Russia’s military are expanding their offensive to the west of Ukraine, almost three weeks after launching their invasion of Ukraine. Here are five important developments from the past several days.
- Russian missiles kill thousands of people at military training center near Polish border
According to Ukrainian authorities, a Russian missile assault on the Yavoriv military training centre in western Ukraine killed at least 35 people and injured 134 others early Sunday local time.
The installation is around 40 kilometres northwest of Lviv and less than 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) from the Polish border. The International Peacekeeping and Security Center is located there, and it hosts training exercises involving Western military forces.
Russia claimed that the strikes killed up to 180 foreign mercenaries on Sunday, but Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Markiyan Lubkivsky told CNN that the assertions were “pure Russian misinformation.”
According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, the facility had “some damage,” but the Pentagon was “still assessing and talking to the Ukrainians” about it.
Kirby told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that no American service members were at the training centre since they had all gone weeks before.
He went on to say that the strikes demonstrate Russia’s growing attention on the country’s west. “This is the third… facility or airport that the Russians have targeted in western Ukraine in the last couple of days,” Kirby said. “Clearly, they’re widening their target sets, at least from an airstrike viewpoint.”
- Explosions in Kyiv as Russian forces inch closer
At least two people were killed and three others were injured when a residential structure in Obolon, a suburb of Kyiv, was shelled early Monday morning, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
At 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) Monday, several large explosions resonated across Kyiv.
They look to be the result of Ukrainian air defence systems firing against Russian aircraft or cruise missiles. From central Kyiv, smoke trails could be seen ascending into the sky.
The majority of Russian ground soldiers are now only 15.5 miles (25 kilometres) from the middle of the Ukrainian capital, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
- Thousands dead in Mariupol as circumstances grow even worse
According to Oleksiy Arestovych, an assistant in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, the Russian shelling of the southern city of Mariupol has killed over 2,500 people, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
On Monday, Arestovych claimed, “The Russians are simply wiping out the city.”
Due to severe bombardment, a shipment of humanitarian goods was unable to reach the city, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, stated on Sunday.
“All day long, the city of Mariupol was bombarded with shelling and aerial bombardment,” Vereshchuk said. “The humanitarian cargo remained halted at Berdyansk, halfway between the captured city and the city of Berdyansk.”
A Mariupol resident filmed a video diary on Sunday morning, illustrating the grim situation for people. The video, which was shared on Twitter, shows robbed stores and people cooking outside in sub-zero temperatures.
“Humanitarian help does not exist and will not exist in the future. It is hard to evacuate calm people “According to the local,
“People are in an extremely dangerous situation. Water and food are running out, forcing people to break into stores in search of basic essentials.”
- Mass protests in occupied Kherson and allegations of treason in Melitopol
Russian military have been occupying the vital city of Kherson in southern Ukraine since March 3, but hundreds of locals flocked to the streets on Sunday to protest the occupation.
At least one official from Kherson’s regional council has recently warned that occupation forces are preparing the foundation for a “Kherson People’s Republic.”
The demonstration was “a peaceful protest to show that the inhabitants’ position is that Kherson is Ukraine,” according to city mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev.
Local Ukrainian officials have been kidnapped by Russian soldiers in two additional places.
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, was seen on camera being escorted away from a city administration building by armed men on Friday.
Fedorov was accused of terrorism and was under investigation by the Russian-backed Luhansk regional prosecutor a short time afterwards.
Galina Danilchenko was sworn in as the city’s new mayor, but a group of Melitopol City Council members issued a written statement on Sunday accusing her of “the high crime of treason, for attempting to set up an occupying government in Melitopol.” Ukraine’s prosecutor general has opened an investigation.
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in the Zaporizhzhia district, was kidnapped by Russian troops on Sunday.
- US-China talks scheduled after Moscow reportedly asks Beijing for military support in Ukraine
The possibility of Chinese help would be a huge development. It has the potential to upend Ukraine’s grasp on the country, as well as provide a counterweight to the harsh Western sanctions put on Russia’s economy.
“I’ve never heard of that,” Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the United States, said in a statement when contacted by CNN about the reporting of Russia’s request for military aid. CNN’s request for comment was not immediately returned by the Russian embassy in the United States.
On Monday, US and Chinese officials will meet in Rome for talks that many believe will have far-reaching implications not only for the Ukraine conflict, but also for China’s global role and relationship with the West.
The meeting between China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan comes as Western leaders worry that Beijing is not only siding with Russia by refusing to condemn its aggression in Ukraine, but is also considering taking additional steps to help its strategic partner.
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