The main point concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine

   Marioupol has been evacuated

The evacuation of residents of Marioupol, a strategic Ukrainian port encircled by Russian forces and their allies, has been reported as a result of multiple Russian cease-fire violations, according to the city's mairie. Moscou, for its part, has stated that it has observed the cease-fire and has accused Ukrainian "nationalists" of preventing civilians from leaving enclaved cities such as Marioupol and using the twilight to bolster their defenses. The situation in Marioupol has been described as "disturbing" by the Comité International de la Croix-Rouge (CICR). The capture of this city of 450.000 people, located on the Azov Sea, would be a turning point in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She would allow a meeting of forces between Russian forces from the annexed Crimea, who have already taken control of the key ports of Berdiansk and Kherson, and separatist and Russian forces in the Donbass.

   
Poutine defends itself against an aerial exclusion zone.

Vladimir Poutine, Russia's president, stated on Saturday that any country attempting to impose an air-space exclusion zone over Ukraine would be considered a cobelligerent, a rebuke to Kiev that the Ottomans have rejected.

In response to persistent rumors to the contrary, the Kremlin's chief has stated that he does not anticipate the introduction of martial law in Russia.

Achievement of Russian Troops

The Russian forces are closing in on Kiev, encountering resiliency and occasionally bombing residential buildings, such as in Tcherniguiv, 150 kilometers north of Kiev, where dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had launched a counter-offensive in the area of Kharkiv (north-east), the country's second-largest city (1.44 million people) and the site of some of the war's most intense bombardments.

The Russian army, which has been pilonning the outskirts of Kiev, particularly in the north and east, has taken control of the nuclear power plant in Zaporojie (south), where, according to Ukrainians, artillery strikes caused an incendie – which was not caused by Moscou – and threatened a catastrophic nuclear accident.

– In Pologne, Blinken promises more assistance to refugees –

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Poland on Saturday, hailed the country for welcoming hundreds of thousands of fleeing Ukrainians and said Washington plans to advance $2.75 billion additional resources to deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the war.

Some 1.37 million people have already fled Ukraine, according to the UN, prompting strong mobilization, particularly in border countries such as Poland.

Mr Blinken will then travel to Moldova, which is also seeing an influx of Ukrainians, and the three Baltic states, which are particularly concerned about Russia's actions.

 

– 3rd negotiating session expected for this weekend –

 

According to Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, a third round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations could take place on Saturday or Sunday.

The previous two did not lead to a cessation of fighting, but the parties had agreed to set up "humanitarian corridors" for the evacuation of civilians.

 

- Erdogan wants to call on Putin to end the war -

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to call on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to "immediately end the war" and offer to host high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Also read: Ukraine: Moscow announces a ceasefire for the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol

The Turkish Foreign Minister had expressed hope on Friday that he could bring together his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts at the Diplomacy Forum planned to take place from March 11 to 13 in Antalya (southern Turkey).

A member of NATO and an ally of Ukraine, Turkey also has strong ties with Russia.

 

– Companies suspend operations in Russia –

 

Like many other companies, South Korean giant Samsung Electronics has suspended shipments to Russia due to "geopolitical events".

The Spanish clothing giant Inditex (Zara brand) has announced that it will temporarily stop its activities in Russia.

The German public television channels ARD and ZDF, as well as the Italian public television channel RAI, announced, after other international media (BBC, CNN, etc.) the suspension of their coverage of the events from Moscow , after the new Russian law punishing by up to fifteen years in prison the dissemination of information aimed at "discrediting" the military forces.

Faced with sanctions imposed by the West in air transport, the Russian company Aeroflot has announced that it will suspend its international flights from March 8.

 

– Uncertain balance sheets –

 

After ten days of war, the balance sheet is impossible to verify independently. Kiev reports at least 350 civilians and more than 9,000 Russian soldiers killed, without mentioning its military losses, and Moscow mentions 2,870 dead on the Ukrainian side and 498 on the Russian side.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday accused Russian soldiers of "raping women in occupied Ukrainian cities".