Ukraine: what assessment after three weeks of war? – RMC

Three weeks after the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the human situation remains dramatic as several towns are surrounded by the Russian army. The tension does not decrease in Ukraine after three weeks of war. The Ukrainian capital kyiv, which Russian forces are trying to encircle, was targeted again on Wednesday and rocked at dawn Thursday by several strong explosions. Russian fire against several cities intensified, and the cities of Kharkiv (north -east) and Mariupol (south-east) are thus bombarded without respite. Here is the situation on the 21st day of the Russian invasion:- Kyiv and the NorthRussian forces are still trying to encircle Kyiv, which was under curfew from 8pm Tuesday until 7am Thursday. Explosions continue in the capital on Thursday. Thick columns of black smoke rose over the city on Wednesday, like the day before, when several Russian strikes hit apartment buildings, killing at least four people. The local authorities did not provide any report or details immediately. Kharkiv (north), second city of Ukraine, is surrounded by Russian forces on several sides and the main axes, but is not surrounded. Fighting is also raging in this city.- Crucial situation in Mariupol Russian soldiers are still trying to take Mariupol, a strategic port city on the Sea of ​​Azov, besieged for days. Located about 55 kilometers from the Russian border and 85 kilometers from the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, it is the largest city still in the hands of kyiv in the Donbass basin. Ukrainian authorities claimed that Russia on Wednesday destroyed a theater in which more than a thousand people had taken refuge. Moscow’s capture of Mariupol would be an important turning point in the invasion of Ukraine. It would make it possible to completely connect the Russian forces from annexed Crimea, which have already taken the ports of Berdiansk and Kherson, and the separatist and Russian troops in the Donbass.- Biden calls Putin a “war criminal”President American Joe Biden on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of Ukraine, a “war criminal”. The American president has confirmed the sending of 800 million dollars of additional military aid to Ukraine, an “unprecedented” envelope of one billion dollars in one week. “We are helping Ukraine to equip itself with additional and longer-range anti-aircraft defense systems,” he said. – What human toll? No precise toll was immediately available. At least 691 civilians, including around 50 children, have been killed in Ukraine, and more than 1,140 injured (including 62 children), according to the latest report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). ) in Ukraine, which stresses that its balance sheets are probably much lower than the reality. “About 1,300” Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said for his part on Saturday. Ukraine claims that the Russian army lost “about 12,000 men”. Moscow announced on March 2 a single assessment (498 soldiers killed). The Pentagon has provided an estimate of 2,000 to 4,000 Russian deaths in 14 days. The municipality of Mariupol claims that nearly 2,200 inhabitants perished in this city alone. – Moscow wants the neutrality of Ukraine, which refuses The Russian talks -Ukrainians continued on Wednesday with the Russian proposal for a neutral status for Ukraine on the Swedish or Austrian model. The Ukrainian chief negotiator refused “a Swedish or Austrian model” and called for “absolute security guarantees” against Russia, whose signatories would undertake to intervene on their side in the event of aggression. – Refugees and displaced personsIn almost three weeks of war, more than three million people have fled Ukraine, mostly to Poland, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Including 1.4 million children, or “practically one child per second”, according to Unicef.- Putin claims a “success”Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that his military operation in Ukraine was a “success”, claiming that Moscow would not let this country become a “bridgehead” for “aggressive actions” against Russia. JA with AFP and Nicolas Poincaré