The missile attack caused a gaping hole in the center of the nine-story building. /
Kremlin troops, forced back on the southern front, cling to indiscriminate missile strikes from a distance
In other circumstances it should be a significant gesture, but the record shows that Russia has barely kept its word in the 35 days it has been massacring Ukraine. This Tuesday from the Kremlin a “radical” reduction in attacks in the north of the country it occupies was announced. In what is interpreted by some as the first apparent sign of progress in the Turkey talks, Moscow promised to reduce the intensity of its military activity near kyiv and other northern regions such as Chernigov, where, by the way, it has more problems to break the defenses. local. The apparent concession, therefore, is quarantined.
Moscow said in Istanbul through its Deputy Defense Minister, Alexander Fomin, that it seeks to “increase mutual trust” after “constructive” negotiations that should lead to the “ultimate goal of signing a peace agreement.” Last night, withdrawals were already observed around the capital and Chernigov, as confirmed by the chief of the Ukrainian General Staff.
WAR NOTES:
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7
people lost their lives on Tuesday in the attack on the headquarters of the Mikolaiv regional government. -
Governor of the region.
“Putin wants revenge for Mikolaiv’s resistance, which prevents him from reaching Odessa” -
Indiscipline.
The Moscow commanders have problems rotating soldiers due to the rejection of many of them
Bloody bombardments continued in the south. This Tuesday the city chosen as a target by the Russian Army was the port of Mikolaiv, where the headquarters of the regional government was partially destroyed after several days of calm. Among the rubble, rescuers tried throughout the day to remove the bodies of the fatalities and the survivors. The regional governor, Vitaly Kim, initially assured on his Facebook page that “eight civilians and three soldiers” were being sought. Hours later, the president, Volodímir Zelenski, who appeared by videoconference before the Parliament of Denmark, confirmed that at least seven people lost their lives and twenty-two were injured.
“He wants revenge”
Kim accused Russian forces of waiting until workers arrived at their jobs in the building to attack. “Putin wants revenge for Mikolaiv’s resistance that prevents him from reaching Odessa,” he added. The missile attack caused a huge hole in the center of the nine-storey building and shook the neighboring residential building. The neighbors were forced to flee in their pajamas or nightgowns. Yelena Dolguikh, 65, told the BBC that she was preparing breakfast when her entire apartment was shaken. “I went down as it was. I just grabbed my papers and my dog,” she said.
Mikolaiv had celebrated the day before the seventy-eighth anniversary of his liberation by the Soviet Red Army after its occupation by Nazi troops during World War II.
On the other hand, in southern Ukraine, new counter-attacks against the occupiers were reported. The American television network CNN recounted Russia’s difficulties in maintaining its front line and local success in harassing enemy helicopters at the nearby Kherson airport. The Kremlin troops could have retreated about fifty kilometers after heavy fighting near the city of Kryvyi Rih, as reported by Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of this town.
According to various sources, the commanders have problems reinforcing and rotating their soldiers due to the rejection of many of them. “They are not capable of staffing even a battalion-tactical group,” Vilkul said.
Ten million displaced
The region, the initial target of the ‘special operation’ ordered by Vladimir Putin, continues to resist despite the fact that there is a large presence of a population of Russian origin. In fact, the only significant achievement is the taking of Kherson in the first week of March. This city is considered as the first important advance towards a possible offensive against Odessa, the third largest city in Ukraine.
It has been more than a month since Russian tanks entered Ukraine in the hope of paralyzing or overthrowing the democratic government in kyiv. The fighting has already forced more than 10 million people – about a quarter of the population – to flee their homes and, according to Zelensky, left at least 20,000 dead.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba asked the international community to “criminalize” the use of the letter ‘Z’ as a symbol to support Moscow in the invasion. In a message spread through his Twitter account, he pointed out that it involves “bombing of cities and war crimes”, in addition to “thousands of murders”. “Public support for this barbarity must be prohibited and outlawed for there to be criminal liability for its use,” he claimed.
The Russian Armed Forces have used this letter to mark Army equipment during the invasion since February 24, which is why it has become a symbol of support for Moscow’s actions.
Several EU countries coordinate the expulsion of Russian diplomats
European Union states such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and the Czech Republic announced on Tuesday the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats suspected of espionage. This is a coordinated action in the framework of the war in Ukraine. Belgium decided to eliminate the residence permit of twenty-one people who work for the embassy and the consulate in Brussels, accused of being involved in “influence operations that threaten national security”, in the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès.
Ireland did the same with four representatives of the Kremlin, considering that their activities “do not meet international standards of diplomatic behavior.” The Netherlands announced, for its part, that it will expel seventeen Russians who acted as intelligence officers. In parallel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic said that a diplomat from the Russian legation in Prague has been given 72 hours to leave the country.
