At least eight people have been killed in a bomb blast near the Ukrainian capital, Russia, on Sunday night. KievAccording to Ukrainian officials, the number of victims may increase, as the report so far is based on preliminary information.
The entire southern part of the large shopping center in the Podilsky district was destroyed, causing extensive damage to buildings and cars hundreds of meters away.
Russia says it used it today High precision long range missiles To attack a shopping center in Kiev that is said to have been altered by the Ukrainian military Ammunition depot.
“High-precision long-range weapons systems destroyed a Ukrainian multi-rocket launcher and ammunition storage facility in the mall in the early hours of March 21,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Yenokor told a news conference.
His latest information report British Ministry of Defense Published today, says The main volume Russian forces remain 25 km from the city center. However, “despite the lack of continuous improvement, Kiev continues Primary military target Priority will be given to Russia and its efforts to encircle the city in the coming weeks.
At the same time, the Russians intensified his attacks South Country. On Monday, Russian forces bombed its port city Odessa. Ukrainian officials said some residential buildings on the outskirts of the city were targeted. There is For the first time buildings there were attacked. A spokesman for the regional military administration said No casualties were reported.
The Russian navy has set aside Odessa, which is considered an important strategic and symbolic target for Russia. A U.S. defense official said he had seen it Russian naval activity increased in the northern Black Sea It is estimated that part of the bombing around Odessa came from these warships, but there are still no signs of an impending waterfall attack against Odessa.
Russia’s northern waters have more than a dozen warships, including waterfalls, surface fighter jets, landmines and patrol boats, the official said.
“Gray” is like Mariupol
Humanitarian drama is intensifying in Mariupol, located in The focus of the Russian attacks from the beginning War in Ukraine. Millions of civilians are without access to water, heat or electricity, Western officials say. War crimes In the port city.
The city is turning gray, but it will survive, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky.
After the Russian final warning – with Threats Against municipal officials to “military courts”– Fear of the public of the city among them Thousands of foreignersIntensify more.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine today described the situation as “very difficult”. Irina Verrestch.
Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Alexei Resnikov“Mariupol’s bodyguards played a major role in destroying the enemy’s plans,” he said, adding that Russian forces had been delayed, while acknowledging the “difficult situation” at the national level. Resnikov said on Facebook that he had encountered such a large Russian gun force in Mariupol.
“Tens of thousands of lives have been saved across Ukraine. Today Mariupol is saving Kiev, Dnipro and Odessa. This must be understood by all,” Resnikov said on Facebook.
Mariupol, a symbol of the barbarity of war, is a city almost completely destroyed, immersed in the dream of humanity. It is estimated that 90% of the buildings were destroyed, and Ukrainian authorities reported that at least 2,300 civilians had been killed.
Zhelensky: We will never heed Russian final warnings
The Ukraine “Russia cannot accept the final warning,” the president said Monday Volodymyr ZhelenskyIn an interview with a regional public website.
“Ukraine cannot accept any Russian final warning. They must destroy all of us first, and only then will their final warnings be respected,” he said on the Suspline website, which also released a video of the interview.
“They say: ‘We (the Russians) are sending a final warning, here are all the points, keep them, and then we will stop the war’: that’s not right, there will be no end,” he continued. People are united. “
For example, it wants to hand over Moscow, Kharkov, Mariupol or Kiev, Gelensky explained. However he emphasized that the letter was not a signal of a formal antitrust inquiry into the allegations.
“We see more resistance in the occupied cities of Melitopolis and Berdyansk (…).” (The Russians) raise a flag, and the people raise it, “he continued.
“What do you want; destroy us all. That’s why I answer: If we are not here anymore, we can not accept this final warning,” he concluded.
Belarus may soon attack Ukraine
At the same time, a senior NATO official expressed concern about the coalition Belarus may soon attack Ukraine And preparing to allow Russia Nuclear weapons In its territory.
“The Belarusian government is preparing the ground to justify the Belarusian attack on Ukraine and the immediate development of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official added that while Belarus had allowed Russian troops to use its territory to launch ground and air operations, NATO had not found any evidence that Russian troops were directly involved in the war in Ukraine.
Explaining the conflict, the officer noted Is on the edge of the barrierUkrainian forces are blocking Russia’s progress, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is reluctant to back down.
“If we’re not already at a dead end, we’re getting closer fast. That’s the reality Neither side is superior to the other“It is significant to remember the inequality of power when this struggle began,” the official told reporters during a conference at NATO headquarters.
“You will not get to this point if you do not make a series of mistakes,” the official added.
Warned Particularly dangerous at the dead end However, since its halt to its progress, Russia has sought to use the most brutal weapons against civilian targets.
