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Russia blows up Mariupol port on the Sea of ​​Azov as it tightens its coast

The Russian military left the Ukrainian port of Mariupol under relentless shelling on Thursday as the week-long war in Ukraine inflicted ever-greater damage on civilians in the country’s largest cities.

Mariupol’s shelling of the Sea of ​​Azov comes as Russian forces tighten a siege in the southeastern part of the country, gain control of the Black Sea city of Kherson and move further north.

Pyotr Andriushchenko, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol, said the city was facing a “humanitarian disaster” as Russian forces blocked all exits and entrances to the city and prevented the evacuation of those who were injured. love.

“We have been under constant fire for the past 20 hours,” he said by phone from the city. “We have had no heating, electricity and water for two days now.” He added that shelling had injured more than 150 people in the past 24 hours.

Andriushchenko said the Russians are using multiple Grad and Smerch missile launchers as well as their air force to target the city, one of Ukraine’s largest ports.

The aide said Mariupol was a symbolic target, a frontline city fighting nearby pro-Russian separatists for the past eight years. “It’s a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, that’s why they just want to turn it into a pile of ashes,” he said. “This is not a military operation – they are trying to wipe this city off the face of the earth.”

Taking Mariupol would give Russia full control of Ukraine’s southeastern coast, making it possible for the country to deal a huge blow to the country’s economy by cutting one of its biggest ports from global shipping. .

Eduard Basurin, the commander of pro-Moscow separatists in the breakaway Donetsk region, bordering Mariupol, has called on Ukrainian troops to surrender in the city to avoid attacks, according to Interfax news agency.

The Ukrainian military said that four Russian amphibious ships accompanied by three missile boats were moving towards Odesa, another port on the Black Sea, which has so far remained relatively calm because of the fighting.

UN officials say more than a million refugees are now fleeing to neighboring countries as Russian troops continue their heavy weapons attacks on Ukraine’s urban centers.

But despite a near-consecutive attack that has confined tens of thousands of people to bomb shelters, Ukraine’s biggest cities – such as the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv – remain under government control. Ukrainian government.

The main body of a large Russian unit entering Kyiv is still more than 30 kilometers from the city center, delayed by “resolute Ukrainian resistance, mechanical problems and congestion”, according to an update. Intelligence of the British Ministry of Defense.

It said the column had made “clear small progress over three days”.

Earlier, the Russian army had gained control of Kherson, a major administrative center to the south, with its capture marking a significant breakthrough for Russia’s southern campaign.

The Ukrainian military has yet to confirm Kherson’s fall, but on Wednesday night, mayor Igor Kolykhayev appeared to confirm that Russian troops were in control of the city.

“Armed guests came to us today on City Council,” he wrote on Facebook. “I didn’t make any promises to them. . . . I just ask them not to shoot at people.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on Twitter: “Villages and towns where Russian troops are permanently located are immediately turned into sites of looting, looting and murder.”

A military truck and tank are seen on the street of Kherson, Ukraine on March 1,

A Russian military truck and tank were seen on a street in Kherson on Tuesday © via Reuters

Residents of other frontline cities emerged from another night in bomb shelters to see further devastation from shelling and rocket fire, with the capital Kyiv suffering four massive explosions just before the dawn. bright.

The new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine did not take place on Wednesday night as planned due to the two sides not agreeing on a venue. Earlier, Russia said its representatives would visit a site on Ukraine’s borders with Belarus and Poland. The head of Zelensky’s party in parliament has signaled that Ukraine remains ready to participate in further negotiations.

The invasion has taken a heavy toll, creating a refugee crisis that is growing rapidly on a scale not seen on mainland Europe since the fall of Nazi Germany. The UN estimates that more than 1 million mainly women and children have left Ukraine, mainly across the border with Poland.

In an emotional speech, Zelensky said the Ukrainian people have lived through two world wars, the Holodomor famine, the Holocaust, Soviet terrorism, the Chernobyl nuclear explosion as well as Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support the rebels in the east.

“We don’t have the largest territory… we don’t have nuclear weapons, we don’t supply oil and gas to international markets. But we have our people. We have our land. This is what we are fighting for.”

Revealing the growing challenges of invasion and occupation, Russia on Wednesday acknowledged heavy casualties in the campaign for the first time, revealing 498 dead and 1,597 wounded. Ukraine said the figure was much higher, but did not disclose its damage.

Sanctions have hit Russia’s economy hard, and its vast commodity market is shunned by refiners, banks and ship owners. Oil has skyrocketed highest level over nine years, with the global benchmark for Brent crude reaching $118 per barrel.

In a sign of Russia’s growing economic isolation, index provider MSCI said it would exclude Russian shares from widely watched emerging market indexes, while also warning that sanctions have made the country’s stocks “uninvestable”.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States remained open to a diplomatic solution, but called on Russia to first halt military activities in Ukraine. “De-escalate, pull out forces, that will open the way to diplomacy,” he said.

Blinken said he would fly to Brussels on Thursday to continue coordination with NATO and G7 allies, and then to Poland and Moldova.

His visit comes as the Pentagon begins sending anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine, according to a US official, a step the White House has been reluctant to take in preparation for the invasion. U.S.-supplied fuses helped the Mujahideen push the Soviets out of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Neither Russian nor Ukrainian Air Force established their dominance sky above War Zone.

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