KYIV — A
strategic
Ukrainian city put off a planned evacuation of residents Saturday
blaming Russian forces for breaking their temporary ceasefire as the Russian
leader warned the West of a wider war if a no-fly zone is set up.
اضافة اعلان
"Any movement in this direction will be
considered by us as participation in an armed conflict by that country,"
President
Vladimir Putin said.
With his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr
Zelensky criticizing
NATO for ruling out a no-fly zone for fear of sparking
nuclear conflict, Putin spoke of "colossal and catastrophic consequences
not only for Europe but also the whole world", if such a zone was set up.
For Zelensky, on day 10 of the invasion,
under an escalating bombardment that has flattened more and more infrastructure
and sent nearly 1.4 million civilians fleeing for their lives, the Western
military alliance's "no" to a no-fly zone had essentially given
"the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and
villages".
Under siege, Mariupol proudly resisted
Moscow-backed rebels during a 2014 conflict, but the Azoz seaport has for days
been without electricity, food, and water in the dead of winter and people
began gathering for the evacuation.
However city officials called a delay in the
evacuation, saying: "The Russian side does not adhere to the ceasefire and
has continued shelling both Mariupol itself and its environs, and for security
reasons, the evacuation of the civilian population has been postponed."
Negotiations were underway "to
establish a ceasefire and ensure a safe humanitarian corridor", Mariupol
authorities added.
An evacuation had been seen as a prelude to
a final assault that, if successful, would see the Russian army push north from
occupied
Crimea and link up with their forces from the east and take control of
Ukraine's coast on the Azov sea.
After Russia's defense ministry declared the
ceasefire — to open a humanitarian corridor out the war's fiercest battles —
officials said the city's 450,000-strong population could begin to leave by bus
and private cars.
"This is not an easy decision, but...
Mariupol is not its streets or houses. Mariupol is its population, it is you
and me," said mayor
Vadim Boychenko.
Scenes of devastation
The siege came as more Russian forces inched
closer to the capital
Kyiv amid fierce fighting, particularly in the western
suburbs and the northern town of Chernihiv.
Dozens of civilians have been killed in
shelling, missile attacks, and air raids, and those remaining live among the
town's ruins and in craters.
"There were corpses all over the ground,"
Sergei told AFP, as air raid sirens wailed once more. "They were queuing
here for the pharmacy that's just there, and they're all dead."
AFP reporters saw scenes of devastation —
despite Moscow's insistence it is not targeting civilian areas.
Fears are rising in Kyiv that the capital
will suffer the same fate once Russian missile artillery is deployed within
range.
Ukrainian Defense Minister
Oleksiy Reznikov alleged Russia had changed tactics after encountering tough resistance.
Ukraine, he said, had defeated plans to
quickly storm major cities and overthrow Zelensky's government, forcing Moscow
to resort to "cowardly" attacks on civilians.
Zelensky remains defiant, announcing
Saturday that Ukrainian forces were counter-attacking around Kharkiv, the
country's second largest city, which has seen Russian incursions and fierce
bombardments.
"We inflict such losses on the invaders
that they have not seen even in their worst dream," he said.
Since Putin's army invaded on February 24,
Russia has pummeled Ukrainian cities, with officials reporting hundreds of
civilians killed. Europe's largest atomic power plant has even come under
attack sparking fears of a catastrophic nuclear accident.
But Moscow has so far only seized two key
cities in its 10-day-long invasion — Berdiansk and Kherson on Ukraine's
southern
Black Sea coast.
Capturing Mariupol represents a bigger prize
for Russian forces as it would deal a severe blow to Ukraine's maritime access
and connect with troops coming from annexed Crimea and the Donbas.
The Kremlin said it was waiting for a third
round of talks with Ukraine in Belarus, and one of Kyiv's negotiators said it
hoped to hold them this weekend.
"The third leg could take place
tomorrow or the day after, we are in constant contact," Ukrainian
presidential advisor
Mykhailo Podolyak said Friday.
Zelensky was to appeal to Washington for
more assistance Saturday with an address to the US Senate after some lawmakers
urged President Joe Biden to take tougher measures, including banning Russia's
oil imports.
With fears growing of direct conflict
between Western forces and Russia — both nuclear-armed — the US and Moscow have
set up a new direct phone line to reduce the risks of
"miscalculation", the Pentagon said Friday.
Russian forces attacked and seized the
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Friday, pushing Kyiv to accuse Moscow of
"nuclear terror".
Ukrainian monitors say there has been no
spike in radiation after a fire in a training facility.
Moscow denied it had shelled the
plant.
Media exodus
Russian authorities have imposed a news
blackout and several media outlets have halted operations.
Multiple media websites were partially
inaccessible in
Russia. Twitter was restricted and Facebook blocked.
The BBC, Bloomberg, and German public
broadcasters ARD and ZDF as well as Italy's Rai said they were suspending work
in Russia after lawmakers in Moscow passed legislation to impose fines and jail
terms of up to 15 years for publishing "fake news" about the army.
CNN said it would halt broadcasting in
Russia, while independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said it would remove
Ukraine content.
The
Kremlin on Saturday defended the new
law, saying it was "necessary as the country was facing "an
unprecedented information war".
Global hunger
Putin has been unmoved as Russia has become
isolated in economic, sporting, and cultural fields.
Spanish clothing giant and Zara fast-fashion
chain owner Inditex on Saturday joined the list of major companies suspending
operations in Russia.
Flagship airline Aeroflot said it was
suspending all its international flights from March 8, citing
"circumstances that impede the operation of flights".
At the
Winter Paralympics in Beijing,
Ukrainian athletes overcame all the hurdles to hit the top of the medal table
with a haul of seven on day one.
In the men's vision-impaired biathlon race,
Vitalii Lukianenko took gold and said: "I want to dedicate this medal to
the guys who protect our cities."
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