On the thirteenth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, local ceasefires announced by Moscow are supposed to start this Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. UT. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday evening accused the Russian army of having failed to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors which were to be set up in the country following talks.
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The main points:
► Russia announced on Monday the establishment of local ceasefires supposed to start on Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. UT. The Russian army had decreed on Monday morning the establishment of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from the Ukrainian cities of Kharkhiv, Kiev, Mariupol and Sumy. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday evening accused the Russian army of having thwarted the evacuation of civilians.
► “Small positive developments” on these humanitarian corridors supposed to allow the evacuation of civilians, however, were recorded this afternoon, at the end of the third session of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, according to a Ukrainian negotiator.
► Europe can expect to welcome five million exiles from Ukraine, according to the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
► RFI’s Russian editorial site now broadcasts Ukrainian public radio live (in Ukrainian) from the home page.
Times are given in Universal Time (UT)
1h02: Russia has sent to Ukraine almost all of the troops massed in recent months on the border between the two countries, the Pentagon said on Monday.
With the intensification of Russian operations, civilians are increasingly affected, and Moscow is now seeking to “recruit” foreign fighters, including Syrians, said the US Department of Defense.
Washington, for its part, sent 500 additional soldiers to Europe to strengthen NATO security.