Ukraine war, day 22: Attacks on civilians go on, Mariupol faces dramatic humanitarian crisis. UK intelligence: Russian invasion was blocked on all fronts

In the 22nd day of war in Ukraine, the Russian troops continued to launch attacks against civilian targets. The latest satellite images show significant damage in Ukraine – ruined cities, destroyed infrastructure, apartment buildings or other civilian spaces destroyed by the incessant bombardment of the invaders.

About 30,000 people have already fled so far the southern port city of Mariupol, which has been targeted by Russian bombings for the past two weeks. Mariupol is also facing the worst humanitarian crisis in its history – the city has run out of food, water and electricity.

Mariupol Deputy Mayor Serhiy Orlov believes that the city is currently 80-90% destroyed, the death toll has exceeded 2,300, but many people have not yet been removed from the rubble, so the death toll could be higher.

The deputy mayor added that the victims of the war are buried in mass graves. About 70% of the dead have been identified – authorities are trying to keep track: those with documents are recorded in tables. People are buried in Central Park because the outskirts of the city are closed – the Russian army does not allow entry into existing cemeteries. Some people bury their dead in their backyards.

According to Orlov, the occupants fired at the tires of the fire engines so that they could not go to put out the fires. The official also said that doctors from the city are being taken hostages, with Russian occupiers forcing them to treat their injured.

The other night, Russian invaders fired rockets at a theater in which more than 1,200 civilians had taken refuge, mostly women and children. The death toll is not yet known. However, a local official told CNN that people who were taking refuge in the theatre are being taken alive from the debris.

“Under a terrible night without too many news, we finally have some good news from Mariupol this morning. The bomb shelter of the theatre has resisted. The rubble start being cleaned, with people getting out alive from there”, said Serghei Taruta.

In the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, 53 people were killed by Russian forces on Wednesday alone, regional governor Viacheslav Chaus was quoted as saying by The Guardian on Thursday. At least 10 people were killed in Chernihiv on Wednesday while waiting in line for bread. “Today, Russian forces shot and killed 10 people queuing for bread in Chernihiv. Such horrific attacks must stop. We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any heinous crime in Ukraine, “the US embassy in Kyiv reacted to twitter shortly after the attack.

The head of the Lugansk Regional Military Administration, Serhi Gaidai, said on Thursday that Russian invaders bombed the town of Rubijne all night, damaging at least 27 houses, which caught fire due to the bombings.

In Popasna and Severodonetsk, many homes were also set on fire, Rador reports.

“On the night of March 16-17, the Russians organized a hell in Ruby, shooting all night. As a result of the Russian attacks, at least 27 houses in the city caught fire in the city. In some places, there are whole streets with burning houses. At least five other fires took place in Popasna and one in Severodonetsk. We are going to find out information about the victims,” the official wrote on Telegram.

Gaidai noted that the Russian army was deliberately firing on civilians, who were not allowed to leave the town safely. The official reminded that the other day, the Russians fired on the buses with refugees from Rubijne, and on March 16 – on those who were leaving Mariupol.

Russian military used tear gas to disperse Ukrainian protesters gathered in the occupied city of Skadovsk. Ukrainians protested against the occupiers and demanded the release of the mayor and two other officials who were abducted by the invaders. US troops detained Mayor Alexander Yakolev, Deputy Mayor Alexander Grishchenko and Local Council Secretary Yuri Paliukha said on Wednesday morning that a Ukrainian citizen had asked to remain anonymous, according to CNN.

The videos on social media show the Russians firing tear gas at the peaceful protesters who sang and chanted in an attempt to secure the release of the three officials. Iakolev was later released, but the fate of the other two is unknown.

The mayor of Mariupol, previously abducted, was also released.

Russian bombing also destroyed last night a school and a house in Merefa Culture (Kharkiv).

In #Merefa, #Russian occupiers destroyed a school and a house of culture.

They shelled this town in the #Kharkiv region at 3:30. Houses nearby were also damaged. pic.twitter.com/DByfDFKllA

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 17, 2022

A Russian rocket was shot down by Kiev’s defense forces, but its remains fell on a block of flats. One man died and three were injured. The residential building was hit around 5:02 a.m. local time on Thursday morning in the Darnitsky district of the Ukrainian capital, and firefighters and rescue crews were dispatched to the scene. People have been evacuated from the upper floors, and rescue operations are now focused on dismantling the structures to look for those who could be found under the rubble.

UK intelligence: Invasion blocked on all fronts

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is being held back on almost all targets and continues to suffer heavy losses in the face of a strong and well-coordinated defense, according to the latest assessment by the British military intelligence service.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine was largely blocked on all fronts. Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days and continue to suffer heavy losses. The Ukrainian resistance remains firm and well coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in the hands of Ukrainians,” says the report.

Ukrainian army claims that 14,000 Russian had been killed during the invasion in Ukraine and thousands of armored vehicles and missile systems had been destroyed.

According to a conservative estimate by the US secret services though, more than 7,000 Russian soldiers were killed in less than three weeks of fighting. American also estimate that between 14,000 and 21,000 people in Vladimir Putin’s invading army were wounded, with a total of about 150,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Solutions for humanitarian corridors sought. Zelensky addressed Bundestag

Meanwhile, Ukraine hopes new humanitarian colors open on Thursday, including in Mariupol – Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk

At the same time, the UN Security Council is set to convene to discuss the humanitarian crisis, but the chances of an outcome of any kind are slim, as Russia chairs the Council in March. The United States, Britain, France, Ireland, Norway and Albania have called for the meeting, according to diplomatic sources, following a sharp rise in bombings in civilian areas in recent days. However, it is very likely that the results will not be very good, given that Russia holds the presidency of the Security Council in March.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised on Thursday morning that Ukraine would rebuild all homes destroyed by Russian invaders. In a video message broadcast early Thursday morning, Zelensky said Ukrainian officials were already working on the reconstruction plan. “Regardless of the damage, I am confident in the country’s ability to rebuild everything quickly,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president also said that on Wednesday, humanitarian corridors set up to evacuate civilians did not work and accused Russian forces of failing to comply with the ceasefire agreement. Zelensky also said that the inhabitants of Mariupol, a port city besieged by Russian forces, who managed to reach the neighboring city of Berdiansk, are being transferred to Zaporozhye.

After addressing the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed German lawmakers on Thursday, in Bundestag at 8:00 GMT.

“Dear German people. (…) Russia is bombing our cities and destroying everything. Thousands of people, including children, were killed by occupiers. Some sanctions are not enough to stop the war. Russian companies were to finance the war.With every bomb falling on Ukraine, Russia is increasingly marginalized internationally. Why, dear Germans, did this happen? “, Said the President of Ukraine,” Zelensky saidnin his speech.

Ukraine will be in the European Union. It is difficult for us to live without the world’s support. Everybody should help us so that after the war they should not be ashamed of not having intervened. 80 years after WWII. What is the historical responsibility worth it?”, he added.
The Ukrainian president asked Germany to tear down the wall erected in Europe against freedom along with the war kicked off by Vladimir Putin.

“Dear Chancellor Scholz, destroy that wall, give Germany the role of leader it deserves it”.

Unprecedented cyber attacks on Russian government websites. Putin slams pro-Westerns as “country traitors”

Russian government websites are facing unprecedented cyber attacks, and Moscow is working to filter foreign web traffic and prevent future attacks. The Russian government and state-owned companies have been targeted by cyber attacks following the invasion of Ukraine – the websites of the Kremlin, the national airline Aeroflot and Sberbank are among those that have been temporarily blocked or have fallen as a result of attacks in recent weeks.

Vladimir Putin said that pro-Western Russians who criticize his invasion of Ukraine are “traitors to the country.” The Russian president made the statement during a televised speech on Wednesday, CNN reports.

“The West will try to rely on the so-called Column 5, on traitors, on those who make money here, but live there. And when I say “there,” I don’t mean it geographically, but based on their thoughts, their conscience as slaves,” Putin said.

“These people cannot live without oysters and gender freedom,” he added.

Putin’s reference to “Column 5” is a reference to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and refers to people working with the enemy during a conflict.

In his turn, Putin’s closest ally, Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev said that Russian has the strength to put away “the insolent” enemies led by the United States and that Moscow will foil the russophobic plot to divide Russia.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that many people in Russia were “traitors”, citing those who resigned from work and left the country in the context of the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.

Dmitri Peskov, Kremlin’s spokesperson said this is how cleansing takes place.

It seems that Kremlin started to take actions at the helm of the military and intelligence institutions involved in the Ukraine invasion. The director of the well-known Bellingcat investigation site, Christo Grozev, says that an important Russian general has been arrested by the Federal Security Service.

“Three independent sources say that the deputy of the Rosgvardia in Russia (the National Guard, a unit of Russia’s internal armed forces, which suffered huge losses in Ukraine), General Roman Gavrilov, has been detained by the FSB,” Grozev announced, saying that the general was detained by the FSB’s military counterintelligence department for ‘leaking military information that resulted in loss of life’, while two other sources say it was “unnecessary fuel waste”.

Panamanian merchant ship was sunk by Russian missiles in the Black Sea

A Panamanian-flagged merchant ship has been sunk by Russian rockets in the Black Sea, and two other ships are damaged, Panamanian Maritime Authority chief Noriel Arauz said on Wednesday. The crews of the ships are safe, he said.

“We know that three boats were the victims of Russian rocket attacks. One of these ships sank and the other two floated, but suffered material damage,” Arauz told reporters.

Russian naval forces are banning 200 to 300 merchant ships from various countries from “coming out of the Black Sea,” the Panamanian maritime authority said. Ten Panamanian-flagged ships, mostly carrying grain, and about 150 of their crew members are stranded in the Black Sea.

Japan detects four Russian warships loaded with military vehicles on their way to Europe

Moreover, the authorities in Japan announced that four Russian warships have been seen sailing near the Japanese archipelago, heading west, most likely to Europe. In the photos published by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, one of the ships appears to be military vehicles. Japanese authorities believe it is possible that the ships will be heading for Ukraine.

Another Russian oligarch’s residence seized in Italy

The Italian Financial Guard (Guardia di Finanza) on Wednesday seized a residential complex on the island of Sardinia, owned by former Russian minister and banker Petr Olegovich Aven, included in the list of oligarchs sanctioned by the European Union (EU) after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports EFE.

The residential complex is located in Punta Sardegna, north of Porto Cervo, and a third of it is owned, almost EUR 4 M worth, by 67-year-old Russian oligarch Olegovich Aven, who recently resigned as director of Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest commercial bank. He was Minister of International Economic Affairs under President Boris Yeltsin and, according to Forbes magazine, has a wealth of over $ 5 billion and ranks 529th in the world’s richest people.

The oligarch is considered one of the 50 Russian billionaires who regularly meet in the Kremlin with Vladimir Putin, being considered by the EU one of the main exponents of the petitions of the Russian president.

Switzerland to enforce EU sanctions against Russian oligarchs and officials

Switzerland announced on Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on nearly 200 Russian businessmen and officials, a historic decision for the country known for its neutrality.

Mattea Meyer, co-chair of the Social Democratic Party, called for harsh measures against Russians close to President Vladimir Putin and his government.

“Part (of the money) belongs to oligarchs loyal to the Kremlin. Their money and their activities (…) help to finance the war,” he said, adding that Switzerland “must do everything possible to turn off the tap with money. ”

The Swiss Bankers’ Association (SBA) estimates that local banks keep between 150 billion and 200 billion Swiss francs (about $ 213 billion) from some Russian customers in offshore accounts.

The amount is much higher than that reported by Swiss banks in their balance sheets, showing the extent of their business with customers in Russia.

The revelation made by the SBA is a rare one for Switzerland, a country known for its tenacity in defending banking secrecy and opposition to transparency demands.