Russia’s defence ministry said Saturday it had resumed ‘offensive actions’ in Ukraine after announcing a ceasefire earlier in the day to allow residents of two besieged cities to evacuate
Smoke rise after shelling by Russian forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, Friday, March 4, 2022.(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday warned any ‘third-party’ against the declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying any such attempt would be seen as a “step into the military conflict” between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
This comes as Ukraine accused Russia of breaching a ceasefire arranged in two cities- Mariupol and Volnovakha for the evacuation of civilians.
Russian troops ‘bomb’ Mariupol
Ukrainian officials in the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol city put off a planned evacuation of residents Saturday saying that Russian troops have been bombing the city.
While laying siege to Mariupol for days, Russian forces also cut its electricity, food, water, heating and transportation in the depths of winter, prompting comparisons to the Nazi blockade of Leningrad in World War II.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia announced a ceasefire and said it opened humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from the strategic port town of Mariupol and neighbouring Volnovakha.
Zelenskyy claims ‘10,000 Russians troops killed’
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that his country’s forces were holding key cities in the central and southeastern part of the country Saturday, while the Russians were trying to block and keep encircled Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy.
“We’re inflicting losses on the occupants they could not see in their worst nightmare,” Zelenskyy said. He alleged that 10,000 Russian troops were killed in the 10 days of the war, a claim that could not be independently verified.
The Russian military on Wednesday said that it lost 500 troops in the fighting.
UN says 351 Ukraine civilians killed
The UN human rights office says at least 351 civilians have been killed and 707 wounded in Ukraine since the start of the invasion.
However, it added that the real number could be much higher.
‘Stay inside’ India tells students in Ukraine’s Sumy
Meanwhile, India on Saturday said it has “strongly pressed” the Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe passage for the Indian students stuck in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the students have been advised to take safety precautions such as staying inside shelters.
Nearly 700 Indian students are stranded in Sumy which is located 60 km from the Russian border.
The students have been sending SOS messages and posting videos on social media platforms, pleading for their urgent evacuation from the besieged city.
Earlier in the day, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv said it was in touch with all the interlocutors concerned, including the Red Cross, to identify the exit routes to take out the Indians from Sumy.
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired high-level security meeting on the Ukraine crisis.
NATO gave green light to Russian shelling, says Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy slammed NATO over the alliance’s refusal to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
He said that “NATO has given the green light to Russian shelling of Ukrainian villages and cities.”
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg earlier ruled out a no-fly zone saying that it “would risk a wider war with Russia.”
21 Indian sailors stuck in Ukraine
Nearly 21 Indian sailors on board a merchant ship are stuck for quite some time at the Port of Mykolaiv in war-hit Ukraine but all of them are “safe” and in “regular contact” with their families and the ship manning agency, according to the agency founder and CEO Sanjay Prashar.
The crew has not come out of the vessel since the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine late last month, Prashar told PTI.
China calls for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine
Beijing urged direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine during a Saturday call between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his American counterpart Antony Blinken, as the war following Moscow’s invasion entered the tenth day.
The exchange marked the first call between the country’s top diplomats since the beginning of hostilities marked by heavy Russian bombardment and fierce resistance from Ukrainian fighters who maintain control of the capital Kyiv.
The talks came on the day Blinken arrived in Poland where he met refugees who fled the war in Ukraine.
According to the UN, over 1.37 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on 24 February.
With inputs from agencies
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