War in Ukraine: a bombed theater in Mariupol, at least 21 dead in a Russian strike near Kharkiv – France Bleu

This Thursday marks the 22nd day of the war in Ukraine, launched by Russia on February 24. The Russian offensive intensifies. The bombardment of a theater sheltering at least a thousand refugees in Mariupol once again arouses international indignation. Here is what to remember from this new day of conflict. The essentials A theater housing at least a thousand civilians bombed in Mariupol US President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been given a standing ovation by the German Parliament Ukraine asks the EU to consider Putin as a “war criminal” At least 21 dead in a Russian strike near Kharkiv Listen: Radio France’s daily podcast on the situation in Ukraine The situation on the military front A theater housing at least a thousand civilians bombarded Bombardments have struck Tuesday evening the Mariupol theater, which housed more than a thousand civilians, according to the Ukrainian authorities. “500 to 700 civilians” were in this theater, according to the special correspondents of franceinfo on the spot and according to the testimonies collected. There is no casualty count available at this time. Several media broadcast satellite images from the private American company Maxar, according to which the word “children” was written in huge white letters and in Russian, on both sides of the building, so that the message was clearly visible from the sky. . The words “children” were written on each side of the theater in white letters. © AFP – EyePress NewsThe Ukrainian authorities accuse the Russian army of having deliberately targeted this theater and denounce a war crime. The Russian Ministry of Defense denies having bombed the theater and blames the ultra-nationalist Ukrainian battalion Azov. These same arguments had been used by the Russians during the bombing of the Mariupol maternity hospital the previous week, which had shocked the whole world. The besieged city of Mariupol © VisactuThe bombarded cities and the advance of Russian troops in Ukraine. © Visactu – VisactuAt least 21 dead near Karkhiv 21 people died and 25 were injured in a Russian strike in Merefa, near the besieged city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, the regional prosecutor’s office announced. “Russian soldiers fired artillery on the city,” he said. A school and a cultural center were destroyed. Ten of the injured are in serious condition. New strike in kyiv Debris from a missile shot down over kyiv killed at least one person and injured three, Ukrainian emergency services said, as the Russian military did not ease the pressure around the Ukrainian capital. Russian troops are still trying to encircle the city (see map below) and have stepped up strikes against residential areas since the beginning of the week, killing at least six people. The Battle of kyiv (situation update as of March 17) © VisactuThe diplomatic situation, international reactions The talks are continuing Despite the continuation of the bombardments, discussions are continuing between the two camps. According to the Kremlin spokesman, the negotiators are now discussing “a compromise”, which would make Ukraine a neutral country, on the model of Sweden and Austria. “There are very concrete formulas which, I think, are close to an agreement”, underlined the head of Russian diplomacy Sergey Lavrov. “My priorities in these negotiations are clear: end of the war, guarantees of security, sovereignty, restoration of our territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country”, detailed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the evening. WHO denounces military attacks on health infrastructure The World Health Organization has denounced the numerous military attacks on health infrastructure. “The health system has become a target. It’s starting to become part of the strategy and tactics of war. It’s totally unacceptable, it’s against international humanitarian law,” said Michael Ryan, the emergency chief. of the WHO. A meeting of the UN Security Council this Thursday The United Kingdom, the United States, Albania, France, Norway and Ireland have called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council this Thursday afternoon. Kremlin rejects International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest court, on Wednesday ordered Moscow to immediately halt its military operations in Ukraine, saying it “deeply concerned” about the scale of the fighting. This Thursday morning, Russia rejected the decision of the ICJ ordering it to suspend its offensive. France for its part “welcomed” the decision of the International Court of Justice and said it was ready to “intervene” in the examination on the merits of the “serious violations” of international law attributed to Moscow. Zelensky given a standing ovation by the German parliament Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a standing ovation from the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, before a video intervention in which he urged Germany to tear down Europe’s new ‘Wall’ against freedom since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The day after a video speech before the American Congress, the Ukrainian leader was to renew his call for additional German military aid. kyiv asks the EU to consider Putin a ‘war criminal’ Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has called on the European Union to consider Vladimir Putin a ‘war criminal’ and urged the Europeans to step up deliveries weapons to help kyiv fight against the forces of Moscow. The day before, US President Joe Biden sparked fury in the Kremlin by calling the Russian president a “war criminal” for his forces’ bombardment of Ukrainian cities. The qualifier is totally justified in the eyes of the Ukrainian power. ExoMars mission suspended The European Space Agency (ESA) has suspended the Russian-European ExoMars mission following the cessation of cooperation with the Russian space agency Roscosmos due to the war in Ukraine, a- she announced in a press release at the end of her Board meeting. The ExoMars mission planned the September launch of an ESA rover bound for the planet Mars, using a Russian launcher and lander. Solidarity with the Ukrainian people More than three million Ukrainians have already taken the road to exile, the vast majority to Poland.