Press digest – Ukraine

14th day of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion

 

DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES

📌 On the morning of 9 March, the IAEA lost contact with the monitoring systems at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as was announced by the Agency later on.

📌 As a result of the actions of Russian invaders, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was completely cut off from its power supply. Fighting continues in the vicinity, making it impossible to perform repair works and restore power supply. Ukrenergo monitors the situation in real time. At 14:00 local time, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant would be connected to backup diesel generators that would power its facilities for the next 48 hours. After that, the cooling system of the storage of spent nuclear fuel will be turned off, which will increase the risk of radiation leakage.

📌Mariupol has given preliminary estimates of the number of civilian casualties. During the 12 days of the war, Russian invaders killed more than 1,100 people, 47 of whom were buried in a mass grave today.

📌 Russian troops launched a direct attack on a children’s hospital and maternity hospital in Mariupol, dropping several bombs. The building is completely destroyed. Women in labor and newborns under the rubble. “Close the sky immediately! Stop the killing immediately! You have power. But it looks like you are losing your humanity,” President Zelensky addressed the world community. https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/797

Picture of the day

The site of one of the air bombs that Russia dropped on a children’s hospital.

📌Ukrainian cities continue to be subjected to dozens of rocket attacks every day.

📌Russian propaganda spreads and replicates fakes about Jewish pogroms in Zhytomyr and the Zhytomyr region. These have already been refuted by Chief Rabbi of Zhytomyr Shlomo Wilhelm who stated that “Ukraine is a free democratic country. What kind of Nazism are we talking about? Let’s be smart and not let the directors and technologists of this war realize their deadly scenarios.”

📌In the Kherson region, Russian Guard units have been deployed and proceeded with illegal detention of more than 400 citizens of Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. Due to the widespread resistance of the inhabitants of Kherson, the invaders will try to introduce an administrative-police regime in the city.

📌Russia is forcibly towing the previously seized rescue ship “Sapphire” to Sevastopol.

📌Russian terrorists are preparing a provocation with the participation of the captured personnel of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Employees of the Nuclear Power Plant have been held hostage and tortured for 4 days already. They are physically and psychologically exhausted. There are about 500 Russian soldiers and 50 pieces of heavy equipment inside the station.

According to available information, the troops of the Russian invaders forced the power station’s management to prepare an appeal to be used for propaganda purposes – to justify the terrorist crimes of Russia. Ukraine calls on international partners to take all available measures to prohibit the conduct of hostilities within close perimeter of the nuclear power plants, to withdraw the occupying troops from the seized nuclear facilities and close the sky over Ukraine. An accident at any of the nuclear power plants caused by Russian weapons will lead to a pan-European catastrophe.

 

DEFENSE UPDATES

📌Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:

📌The Russian Ministry of Defense admitted that recruits were sent to Ukraine. “Unfortunately, several facts of the presence of military servicemen in the units of the Russian Armed Forces participating in a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine have been discovered,” the state agency RIA Novosti quoted the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry.

📌 Another sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Russian army was destroyed in Kharkiv region. An armed group attacked a checkpoint of the Ukrainian border service. As a result of the battle, the main part of the group fled, leaving the wounded, who were taken as prisoners by the Ukrainian side.

📌 Ukrainian television broadcasting has been restored in Kharkiv. Earlier, the TV tower was damaged from the shelling of the invaders on 6 March.

📌 In Mykolaiv on 9 March, rescuers removed 14 explosives from residential areas – high-explosive bombs (FAB-250), cluster submunitions, artillery shells and mortar mines.

📌Odesa is preparing for the defense of the city – it protects and reinforces architectural monuments from possible Russian air strikes.

HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND EVACUATION UPDATES

📌As of 9:00 am Kyiv time on March 9, humanitarian corridors and ceasefire were confirmed in the following routes:

  • Energodar —> Zaporizhzhia
  • Sumy —> Poltava
  • Mariupol —> Zaporizhzhia
  • Volnovakha —> Pokrovsk
  • Izium —> Lozova
  • Vorzel, Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin, Gostomel —> Kyiv

📌 The occupying troops have again disrupted the evacuation process in Bucha. As of 16:00 local time, Russian troops blocked a convoy of 50 buses that had left to evacuate civilians. Negotiations are ongoing on the spot.

📌 During the evacuation of the residents of Demidov in Kyiv region, the Russian side opened fire, as a result a policeman was killed, and 2 more people were injured.

📌 The evacuation of the civilian population from Gostomel was also disrupted – Russian troops violate official agreements and international military protocols.

📌About 250 people were evacuated from the southern part of Izium to Slovyansk instead of the previously planned Lozova. There is no access to the northern part of the city, which is occupied by Russian troops.

📌 The evacuation from Vorzel continues successfully – a convoy rescued and transported residents to Kyiv.

📌Humanitarian aid with food and critical medicines from Zaporizhzhia was not delivered to Enerhodar, the occupiers did not even let the humanitarian convoy pass through the village of Vasilyevka.

 

President Vladimir Zelensky’s daily statements

📌The world does not believe in the future of Russia, does not talk about it. The world is talking about Ukraine, helping Ukraine, preparing to support the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war. Because everyone saw that for the people who defend themselves so heroically, it will definitely be recompensed “after the war”.

📌The Ukrainian President became the first foreign leader to speak in the British Parliament. He received a standing ovation.

 

 

Address by the President of Ukraine to the Parliament of the United Kingdom

PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

📌On the Independence Square in Kyiv on 9 March, a concert was held with an appeal to close the sky over Ukraine. The musicians of the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Herman Makarenko performed the anthems of Ukraine and Europe and a number of famous Ukrainian musical pieces. Mystetska action “Vilne sky / Free Sky”

 Мистецька акція «Вільне небо/Free Sky»

📌Writer Stephen King continues to support Ukraine. On his Instagram, he wrote that Ukraine could well become Putin’s Vietnam.

📌The well-known player of the Russian national football team Fedor Smolov openly spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

📌By the decision of FIFA, Russia was officially excluded from the playoff selection for the 2022 FIFA World Cup; Russia was officially excluded from the playoff selection for the ES-2022. In general, more than 100 international sports federations and organizations imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus.

 📌The famous British tennis player, 2-time Olympic champion Andy Murray will donate all the prize money of the season to Ukrainian children.

📌 The English Premier League leadership, as well as pertinent clubs, decided to suspend the contract with the Russian relay Rambler (Okko Sport). This means that Russia will no longer be able to legally broadcast matches of the Premier League.

📌 Russia and Belarus have been completely banned from participating in any international hockey competitions. Also, Russia was deprived of the right to host the Youth Ice Hockey World Championship, which was to be held in 2023.

📌The American tobacco company Philip Morris suspended investments in the Russian Federation, and also announced the reduction of production on its territory. Prior to this, the British tobacco company Imperial Brands announced that it was canceling sales and production in Russia.

📌Aviation company Air Astana suspended flights from Kazakhstan to several Russian cities.

📌Discovery stops broadcasting all its channels in Russia from 9 March. The network includes Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD, Discovery Channel, Discovery Channel HD, Discovery Science, Discovery Science HD, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 1 HD, Eurosport 2, Eurosport 2 HD, ID: Investigation Discovery HD, TLC, TLC HD.

📌Readdle terminates cooperation with the Russian Federation. The company has withdrawn all of its Apps from the App Store and Google Play, namely Spark, Documents, Scanner Pro, PDF Expert, Calendars.

📌Estonian company Bolt will provide 5 million euros to support Ukraine, and will also cease operations in Belarus.

📌The world’s largest record label Universal Music Group is also leaving Russian market.

📌Ferrari canceled all sales in Russia.

📌All over the world, people of different religions – Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus – continue to pray for peace in Ukraine as church bells across the world ring as a reminder of the war in Ukraine.

📌All over the world, people of different religions – Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus – continue to pray for peace in Ukraine as church bells across the world ring as a reminder of the war in Ukraine.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE

Tweet of the day

📌 The Polish Senate unanimously supported the European integration of Ukraine and called on other EU countries to support an accelerated process of Ukraine’s accession.

📌Norwegian Visa Application Centers in the Russian Federation have stopped accepting documents for visas from Russians. Estonia is also considering stopping visa issuance to Russians.

📌 The amplification of sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus continues: the Russian Federation will be restricted from export of maritime navigation and radio communications technologies; The EU introduces a ban on the provision of euro banknotes to Belarus; 3 Belarusian banks are disconnected from SWIFT; personal sanctions were imposed against 160 Russians, including 14 oligarchs and their families, as well as 146 senators.

📌Special attention in the new package of EU sanctions is given to Belarus. Thus, the EU closes the gaps of the previously imposed sanctions and applies new measures against the financial sector of the accomplice of the Russian aggressor.

📌NATO has officially warned Russia of the consequences if the Russian Federation tries to attack the arms supply channels to Ukraine. “The Partners are helping Ukraine defend its right to self-defense, preserved by the UN Charter. Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is defending itself. If any NATO country or NATO territory is attacked, Article 5 will apply,” said Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

📌Following Moody’s forecasts, Fitch rating agency dropped Russia’s credit rating to pre-default C

📌British Prime Minister Boris Johnson supported the preparation of the “Marshall Plan for Ukraine” for the restoration of the country.

📌US President Joe Biden called on Congress to agree on a $12 billion support package for Ukraine and allies in Europe to counter Russia’s armed aggression.

📌 The Council of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) decided to remove the Russian Federation from participation in all working bodies of the Organization. Also, the OECD will strengthen cooperation with Ukraine.

📌 The Council of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has decided to deprive the Russian Federation of its observer status.

📌China will provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the amount of 787 thousand dollars.

📌Turkey sent 24 humanitarian aid vehicles to Ukraine. Three of them – with medicines, food, (first aid) basic necessities and clothing.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba’s daily statements 

📌Ukraine is going to negotiations with the Russian Federation [to be held tomorrow, 10 March] with a strong position. Our interest is to cease fire, liberate our territories, and resolve the issue of humanitarian catastrophes created by the Russian army. At the same time, Ukraine does not have high expectations from the negotiations, but Ukrainian diplomacy will squeeze out the maximum.

Today, like every previous day, Ukraine appeals to the entire world – help close the sky over Ukraine:  https://t.me/ukrainenowenglish/1101