- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says he expects the situation in Ukraine to worsen
- Zelensky warns of new pro-Russian “pseudo-democracies” in Ukraine
- Humanitarian corridors, help is expected in Mariupol
- Military base near Lviv target of Russian attack
For information on Saturday’s developments in the war in Ukraine, click here.
This article was last updated at 10:40 UTC / GMT
Nine were reportedly killed in an attack near Odessa
A Russian airstrike in the southern city of Mykolaiv near Odessa has left nine dead, according to Governor Vitaly Kim.
Mykolaiv operates as an important transport hub within Ukraine.
A bus carrying Ukrainians overturned in Italy
A bus carrying about 50 Ukrainians has veered off the road in Italy, killing one person and injuring others, according to local Italian firefighters.
The accident took place near Forli in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna.
The Italian Interior Ministry said the bus was heading to the southern city of Pescara when it overturned.
About 35,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Italy so far since the Russian invasion.
Germany sends tons of food to Ukraine
Germany has sent more than 440 tonnes of food to Ukraine through a new initiative, the government said.
Several German trading companies and food companies sent water, juices, canned fish and other items to areas of Ukraine in urgent need of assistance.
“Every day we receive new reports of further terrible catastrophes. Solidarity with Ukraine and its people is a matter of honor,” German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir told the German news agency dpa. “We are doing everything we can to help people in war zones.”
Russia is trying to “wrap” Ukrainian troops in the east of the country
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) said Russian forces were trying to “wrap” Ukrainian troops in the eastern part of the country “as they advanced from Kharkov in the north and Mariupol in the south.”
The British Foreign Office said “Russia is paying a high price for each advance as the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to offer strong resistance throughout the country.”
A rocket attack near Lviv was reported
An area outside the large city of Lviv in western Ukraine was reportedly the target of a rocket attack in the early hours of Sunday.
Eight rockets are believed to have been fired at Ukraine’s International Peace and Security Center, according to the Lviv Regional Military Command in the Telegram. The center is located in Yavoriv, not far from the Polish border and about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Lviv.
Lviv regional governor Maxim Kozicki said 35 people had died in the strike.
The blow to the center could possibly be a Russian message intended for NATO. The United States and other NATO countries have previously conducted training exercises with the Ukrainian military at the center called Rapid Trident 21, according to the US military website.
A Ukrainian general quoted by the US military website as saying that the Rapid Trident 21 exercises held in the center of Yavoriv “were not just another stage in improving military skills, but also an important step towards Ukraine’s European integration”.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister tweeted that “foreign trainers” work at the training center.
The mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, said on Facebook that the airport in the western Ukrainian city was also targeted in the early hours of Sunday.
Reports: Russia appoints new mayor in Melitopolis
According to media reports, a new mayor has settled in Melitopol, southeastern Ukraine, following the abduction of former mayor Ivan Fedorov by Russian troops.
Galina Danilchenko appeared on local television as the new mayor, local media reported. CNN also referred to a statement on the Zaporizhzhia regional administration website.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the abduction of the elected mayor was a flagrant violation of international law and a “war crime under the Geneva Conventions.”
“The perpetrators of this and other crimes will be held more accountable,” the ministry said in a Facebook post.
NATO chief warns of ‘possible’ Russian plan to use chemical weapons
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expects further intensification of the fighting and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, he told the German newspaper. World on Sunday.
He said the Ukrainians were resisting Russian forces with courage and determination, but that the next few days could get worse.
Stoltenberg also denied recent “absurd allegations” by Moscow that the United States was operating secret laboratories in Ukraine to make chemical and biological weapons.
“Now that these false allegations have been made, we must remain vigilant, because it is possible that Russia itself is carrying out chemical weapons shipments under this false web,” he said.
He also rejected calls for NATO to impose and impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “This could mean a direct confrontation and escalation. We must end this war, not let it escalate,” he added.
In a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: “End this war, withdraw all your forces and commit to diplomacy.”
Zelensky warns of new pro-Russian “pseudo-democracies” in Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Ukrainians in an online speech and reiterated their right to live on their own land on their own terms.
Zelensky also said that Russian forces would create new people’s democracies in the occupied territories, similar to those operating in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014. Moscow recognized the so-called “people’s democracies” of Donetsk and Luhansk immediately after in Ukraine.
“The occupiers in the Kherson area are trying to repeat the sad experience of forming pseudo-democracies,” Zelenski said.
“They are blackmailing local leaders, putting pressure on MPs, looking for someone to bribe,” he added.
Zelensky said such “pseudo-democracies” would end up isolating themselves from the rest of the world and tackling poverty, crime and exodus.
Zelensky said the withdrawal of IT professionals, businessmen and artists from Russia was the fate that awaited both Donetsk and Luhansk.
Towns and villages in the Kherson region have been occupied by Russian troops since the early days of the war.
Urging the Ukrainians to continue their struggle, he said they would regain what belonged to them. “Ukraine will not forget. Ukraine will find and persecute,” he said.
Zelensky said the agreed humanitarian corridors worked and that aid would arrive in Mariupol on Sunday.
Summary of events in the Ukraine-Russia crisis on Saturday
German Chancellor Olaf Soltz and French President Emanuel Macron called for an immediate ceasefire during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Elysian Palace described the call as “very sincere and difficult”. The Kremlin said Putin had “informed the leaders of the real state of affairs.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and discussed the prospects for peace talks with Putin.
Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defense said that “most of the Russian ground forces” were about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the center of Kiev. “If they decide to make carpet bombs [Kyiv], and just delete the history of this area … and destroy us all, then they will enter Kyiv. “If that is their goal, let them in, but they will have to live on this land on their own,” Zelenski said.
About 13,000 people were evacuated from various Ukrainian cities on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. It is almost double the number they managed to come out on Friday.
Satellite images before and after the Russian attacks show significant destruction of political infrastructure in the port of Mariupol. Russian forces advanced into the eastern suburbs of the city on Saturday, but Ukraine says it was still in control of the city.
US President Joe Biden has approved $ 200 million (18 183 million) in additional weapons and other aid to Ukraine, the White House has said.
Russia has warned that Western arms shipments to Ukraine are now “legitimate” military targets. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russian troops could target supplies.
The game said on Saturday that germany was to set up a task force to help impose sanctions on russian oligarchs. Several countries, including Italy, France and the United Kingdom, have already confiscated assets belonging to Russian billionaires.
lo, wd / fb (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
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