Ukraine Daily

Monday, March 14

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian, Russian delegations to restart negotiations via video conference at 10:30 a.m. Kyiv time. The time was confirmed by David Arakhamia, member of the delegation and leader of Zelensky’s party in parliament, according to the Telegram channel of Interior Ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko.

Zelensky warns NATO that ‘it’s a matter of time’ before Russia attacks their members. In a recent video address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had warned NATO that without preventive sanctions, Russia would begin a war, and that Moscow would use Nord Stream 2 as a weapon. “Now it’s obvious,” he said. “Now I repeat again: If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory, on NATO territory, on the homes of NATO citizens.”

Ukrainian forces destroy 4 planes, 3 helicopters on March 13. The Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that it had downed 7 Russian aircraft and an unmanned aerial vehicle on March 13 using anti-aircraft missiles.

Captured Russian soldiers will face punishment in Ukraine or be used for prisoner exchange. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced that Ukraine would follow international humanitarian laws when dealing with Russian POWs.

Pro-Kremlin local MP in Melitopol announces broadcasting of Russian TV. Halyna Danylchenko cited a “great deficit of trustworthy information” as a reason to introduce Russian state-owned TV in the occupied city. Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedoriv was kidnapped by Russia two days ago.

Reuters: Ukraine employs Clearview AI facial recognition. The Defense Ministry has reportedly been granted free access to the U.S. start-up’s system, which will help to identify individuals at checkpoints, Russian forces, and the deceased, as well as fight disinformation.

Read the Kyiv Independent’s exclusive on how Covid-19 patients face dilemma of infecting others while hiding in bomb shelters.

UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch wants to house Ukrainian refugees. Cumberbatch told Sky News that he hoped to participate in the new “Homes for Ukraine” program that offers accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. “Everyone needs to do as much as they can,” he said.

Russia threatens Western companies with arrests, asset seizures. Russian prosecutors issued warnings that companies may have their assets seized for pulling out of Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing its sources. Additionally, they may arrest corporate leaders who criticize the government.

Kadyrov says he’s near Kyiv. A video published by Chechen TV channel Grozny on March 13 supposedly shows Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov speaking with Chechen fighters about an attack that they say took place near the Ukrainian capital. In a Telegram post, Kadyrov claimed he was approaching Kyiv.

UK: Russia has cut Ukraine off from international maritime trade. The U.K. Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian fleet has established a blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

Ukraine evacuates more than 5,550 civilians on March 13. The besieged city of Mariupol seen as the most urgent for evacuation was not mentioned in the list of nine humanitarian corridors that worked out today. Some 3,950 out of the total number were evacuated from towns and cities near Kyiv, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Danilov: Russia plans to land troops in Odesa Oblast but Ukraine is ready. The Russian military planned to do this several days ago but were dissuaded by weather and the troops were temporarily diverted to Russian-occupied Crimea, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said. He added that Ukrainian soldiers are on alert for their eventual return and attempted landing, he added.

Russian forces completely destroy 7 hospitals, damage additional 104. Moscow’s troops have also killed 6 medical personnel while severely injuring 12 more since the start of the all-out war, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said.

At least 756 anti-war protestors detained in Russia on March 13. Independent monitoring group OVD-Info said police had arrested protestors in 37 Russian cities during demonstrations, with half of them in Moscow. CNN reported that journalists are among those detained.

Russia counts on sanctions help from China. Despite the U.S. warning Beijing against helping Moscow to evade sanctions over Ukraine, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said his country is banking on that lifeline to withstand unprecedented Western sanctions. He noted that the sanctions had deprived Moscow of access to $300 billion of $640 billion in gold and foreign exchange reserves, and added that the West is exerting pressure on China to shut off more.

Sullivan: China to face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on March 14, said Washington is closely monitoring Beijing’s moves to economically support Moscow and would “absolutely” impose consequences if needed.

Pope Francis issues toughest condemnation yet of Russia’s war. Without using the word “Russia” in his comments, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church said that the “unacceptable armed aggression” and “massacre” must stop. “Faced with the barbarity of killing of children, of innocents and unarmed civilians, no strategic reasons can hold up,” he told 25,000 people in Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square during his Sunday blessing.

Mykolaiv zoo asks public to buy tickets to save animals from starvation. The southern city has been under attack for days. The struggling zoo, which has been shut down, is asking the public to donate by buying tickets online.

Ukraine seizes 23 trucks belonging to Russian, Belarusian companies. The local government said the trucks were nationalised in Volyn Oblast. Five of them were allocated to the State Border Guard, five to Ukraine’s military, and the rest will be used to transport humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian General Staff: Russia is bringing fighters from Syria, Serbia, Nagorno-Karabakh to replenish troops in Ukraine. Russia is regrouping its troops for an offensive, Ukraine’s General Staff said on March 13.

Red Cross: ceasefire needed to prevent ‘worst-case scenario’ in Mariupol. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that “a worst-case scenario awaits the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped by heavy combat in Mariupol unless the parties reach a concrete humanitarian agreement urgently.” The city has been under Russian siege for over 12 days.

Apartment block in Kyiv on fire after shelling. Firefighters are putting out fire in the two floors of a nine-story apartment block on 20 Bohatyrska St. in the capital’s northern Obolon neighborhood, according to the State Emergency Service. Several lower floors are badly damaged after being hit at around 5 a.m.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Russia claims it killed 180 ’foreign mercenaries’ in missile strike on military training center in western Ukraine. Russian government added that it plans to continue killing foreign nationals in Ukraine, whom it considers mercenaries. The airstrike on the night of March 13 on Yavoriv military training ground in Lviv Oblast killed 35 people and injured 134, according to the Ukrainian authorities. Ukraine denies Russia’s claim that it has killed 180 ‘foreign mercenaries’ in Lviv Oblast.

Russian occupiers kill New York Times contributor in Irpin. According to Andriy Nebytov, the head of the Kyiv Oblast police, video journalist Brent Renaud was killed on March 13 in Irpin, a satellite city outside of Kyiv that has been a hot spot of Russia’s war. Renaud was not on the NYT’s assignment in Ukraine. Two other journalists were wounded in Irpin and hospitalized.

Mariupol city council: Death toll of civilians rises to 2,187. Russia bombed Mariupol, a besieged southeastern port city in Donetsk Oblast, at least 22 times in the last 24 hours, according to the city council. About 400,000 residents are stuck in the city, as Russia continues to block evacuation from Mariupol.

Russia’s war kills 85 Ukrainian children. Almost 100 children have been injured since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Prosecutor General’s Office reports.

Russian troops shell Mykolayiv, 9 people killed. According to the Mykolayiv regional police, the city witnessed heavy shelling and airstrikes overnight.

International response

Australia imposes sanctions on 33 Russian oligarchs, businesspeople. Australia imposed sanctions on those of “economic or strategic significance to Russia.” Among them are oligarch and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, CEO of Gazprom Alexey Miller, and Chairman of Rossiya Bank Dmitri Lebedev.

UK to donate over 500 mobile generators to Ukraine. The U.K. government will supply power for critical infrastructure in Ukraine, including hospitals, shelters, and water treatment plants.

Bermuda withdraws licenses for Russian-operated planes due to safety concerns. As of March 12, Bermuda’s aviation authority has suspended all Russian licenses as it is “unable to confidently approve these aircraft as being airworthy” due to sanctions against Russia, which have affected “the ability to sustain safety oversight.” It is estimated that the move will impact over 700 aircraft, according to Al Jazeera.

Britain welcomes Ukrainian children battling cancer, their families. U.K. Health Secretary Sajid David said that 21 children and their families arrived in London on March 13 and will receive appropriate medical care.

Republican senior senator calls for no-fly zone over Ukraine. While visiting Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Rob Portman of Ohio urged the U.S. and NATO to close the sky over Ukraine contrary to Washington’s intelligence community worries that such a move would risk an escalation of the conflict. “I don’t understand why we’re not doing it,” he said.

Russia’s possible use of chemical weapons on Ukraine could be a ‘game-changer’ for NATO. Polish President Andrzej Duda said in an interview with BBC on March 13 that Russia using chemical weapons or any weapons of mass destruction could be a “game-changer” and could make NATO think seriously about how to respond.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Asami Terajima, Alexander Query, Anna Myroniuk, Daria Shulzhenko, Natalia Datskevych, Sergiy Slipchenko, Teah Pelechaty, Olena Goncharova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina and Brad LaFoy.

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