The noose has tightened drastically in recent days on the besieged city of Mariupol. On the 57th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this city hard hit by the bombardments, in the south-east of the country, would be under almost total control of the invader, with the exception of the industrial site of Azovstal, where are entrenched the last soldiers as well as a thousand civilians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately declared on Thursday 21 April that his forces had “successfully” taken control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, ordering the besieging of the remaining Ukrainian fighters “in such a way that not a single fly does not pass”, rather than storming the Azovstal industrial site where they are entrenched.
Special session of negotiations and failure of the humanitarian corridor
Earlier, kyiv had proposed a “special session of negotiations” on the fate of this strategic city, which would allow Moscow to make the connection between Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and the pro-Russian separatist republics of Donbass. “We are ready to leave Mariupol with the help of a third party”, armed with weapons, “in order to save the people who have been entrusted to us”, indicated this Thursday, April 20 Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov battalion, on Telegram.
The humanitarian corridor, which had in principle been negotiated to allow the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol on Wednesday, “did not work”, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in the evening. She blamed the Russians for violating the ceasefire and blocking the buses, while Moscow accused “the kyiv authorities of having cynically scuttled this humanitarian operation”.
Increased Russian presence in the East and South
According to a senior US Defense Department official, Russia has also increased its military presence in eastern and southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday “attempted assaults” on the localities of Sulyguivka and Dibrivne, in the Kharkiv region (east), as well as on Rubizhne and Severodonetsk, in the Lugansk region (east). “The situation is getting more complicated hour by hour,” Lugansk Governor Sergei Gaïdaï wrote on Telegram, renewing his calls for civilians to evacuate.
The bombardments also intensified in the south, in particular on the villages of Mala Tokmatchka and Orikhiv, 70 km south-east of Zaporijjia, noted an AFP journalist.
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Dario Ingiusto / L’Express
kyiv suspects the Red Cross of being an “accomplice” of Russia
Lioudmyla Denisova, in charge of human rights at the Ukrainian Parliament, criticized the International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday for not cooperating with her country on the fate of Ukrainian refugees in Russia, suspecting it of being “accomplice” of “deportations “, accusations strongly rejected by the ICRC.
“The ICRC is not fulfilling its mandate” concerning the people evacuated, according to her by force to Russia by the Russian army, launched the official on Ukrainian television. She cited UN figures, according to which 550,000 Ukrainian refugees are in Russia, including 121,000 children. “Where are they? In filtration camps? In temporary homes? We have testimonies of people who were brought” to Russia, she said.
Spare parts sent by the United States, not entire fighter planes
Ukraine has received spare parts for its fighter jets to strengthen its air force, but not entire aircraft, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, correcting his remarks the day before. “I had understood that the offer of another country in the region to supply whole planes to Ukraine (…) had been implemented. This is not the case”, declared the door – speak to the press. “I regret this mistake.”
Boycott at the G20
G20 finance ministers and central bankers including US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, meeting Wednesday on the sidelines of IMF and World Bank meetings, walked out of plenary or turned off their screens to protest Russia’s presence .
The Indonesian presidency had been urged to exclude Moscow from the G20 in response to its invasion of Ukraine but had refused in the name of impartiality.
IMF calls for financial support for Ukraine
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday called on countries to provide financial support to Ukraine so that the government can continue to function.
Ukrainian officials have told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that they need $5 billion a month to keep their economy running, she told a news conference.