Ukraine war: Scholz and Macron demand a ceasefire from Putin – the overview in the evening

Ukraine war: Scholz and Macron demand a ceasefire from Putin – the overview in the evening

Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron called Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and asked him to stop the attacks on Ukraine. He, in turn, accuses Ukraine of “genocide.” The situation on Saturday evening.

With attacks from several sides, the Russian army is increasing the pressure on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Suburbs in the northwest have been rocked by heavy airstrikes for days. Meanwhile, Russian tanks are advancing on Kyiv from the north-east at an ever-increasing rate. AFP reporters reported thick plumes of smoke over Kiev’s northeastern suburbs. According to the presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak, Kyiv is in a “state of siege”.

According to the mayor, the airport was destroyed during air raids in Vasylkiv, 40 kilometers to the south, and an oil depot hit by rockets was on fire. There were also attacks on civilian targets such as hospitals and a mosque in other parts of the country. Including in besieged Mariupol, where, according to the authorities, more than 1,500 civilians died in the first twelve days of the Russian siege. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke of the “worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet”.

Sirens also warned of airstrikes in the major cities of Odessa, Dnipro and Kharkiv on Saturday morning. In the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, the Russian army shelled several hospitals, an AFP reporter reported. Among other things, a day clinic for cancer patients and an eye clinic were hit.

Scholz and Macron demand a ceasefire from Putin

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Scholz and Macron also pushed for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. This was announced by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit after a phone call between Scholz and Macron and Putin.

The Kremlin said that Putin had informed Scholz and Macron about the “actual status” of the situation in Ukraine. Above all, the Russian President addressed numerous cases of massive human rights violations by Ukrainian security forces. Russia claims that a “genocide” against the Russian population is taking place in eastern Ukraine. There is no evidence for this.

Ukrainian units would execute dissenters, take hostages and use civilians as shields, and station heavy weapons in residential areas. “Nationalist” troops would systematically prevent evacuation attempts and intimidate civilians who wanted to flee, Putin said in the conversation. The Kremlin chief asked Scholz and Macron to put pressure on Ukraine to stop such crimes. Ukraine, for its part, accuses Russia and the separatists of serious war crimes.

Zelenskyj: “Biggest blow to the Russian army in decades”

About 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since war broke out in Ukraine more than two weeks ago. That’s what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said to journalists. The Ukrainian army has so far kept a low profile when it comes to information about losses in its own ranks and only named the number of allegedly killed Russian soldiers. “We killed about 1,300 soldiers and Russia killed more than 12,000,” said the president. The figures cannot be independently verified.

Russian forces have suffered significant casualties since the start of their attack on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “This is the biggest blow to the Russian army in decades,” Zelenskyy said in a published video message. “Nowhere has it lost more in so few days,” Zelenskjy said on the 17th day of the war. “Our armed forces are doing everything to discourage the enemy from continuing the war against Ukraine. The losses of the Russian troops are colossal.”

According to Ukrainian data, more than 360 Russian tanks and more than 1,200 other armored vehicles have been destroyed so far, as well as about 60 combat aircraft and 80 helicopters.

Most recently, on the second day of the war, February 25, Selenskyj spoke of 137 fallen Ukrainian soldiers. In its only statement so far on March 2, Russia had given a figure of almost 500 killed by its own armed forces. The Donetsk separatists recently spoke of around 200 of their own fighters having been killed so far. At the beginning of March, Moscow claimed that 2,870 soldiers had already been killed on the Ukrainian side.

The most important messages at a glance:

Russia threatens to attack Western arms supplies

Russia has threatened attacks on western arms supplies in Ukraine. Moscow has warned the US that the “orchestrated pumping in of arms by a number of states is not only a dangerous move but also makes these convoys legitimate targets” for army attacks, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. Since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine began on February 24, numerous countries had supplied the country with weapons. Shortly after the invasion, the EU decided to provide Ukraine with military aid totaling 500 million euros and is considering doubling the sum.

Almost 123,000 war refugees in Germany

More and more war refugees from Ukraine arrive in Germany. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 122,837 people have come to Germany from Ukraine since the Russian attack began on February 24. A spokesman said these were figures from the federal police, which are currently checking more intensively. However, since there are no fixed border controls at the internal borders, the number of war refugees entering Germany could actually be significantly higher. According to the UN, more than 2.5 million people from Ukraine have already sought refuge abroad.

Special trains bring refugees from Poland to Germany – airlift to Moldova

Special trains will be deployed in Poland this weekend to bring refugees from Ukraine to Germany. Polish Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker said there will be nine special trains to Germany on each of the two days of the weekend, in addition to the eight regular trains that run daily between Poland and Germany.

The German government wants to set up an airlift for the refugees in the Republic of Moldova. As a first step, Germany will take in 2,500 refugees who have been searching in the small country, said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) during a visit to the capital Chisinau. She added: “It is clear that this can only be a start.” Baerbock spoke out in favor of setting up an international airlift to fly out refugees from neighboring countries to Ukraine.

Ukraine accuses Russia of attacking a mosque housing 80 civilians in Mariupol

The Russian army has attacked a mosque housing more than 80 civilians in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol, according to Ukrainian sources. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that among the adults and children who sought protection in the mosque were Turkish citizens. However, a representative of the Muslim community said the mosque itself was not hit. According to Instagram, a bomb fell 700 meters from the mosque.

Ukraine scraps fuel tax over war

To support the domestic economy, Ukraine has abolished taxes on diesel and gasoline. “This is not only being done in connection with sowing, which, as always, must be started very quickly, immediately,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The step should also ensure that there is no shortage of fuel and that prices remain stable. This affects both mineral oil tax and value added tax. Since the Russian attack, petrol and diesel had run out due to high demand in many parts of the country. In addition, rationing was introduced in many regions and the delivery at petrol stations was limited to 20 liters per vehicle.

… and more background on the Ukraine war

Source: Stern

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