Moscow troops storming Kiev and other cities were also hit by Russian attacks on the fourth day of the invasion of Ukraine, such as that of Vasylkiv, where an oil depot is burning and now emitting toxic fumes. The column of smoke is visible even 40 kilometers away.
Alarm sirens then sounded in Rivne and Lutsk, in the north-west of the country, just before 6 this morning, and residents were invited to reach the shelters.
Another target of the Moscow troops was a radioactive waste disposal site in the capital: the Ukrainian state emergency service specified that the storage depressurization did not occur and the building is intact.
Russia has brought more tanks and rocket launchers into enemy territory, heavy vehicles have passed the last check point near Belgorod, heading to Kharkiv, where a nine-story building was targeted by a missile: a woman is was killed and 20 other people were evacuated. After fighting in the streets, the Russian troops were able to enter the second city of Ukraine by winning the resistance of the army of Kiev.
The number of volunteers who join the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces is growing by the hour, they are now more than 37 thousand according to what reported the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny.
But the biggest emergency is the news that has been circulating since the early afternoon: Putin would have ordered the alert of the Russian nuclear defense system. Meanwhile, Ukraine has confirmed negotiations with Russia on the border with Belarus. The Kiev presidency reports.
For its part, the number one of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced new sanctions and support in Kiev: "For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and crews for a country under attack . It is a watershed moment ", said Von der Leyen, referring to the European Peace Facility with which Brussels will finance the purchase of even lethal material.
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Kiev: "352 civilians killed, 14 children"
At least 352 Ukrainian civilians, including 14 children, have been killed since the Russian invasion began. This is the new budget provided by the Kiev Ministry of Health, according to which 1,684 are injured, including 116 children.
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USA: "Americans should consider leaving Russia"
The State Department urges Americans to consider leaving Russia. "An increasing number of airlines are canceling flights and many countries have closed their airspace to Russian companies. American citizens should consider leaving Russia immediately with commercial options still available," the State Department said. as reported by the American media.
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Berlin: "Putin evokes nuclear power because the offensive is blocked"
The nuclear threat raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin is linked to the fact that the Russian offensive in Ukraine "has been stopped". The German government says so.
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The EU: "Arms in Kiev and sanctions on Russian banks"
Stop transactions with the Russian central bank and freeze its assets abroad. Exclusion of important Russian banks from Swift ". This is confirmed by the president of the EU Commission Ursula Von der Leyen in a statement in which she stresses that" the assets of the Russian oligarchs will be affected. "Von der Leyen also announced that the EU states will send weapons to the 'Ukraine, measure taken "for the first time ever".
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Russia, thousands of arrests
A total of 4,552 people have been arrested by Russian police during protests against the invasion of Ukraine since 24 February. This was reported by the independent website OVD-Infogruppo that deals with the protection of human rights in Russia. Today alone, more than 900 people have been detained during protests that were held in 44 cities across Russia, from Moscow to Siberia.
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Pentagon: “Nuclear? We can defend ourselves and our allies "
The Pentagon does not comment on a possible change in American nuclear strategy after Vladimir Putin ordered the alert of the Russian nuclear defense system. The United States has "confidence that it can defend itself and its allies," says a Pentagon official quoted by the American media.
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Kiev: "Yes to negotiations on the border with Belarus"
"We agreed that the Ukrainian delegation would meet with the Russian delegation without preconditions at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat river." This was stated in a message on Telegram by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, confirming the negotiation meeting with Russia. During the telephone conversation with the Belarusian president, "Alexander Lukashenko took responsibility for ensuring that all aircraft, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remain grounded during the journey, the talks and the return of the Ukrainian delegation".
The EU closes the skies to Russia, it also considers a stop for ships
An agreement at EU level on the blocking of all Russian airlines from EU airspace is expected shortly. The majority of countries have already closed, in these hours, the airspace to Russia but the measure will be part of the third package of measures that Brussels is implementing and which also includes the selective exclusion from Swift and the freezing of foreign currency assets of the Russian central bank. In a subsequent package, the EU could also block maritime space for Moscow.
Italy has formalized the closure starting at 15.
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Di Maio: from Italy 110 million euros to the government of Kiev
"I informed my colleague Dmytro Kuleba that I have just signed the resolution that provides for the immediate disbursement of 110 million euros to the government of Kiev, as a concrete expression of Italy's solidarity and support for a people with whom we cultivate a fraternal relationship. At the moment, Ukraine is under siege without being guilty, attacked with continuous bombardments by the Russian government ". It is the post written on Facebook by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
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Russian troops enter Kharkiv
According to various sources, Russian troops were able to win the resistance of the Kiev army by entering Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, located near the north-eastern border with Russia.
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Several states close the airspace to Russia
Several European states have decided to close their airspace to Russian flights. The most recent were Austria, Ireland, Denmark and Belgium. The respective governments announced it on Twitter.
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London: "The war will be long"
The conflict in Ukraine could last "several years": British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said so.
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In Ukraine it is a "genocide"
"Russia's attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure have the characteristics of genocide and deserve an international tribunal." President Volodymyr Zelensky said so
in his new video speech.
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Lukashenko: "Zelensky liar"
"Zelensky lied, no one has bombed Kiev so far." This was stated by the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, quoted by TASS.
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Refugee bus arrived in Trieste
A bus with a Ukrainian license plate carrying about fifty people fleeing the war - they are women, children and two men, one of whom is the driver - arrived this morning at the Fernetti border (Trieste). The police were waiting for the bus and carried out regular border checks. Ukrainian citizens are all headed to the homes of friends or acquaintances, mainly in the north between Brescia, Vicenza and Milan. Someone is also headed to Rome.
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Gazprom: supply to Europe will continue regularly
Gazprom will continue to supply Russian gas for transit to Europe via Ukrainian territory as usual. The spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov confirmed this to reporters: "Gazprom - he said - supplies Russian gas for transit in Europe through the Ukrainian territory as usual, in accordance with the requests of European consumers: 107.5 million cubic meters at 27 February".
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Ukrainian soldiers blow up a bridge, closing the way to Kiev for the Russians
The Ukrainian army blew up a bridge outside Kiev to slow down Russian troops.
The bridge, according to media reports, was between the cities of Bucha and Irpin and now Russian troops are stranded in Bucha.
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Putin's praise to the Special Forces
"I pay special tribute to those who heroically perform their military duty during the special operation to provide assistance to the Donbass People's Republic these days," Vladimir Putin said in his greeting to members and veterans of the Special Forces. congratulating them on their professionalism on Special Operational Forces Day.
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Cardinal Bassetti: "It is time for dialogue and peace"
While unfortunately a mad war breaks out in Ukraine bringing death and destruction, the clock of history does not want to stop its hands in Florence but wants the hour of peace and dialogue to ring continuously. "These are the words of the president of the CEI, the cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, at the meeting in Palazzo Vecchio between mayors and bishops of the Mediterranean.
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Moscow: "471 Ukrainian soldiers captured in the Kharkiv region"
Russian forces captured 471 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kharkiv region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The soldiers would "voluntarily surrender".
(Unioneonline / ss)
