Russia continues its offensive in UkraineMonday, March 14, nineteen days after the start of the invasion decided by the Kremlin. The fourth round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyivwhich began on Monday, will continue on Tuesday after a “technical break”reported Mykhailo Podoliak, a negotiator and adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Several thousand soldiers have lost their lives since the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory on February 24. At least 596 civilians died, according to a UN count that is probably much lower than the reality. Finally, pMore than 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the conflict, according to the UNEO, which also lists some 2 million internally displaced people.
Nine dead in western strike
A strike by Russian forces on a television tower in Antopil, near the western Ukrainian town of Rivne, left nine people dead and nine injured on Monday, local authorities said. “Two Missiles” hit the village television tower, as well as an administrative building located next to it.
In kyiv, two people were killed in Russian bombardments which targeted a residential building and the Antonov aeronautical factory, announced the town hall of the Ukrainian capital. In Kharkiv, in the north-east of Ukraine, a bombardment by the Russian army killed two people, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
In the east of the country, in Donetsk, pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow claimed that a Ukrainian army strike had targeted the city center, killing at least 16 people according to the local “Ministry” of Health, and 23 dead according to the powerful Russian Investigation Committee. The Ukrainian army has strongly denied these accusations.
Moscow threatens “total control” of major cities
“The Ministry of Defence, by ensuring the maximum security of the civilian populations, does not exclude the possibility of taking full control of the large cities which are already surrounded”, announced Monday the spokesman of the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov. He assured that where necessary, humanitarian corridors would be preserved.
In recent days, fighting has intensified around kyiv, which is almost completely surrounded. The capital is “a city under siege”, an adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Sunday. On the northwestern outskirts of kyiv, the scene of heavy fighting for several days, a first foreign journalist, the American Brent Renaud, died on Sunday, hit in the neck by a bullet of uncertain origin.
Another power outage in Chernobyl
Ukraine on Monday accused the Russian army of again cutting off the power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and of detonating munitions near a reactor in Zaporozhye, the two plants being under the control of Moscow.
The Ukrainian authorities had indicated on Sunday that they had restored the power supply to the old power plant, which still needs energy to ensure the optimal safety of the fuel assemblies stored on site. “But before the power was fully restored, the occupation forces damaged it again.”said the Ukrainian operator of the site, Ukrenergo, on Facebook on Monday. For now, Moscow has not responded to this accusation.
New European sanctions
The European Union has decided to sanction new Russian oligarchs, in particular the billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of the English football club Chelsea.
These measures are part of a fourth package of EU sanctions against Moscow, announced in the afternoon. Before this extension, 862 people and 53 Russian entities were already on a blacklist prohibiting entry into EU territory and allowing the seizure of their property.
“A hurricane of famines”
The UN Secretary General has warned of the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, which could lead to “a hurricane of famines” in numerous countries.
“Ukraine is on fire” and “the country is being decimated before the eyes of the world (…) We must do everything possible to avoid a hurricane of famines and a collapse of the world food system”said Antonio Guterres to media in New York.
For its part, the IMF has estimated that Ukraine’s economy could contract by up to 35% if the war were to get bogged down.