On its 17th day Russian invasion of UkraineNew attempts were made to evacuate civilians in the midst of heavy bombardment by Russian forcesAt the same time there were reports of fierce clashes around Kyiv.
In addition, it is proposed to open new humanitarian corridors so that civilians can evacuate areas under severe attack, i.e. Mariupol, the city of Sufi near the Russian border and small towns and villages outside Kiev.
Fear of a large-scale attack in Kiev
British intelligence said Russian forces were now within 25 kilometers of the center of Kiev, while Ukrainian officials feared that Moscow was preparing for a large-scale attack on Kiev.
AP: Stunning video from Mariupol
Russian forces occupied the eastern suburbs of the city and were able to land in the area.
An Associated Press video shows a Russian tank marked “Z” on a road in the suburbs of Mariupol.
Among other things, the video shows tank firing in apartment buildings.
Warning! The hardest pictures are:
It also points out that satellite images taken Saturday morning showed extensive damage to public infrastructure and homes across Mariupol, according to private US firm Maxar.
Zhelensky – Bennett Communication for Peace Talks
On Saturday, Zhelensky said he was in contact with Israeli Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett and discussed the possibility of peace talks with Russia to end the war.
Zelensky posted the announcement on Twitter, saying he had asked Bennett to help release Mayor Melitopolis, who Ukraine claims had been abducted by Russian forces.
Ukraine: 7 civilians killed in Russian attack on evacuation procession
On Saturday, the Ukrainian intelligence service reported that seven civilians had been killed when Russia opened fire on a procession carrying out an evacuation operation.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Verrestuk said that on Saturday about 13,000 people were able to evacuate Ukrainian cities, more than double the number evicted the previous day.
However, Weretsuk said no one was able to get out of the besieged Mariupol and blamed Russian forces for blocking the evacuation efforts. Moscow has previously accused Ukrainian forces of deliberately holding prisoners in the city.
Russia has warned the United States to change its weapons
It is noteworthy that Russia has stated that the transfer of arms from NATO countries to Ukraine will be considered a “legitimate target” of military action, amid dangerous new tensions.
Rybakov, Russia has warned the United States that the transfer of weapons from some of the countries it leads is not a dangerous move, but a move to turn these processions into legitimate military targets.
Zhelensky: 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers were killed
In addition, during a press conference in Kiev, Zhelensky said that “about 1,300” Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
“We have about 1,300 troops missing,” he said without elaborating.
This is the first official figure released by Ukrainian authorities since the beginning of the invasion. He said the Russian army had lost “about 12,000 people.”
However, the BBC reported that it could not verify what Zhelensky said.
Protests over the abduction of the mayor of Melidopolis
Also, Melidopolis residents took to the streets to protest the alleged abduction of the city’s mayor by Russian forces.
On Friday, Ukrainian authorities released a video showing Ivan Fedorov walking blindfolded. He is said to have been abducted from his office with a bag over his head for refusing to cooperate with Russian forces.
France: Putin is relentless
Earlier on Saturday, during a telephone conversation with French President Emanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Souls today, a French presidential official said Putin was unwilling to end the war with Ukraine.
According to him, Macron and Salts reiterated that a ceasefire in Ukraine should be implemented immediately as a condition of full negotiations.
2.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country
As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about 2.5 million Ukrainians fled to neighboring countries.
Poland says more than 1.6 million people have arrived, while Moldova says it is on the “edge” of accepting refugees.
Follow kathimerini.gr in Google News to find out all the news first
See all of the latest News From Greece and the world kathimerini.gr
