Russia-Ukraine conflict has entered its 11th day and Russian troops shelled encircled cities and a pro-Russian official said safe-passage corridors would open again for residents of the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Here are some of the key things to know about Russia-Ukraine war on Sunday
Indians evacuation status in Ukraine
Indian embassy in Ukraine asked all nationals stuck in Ukraine to urgently fill up a Google form with all their details for immediate evacuation. The official Twitter account of the Indian embassy posted a Google form asking for basic details such as name, passport number and current location. The Google form requires the Indian nationals to enter their email ID, full name, age, gender, passport number, address in Ukraine, contact number in Ukraine and contact number in India.
Ukraine refugees fleeing could rise to 1.5 million by end of weekend
The situation in Ukraine remains dire and the number of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion could potentially rise to 1.5 million by the end of the weekend from a current 1.3 million, the head of the UN refugee agency said on Saturday. "This is the fastest moving refugee crisis we have seen in Europe since the end of World War Two," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi told Reuters in a telephone interview. Grandi also said most refugees at the moment were linking up with friends, family and other connections already living in Europe, but warned future waves would be more complex.
What is happening on the ground?
Russian forces launched hundreds of missiles and artillery attacks across the country, including dropping powerful bombs on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of the capital of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said. But a miles-long Russian armored column threatening the capital was still stalled outside Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were holding key cities in the central and southeastern part of the country, while the Russians were trying to block and keep encircled Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. Ukrainian forces were defending Odesa, Ukraine’s biggest port city, from Russian ships, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said.
Diplomatic efforts
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Moldova pledging America’s support to the small Western-leaning former Soviet republic. The country is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and keeping an eye on Russia’s intensifying war with its neighbor. A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place Monday, according to Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation. He gave no additional details, including where they would take place.
Russia seeks to capture hydroelectric plant, Ukraine says
Russian forces may seek to capture the Kaniv hydroelectric power station, Ukraine’s defense ministry said in a statement, indicating a possible increase in the targeting of civilian infrastructure. Last week, Russian forces partially occupied the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The dam, about 60 miles (96 km) downstream from the capital Kyiv, is one of the key elements in the cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Dnieper River. Russia says its main goal in the war is to target Ukrainian military facilities.
Poland says 922,400 refugees have crossed its border
Poland’s border authorities said a record 129,000 people from Ukraine had crossed its border on Saturday, and another 39,800 early Sunday morning. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 922,400 people have fled Ukraine for Poland. Smaller numbers have traveled to Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and other EU countries, as well as to Russia itself.
THE Humanitarian Situation
The UN world food program says millions of people inside Ukraine, a major global wheat supplier, will need food aid “immediately." Ukrainian refugees continued to pour into neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova. The number of people who have left Ukraine since fighting began has now reached 1.45 million.
UK PM Boris Johnson decries Putin’s ‘unthinkable violence’
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said diplomatic efforts in the lead up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were doomed to fail, and that President Vladimir Putin’s invasion was now “sinking further into a sordid campaign of war crimes and unthinkable violence against civilians." Writing in the New York Times, Johnson said the conflict would not become a NATO one. Kyiv and Moscow indicated more talks could happen on Monday. Any negotiations face huge hurdles, including on potential humanitarian corridors. The evacuation of Mariupol will be attempted again on Sunday, after Ukraine accused Russian forces of breaching a temporary cease-fire brokered to allow safe passage of civilians from two cities.
