading the assault, authorities said.
In the morning, the bombing of the central square of Kharkiv had killed at least ten people.
After an offensive on the port of Mariupol (south-east), which cut off the electricity there, Moscow announced that its troops and the pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine had made the connection on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), seized by Kiev under an emergency procedure, urged Moscow to “refrain from any military attack against civilians”.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has announced hearings on March 7 and 8 in a case brought before the Court by Kiev, which accuses Moscow of planning genocide in Ukraine.
Since the start of the offensive, more than 350 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to Kiev.
Zelensky urges EU and US to act
The fate of the EU is at stake in Ukraine, said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while the Ukrainian President, who is calling for his country’s integration “without delay” into the EU, has asked the Europeans to “prove that they are with Ukraine”.
Volodymyr Zelensky also called in the evening to “stop the Russian aggressor” “as soon as possible”, during an interview with his American counterpart Joe Biden.
European Council President Charles Michel has accused Russia of “geopolitical terrorism”.
“Deep regret” of China
The Chinese foreign minister spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kouleba and expressed China’s “deep regret” to him, according to Chinese state media.
While Beijing refused to condemn Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine, Wang Yi assured that China pays “extreme attention to the harm suffered by civilians”.
Russia tries to stop sanctions
Russia is preparing a decree to stem the haemorrhage of foreign investments linked to the sanctions.
The American oil giant ExxonMobil has announced its gradual withdrawal from a major oil field of which it is the operator in Russia and no longer wants to invest in the country.
A bankruptcy procedure will be opened concerning the main subsidiary in Europe of the largest Russian bank, Sberbank, weakened by financial sanctions, announced Tuesday evening the banking regulator of the EU.
The Italian hydrocarbons group Eni intends to sell its 50% share in the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which links Russia to Turkey and which it controls equally with the Russian giant Gazprom.
In France, TotalEnergies declared that “it will no longer bring capital to new projects in Russia”.
Apple said it has suspended sales of all its products in Russia.
World Bank Aid Plan
The World Bank announced on Tuesday that it was preparing three billion dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, of which at least 350 million could be released this week.
RT and Sputnik blocked across Europe
The YouTube channels of Russian media RT and Sputnik have been blocked across Europe by the video platform “in view of the ongoing war in Ukraine”, YouTube said.
For its part, Moscow has continued to strengthen its control over information by blocking two independent media.
One million displaced, more than 670,000 refugees
The UN estimates that one million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, an official from the High Commissioner for Refugees has announced.
The UNHCR announced that 677,000 people had already fled Ukraine to neighboring countries and that this figure was increasing “exponentially”.
Repercussions in culture and sport
Russia has been excluded from a multitude of sporting events, from the 2022 World Cup to cycling events and the Davis Cup in tennis.
The Cannes Film Festival plans not to host Russian delegations.