UKRAINE WRAP | Ukrainian refugees near 1.5 million as Russian assault enters 11th day

March 06 2022 -  21:11

Residents fleeing town near Kyiv caught in shelling

Ukrainians fleeing the town of Irpin just outside Kyiv were caught in shelling by Russian forces on Sunday and forced to dive for cover, Reuters witnesses said.

Irpin, some 25km northwest of the capital, has seen intense fighting in recent days. Russia's military is closing in on the Kyiv, which was home to about 3.4 million people before the invasion sparked an exodus of civilians.

Irpin residents scurried along pavements clutching children, luggage and pets as they made their way to waiting buses and cars that would take them further from the clashes.

March 06 2022 -  18:05

IN PICS | Peaceful protesters in Durban march in solidarity with Ukraine

Peaceful protesters in Durban marched in solidarity with Ukraine on Sunday afternoon, under the banner 'Stand With Ukraine'.

This march is part of a wave of recent protests around the world condemning more than a week of conflict between the Russia and Ukraine. 

Labelled as a 'military operation' by Russia and a form of aggression by Ukraine, the conflict continues as the international community responds.

March 06 2022 -  18:05

Evacuation of Ukraine's Mariupol fails again, stranding civilians under siege

An attempt to evacuate residents from the besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol collapsed for a second day on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said, blaming an insufficiently clear agreement between the two sides.

“Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt today to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt,” the ICRC said in a statement.

Days of heavy bombardment have left residents of the coastal city trapped without heat, power and water. The city had about 400,000 inhabitants before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

March 06 2022 -  16:48

US sees 'very credible reports' of deliberate attacks on civilians in Ukraine

The United States has seen "very credible reports" of deliberate attacks on civilians, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday, adding that Washington was documenting these reports to support appropriate organizations in their potential war crimes investigation.

"We've seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians which would constitute a war crime," Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union" show.

"We've seen very credible reports about the use of certain weapons," he said.

-Reuters

March 06 2022 -  16:20

Ukrainians in occupied towns protest against invasion, agency reports

Residents of some Ukrainian towns and cities occupied by Russian forces took to the streets in protest, Interfax Ukraine news agency reported on Sunday, the 11th day of Russia's campaign.

In the southern city of Nova Kakhovka, about 2,000 people showed their opposition to the invasion by waving Ukrainian flags and calling on Russian forces to leave, the agency said, citing local witnesses.

A similar protest numbering several hundred was also held on Sunday in the town of Kalachanka, it said.

-Reuters

March 06 2022 -  15:36

Russia's Putin calls on Ukraine to stop fighting

President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine on Sunday that Russia's military operation would only be halted if Kyiv stopped resisting and fulfilled all of the Kremlin's demands.

Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan by telephone that Ukraine's negotiators should take a more “constructive” approach at talks with Moscow to take into account the reality on the ground.

Putin, whose comments were published in a Kremlin readout of the call, said his “special operation” in Ukraine was going according to plan and to schedule.

March 06 2022 -  14:53

Ukraine's president tells Russians to protest before it's too late

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed directly to Russians on Sunday to take to the streets in protest against the Kremlin's invasion of his country or risk their own poverty and repression.

Since last week, thousands of people in Russia have been detained for protesting against the invasion of Ukraine or what the Russian authorities call a “special military operation” that began on February 24.

Russians are now bracing for an uncertain and isolated future after international sanctions plunged the economy into crisis and authorities cracked down on independent media and restricted access to Facebook and other social media sites.

March 06 2022 -  14:51

Kyiv digs in for battle as fighting flares nearby

Ukrainian soldiers bolstered defences around Kyiv on Sunday, digging trenches, blocking roads and liaising with civil defence units as Russian forces bombarded the surrounding areas and attacked towns and villages nearby.

While the armed forces and civilian volunteers dug in, thousands of people continued to try to flee the city of 3.4-million as fears of a full assault spread.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and has concentrated its heaviest attacks on the south and east of the country, besieging cities including Mariupol and Kharkiv with artillery fire and air strikes and causing extensive damage and casualties.

March 06 2022 -  14:20

Russia's Putin tells Ukraine: stop fighting

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call on Sunday that Russia would only halt its military operation if Ukraine stopped fighting and Moscow's demands were met, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin said the operation was going according to plan and to schedule, and that he hoped Ukrainian negotiators would take a more constructive approach at talks and take into account the reality on the ground, the Kremlin said in statement.

-Reuters

March 06 2022 -  13:03

Gift of the Givers to provide aid to Ukraine, bring SA students home

The Gift of the Givers is set to intervene in the Ukranian crisis by funding the repatriation of SA students and providing emergency medical relief to front-line facilities.

Displaced Ukranians, stuck in the war-torn country, will also receive aid, according to an announcement made on the humanitarian organisation's social media platforms.

On Friday night Gift of the Givers participated in a “very private international discussion where representatives from Slovakia, Romania, the Ukraine health ministry, Croatia, one of the chief co-ordinators of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, a doctor in Kyiv, surgeons from the USA and Europe participated.

March 06 2022 -  10:16

Visa, Mastercard suspend operations in Russia over Ukraine invasion

US payments firms Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc on Saturday said they were suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, and that they would work with clients and partners to cease all transactions there.

Within days, all transactions initiated with Visa cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside the country and any Visa cards issued outside Russia will no longer work within the country, the company said.

March 06 2022 -  06:35

Ukrainian refugees near 1.5 million as Russian assault enters 11th day

The number of Ukrainian refugees was expected to reach 1.5 million on Sunday as Russia continued its attack 11 days after invading Ukraine and Kyiv pressed for further Western action, including more sanctions and weapons.

Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over a failed ceasefire on Saturday that would have let civilians flee Mariupol and Volnovakha, two southern cities besieged by Russian forces. Ukrainians who could escape spilled into neighboring Poland, Romania, Slovakia and elsewhere.

Ukrainian negotiators said a third round of talks with Russia on a ceasefire would go ahead on Monday, although Moscow was less definitive.

In a televised address on Saturday night, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on people in areas occupied by Russian troops to fight.

-Reuters