Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday the situation in the besieged city of Mariupol is “inhuman,” after six weeks of holding out against relentless Russian forces.
Ukrainians defending the port city are now facing a shortage of weapons and supplies, and the situation for civilians still remaining has long since become dire. Zelenskyy said Russia “is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there,” and said the fate of the city will be key in whether negotiations can end the fighting.
Zelenskyy said he spoke with leaders of Britain and Sweden on Saturday to discuss how to help forces defending Mariupol.
“Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation. “Or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive.”
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Latest developments:
►Italy is barring all Russian ships from its ports starting Sunday, as part of expanded EU sanctions announced earlier this month. Ships already in Italian ports must leave immediately “after completing their commercial activity,″ according to a notice sent to port authorities throughout the country.
►Russian forces shelled an oil refinery in the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk on Saturday, and a large fire erupted, a regional governor reported.
► U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and 12 other British officials are banned from entering Russia, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Saturday, citing “unprecedented hostile actions” by Britain’s government.
Ukrainians attempt to evacuate amid continued Russian shelling
Russian shelling made it difficult for Ukrainians to evacuate along humanitarian corridors Saturday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
Vereshchuk said 1,449 Ukrainians were able to evacuate Saturday. She said 1,381 people made it to the Zaporizhzhia region using their own transport, including 170 people from the besieged city of Mariupol. But it was impossible for people to evacuate from Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine due to “dense and mass shelling,” Vereshchuk said.
Russian forces continued attacks across numerous regions of Ukraine over the weekend, raising the toll of dead and injured.
For Ukrainians, agreed-upon humanitarian corridors can be a lifeline out of danger zones. They are specific routes where fighting is agreed to be halted to allow for aid to come in and civilian evacuees to go out, but Ukrainian officials have said Russian forces have continued there on numerous occasions since the corridors were established.
Russia continued to batter Kyiv, other Ukrainian regions over the weekend
Russia pledged to renew its attacks on military targets in the capital of Kyiv, but Ukrainian officials said attacks were seen in several regions Friday and Saturday, killing at least a half dozen and wounding dozens more.
Russia’s bombardment of cities around Ukraine on Saturday included an explosion in Kharkiv that destroyed a community kitchen set up by celebrity chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen. Associated Press journalists at the scene saw the immediate aftermath of the apparent missile attack. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said three people were killed and 34 wounded by missile strikes Saturday in that city alone.
One person was killed and several wounded in a missile strike that hit Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, early Saturday. The southern Mykolaiv region was battered Friday and Saturday. According to the presidential office, airstrikes Friday killed five and wounded 15. The head of regional legislature, Hanna Zamazeyeva, said Saturday that 39 people have been wounded in the past 24 hours.
Ukraine’s presidential office reported Saturday that missile strikes and shelling occurred in eight regions: Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv in the east, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine and Mykolaiv and Kherson in the south.
Ukraine: More than 700 troops, 1K civilians held captive by Russia
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks on Saturday that 700 Ukrainian troops and more than 1,000 civilians — more than half women — are currently being held captive by the Russians.
Vereshchuk said Kyiv intends to swap the captive soldiers, since Ukraine holds about the same number of Russian troops but demands to release the civilians “without any conditions.”
-The Associated Press
Contributing: The Associated Press
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday the situation in the besieged city of Mariupol is “inhuman,” after six weeks of holding out against relentless Russian forces. Ukrainians defending the port city are now facing a shortage of weapons and supplies, and the situation for civilians still remaining has long since become dire. Zelenskyy said Russia “is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there,” and said the fate of the city will be key in whether negotiations can end the fighting.Zelenskyy said he spoke with leaders of Britain and Sweden on Saturday to discuss how to help forces defending Mariupol.“Either our partners give Ukraine all of the necessary heavy weapons, the planes, and without exaggeration immediately, so we can reduce the pressure of the occupiers on Mariupol and break the blockade,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation. “Or we do so through negotiations, in which the role of our partners should be decisive.”RUSSIA’S ARSENAL: What weapons are being used in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? A visual guide to key military equipment and locationsUSA TODAY ON TELEGRAM: Join our new Russia-Ukraine war channelLatest developments:►Italy is barring all Russian ships from its ports starting Sunday, as part of expanded EU sanctions announced earlier this month. Ships already in Italian ports must leave immediately “after completing their commercial activity,″ according to a notice sent to port authorities throughout the country.►Russian forces shelled an oil refinery in the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk on Saturday, and a large fire erupted, a regional governor reported.► U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and 12 other British officials are banned from entering Russia, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Saturday, citing “unprecedented hostile actions” by Britain’s government.Ukrainians attempt to evacuate amid continued Russian shellingRussian shelling made it difficult for Ukrainians to evacuate along humanitarian corridors Saturday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.Vereshchuk said 1,449 Ukrainians were able to evacuate Saturday. She said 1,381 people made it to the Zaporizhzhia region using their own transport, including 170 people from the besieged city of Mariupol. But it was impossible for people to evacuate from Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine due to “dense and mass shelling,” Vereshchuk said.Russian forces continued attacks across numerous regions of Ukraine over the weekend, raising the toll of dead and injured.For Ukrainians, agreed-upon humanitarian corridors can be a lifeline out of danger zones. They are specific routes where fighting is agreed to be halted to allow for aid to come in and civilian evacuees to go out, but Ukrainian officials have said Russian forces have continued there on numerous occasions since the corridors were established.Russia continued to batter Kyiv, other Ukrainian regions over the weekendRussia pledged to renew its attacks on military targets in the capital of Kyiv, but Ukrainian officials said attacks were seen in several regions Friday and Saturday, killing at least a half dozen and wounding dozens more. Russia’s bombardment of cities around Ukraine on Saturday included an explosion in Kharkiv that destroyed a community kitchen set up by celebrity chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen. Associated Press journalists at the scene saw the immediate aftermath of the apparent missile attack. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said three people were killed and 34 wounded by missile strikes Saturday in that city alone.One person was killed and several wounded in a missile strike that hit Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, early Saturday. The southern Mykolaiv region was battered Friday and Saturday. According to the presidential office, airstrikes Friday killed five and wounded 15. The head of regional legislature, Hanna Zamazeyeva, said Saturday that 39 people have been wounded in the past 24 hours.Ukraine’s presidential office reported Saturday that missile strikes and shelling occurred in eight regions: Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv in the east, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine and Mykolaiv and Kherson in the south.Ukraine: More than 700 troops, 1K civilians held captive by RussiaUkraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks on Saturday that 700 Ukrainian troops and more than 1,000 civilians — more than half women — are currently being held captive by the Russians.Vereshchuk said Kyiv intends to swap the captive soldiers, since Ukraine holds about the same number of Russian troops but demands to release the civilians “without any conditions.” -The Associated PressContributing: The Associated Press