Russia is advancing – The situation in Ukraine – an overview – News
Kiev targeted by the Russians: On day two of the war, the Russian military apparently increased their sights on the Ukrainian capital. It was heard from the government that Friday was considered the “hardest day”. Russia is expected to invade Kiev with tanks.
Russia apparently ready to negotiate
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According to the Kremlin, Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine. Moscow is ready to send a Russian delegation to the talks in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday afternoon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky twice offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky had previously speculated that the Russian attack was intended to overthrow him. “According to our information, the enemy has declared me target number 1, my family target number 2”. He wants to stay in Kiev.
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian military is fighting Russian troops in the greater Kiev area. With a view to two places in the north-west of the capital, military spokesman Oleksiy Arestovych told journalists: “There are already fights there.”
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Soldiers of the Ukrainian national guard take up position in the center of Kiev. Image dated February 25, 2022.
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Kiev itself is preparing for defense. The Ukrainian army destroyed “some” Russian helicopters and military equipment. Such information cannot currently be independently verified. According to agency reports, shots can be heard near the government district in Kiev.
The people of Kiev had been asked in the morning to seek refuge. The metro stations of the capital with about 2.8 million inhabitants served as shelters.
Destruction and Fear in Ukraine
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People seek shelter after sirens wailed again in Kiev on Friday morning.
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They are also gathering in the metro stations of the Ukrainian capital at the behest of the government.
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Destroyed block of flats in the capital Kiev.
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Buildings are also said to have been destroyed in the region around Luhansk, as these third-party images from Starobilsk show.
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Russians advance but suffer casualties
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According to Russia, a total of 118 Ukrainian military objects were “out of action”, including eleven military airports.
This was announced by Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Friday in Moscow. Such statements cannot be verified independently. According to Konashenkov, five Ukrainian fighter jets, a helicopter and five drones were also shot down.
An island off the Ukrainian port of Odessa was captured. The 13 Ukrainian border guards on Snake Island in the Black Sea were killed by fire from a Russian warship. 82 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered.
The ministry spokesman also confirmed that the Russians have seized the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is almost 70 kilometers from the capital Kiev. Konashenkov also said that separatist fighters from the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk have now advanced nine kilometers into an area previously controlled by Ukrainian government troops.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian troops suffered heavy casualties. The Ministry of Defense in Kiev spoke of 30 destroyed Russian tanks, 130 armored vehicles, seven airplanes and six helicopters.
Ukrainian resistance: Zelensky issued a decree ordering a general mobilization. This means that all conscripts and reservists should be called up. The order is therefore valid for 90 days. This means that male citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 are no longer allowed to leave the country.
That’s why Putin decided to attack
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In a speech delivered by Vladimir Putin on Thursday at 5 a.m. Kiev time, the Russian President justified the invasion as a form of self-defense. “The circumstances require decisive and immediate action from us. People’s republics in Donbass have asked Russia for help. So I ordered a military operation.”
For SRF Russia correspondent Luzia Tschirky, Putin’s speech lacks any facts. It makes no sense to want to protect the Donbass but then attack the capital Kiev, which does not belong to this area. The danger never emanated from Ukraine; the danger emanated from the Russian government from the start, says Tschirky. They expect the country to be completely occupied.
Russian troops had been advancing on Ukrainian territory from several directions since early Thursday morning: from the declared independent regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, from Crimea in the south and from Belarus in the north. Explosions were later reported from almost all over Ukraine, caused by warplanes, rockets and artillery. According to the Ukrainian border guard, ground troops also entered Ukraine.
Read here how relations between Moscow and Ukraine came to a head.
Victims and refugees: According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian army lost 137 people on the first day of the Russian invasion. 316 soldiers were injured, he said in one video message. According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, two children died and 33 civilian targets were hit in the last 24 hours. The UN Human Rights Office said at noon that there were reports of at least 127 civilian casualties in Ukraine, of whom 25 were dead and 102 injured. However, the actual number is likely to be much higher.
Little is known about casualties on the Russian side, as the Kremlin has so far kept a low profile on the matter. According to their own statements, the Ukrainian armed forces have already killed more than 1,000 Russian attackers. For its part, the Tass agency quotes the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that 200 Ukrainians were “neutralized” when the strategically important Hostomel airfield north-west of Kiev was taken. There was no confirmation on this from the Ukrainian side.
The worldwide reactions: The Western world is initially reacting with sanctions against Russia: the heads of state and government of the EU approved a comprehensive package of sanctions at a special summit on Thursday.
According to reports from the German press agency DPA, Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are also included on the EU sanctions list. This means that any assets held by the two politicians in the EU will be frozen. In addition, they are no longer allowed to enter the EU.
Switzerland wants to leave doors open
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Switzerland is waiving its own sanctions, joining – albeit not quite so obviously – those of the EU. Switzerland also wants to take measures to prevent the EU sanctions that have already been imposed from being circumvented.
In addition, the Swiss government is considering tightening certain measures. For the time being, no funds from private individuals should be frozen in Switzerland. Among other things, however, it is checked whether new money from Russia may not be invested in banks.
According to the President and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, the aim of Switzerland’s independent sanctions policy is not to slam the doors to diplomatic relations with the conflicting parties. “That is the political goal of Switzerland.” The offer of good offices is an added value for Switzerland, Cassis told the media in Bern on Friday. “We must base ourselves on the principle of dialogue.” Other countries couldn’t do that. However, the Federal Council deliberately wanted to preserve the room for maneuver for diplomatic efforts.
Cassis emphasized that neutrality does not mean indifference. However, neutrality obliges Switzerland to take a differentiated position. “It’s not easy in this situation,” admitted the Federal President.
The US government has imposed sanctions on banks and credit institutions. The US government also announced strict export controls for Russia. Japan has also announced further sanctions against Russia.
Worldwide protests against the invasion
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The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was illuminated in the colors of Ukraine during a solidarity demonstration on Thursday evening.
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In numerous cities around the world – like here in Sydney, Australia – people have been expressing their displeasure with the Russian invasion of Ukraine since Thursday.
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In Los Angeles, the Russian community showed solidarity with Ukraine.
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The Ukrainian community organized a rally in Bern – which was followed by around a hundred people.
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People demonstrate in front of the Russian embassy in Rome.
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There was also a demonstration in Downing Street in London on Thursday.
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A Western military action, on the other hand, is inconceivable, says international SRF correspondent Sebastian Ramspeck. The USA and NATO have made this clear several times. One reason for this: Ukraine is not a NATO member. Russia is also a nuclear power, and nuclear powers normally do not have to fear attack.
Nevertheless, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, more than 100 fighter jets are on alert to monitor the airspace of NATO territory. 120 warships from the far north to the Mediterranean are also in action. In addition, various countries want to support Ukraine with arms deliveries.
A clear reaction from China has not yet been discerned. The country has so far avoided using the term “invasion”. After a phone call between Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping, Chinese media reported that the country was pro-Russian-Ukrainian dialogue, SRF-China correspondent Mario Aldrovandi said.
This is how Russia reacts: The Kremlin is unimpressed. According to the Russian agency Tass, the Russian government has sufficient resources to ensure the stability of the financial system despite sanctions and threats.
There were individual protests in Moscow, but these were quickly broken up, as Christof Franzen, a former SRF correspondent in Russia, reports. He is currently in the Russian capital. It is difficult to identify a clear mood trend. The beginning of the war was a shock, especially for the liberal, pro-Western opposition. «Progressive Russians are deeply concerned and frustrated. Many say she is ashamed and will hurt Russia for decades.” But there are also those who follow the official Kremlin narrative – that the Ukrainians, with the help of the US, committed genocide in eastern Ukraine and that this must be stopped.
More on the war in Ukraine
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There are again special programs on the war in Ukraine today: on SRF 1 and srf.ch there is one at 9 p.m «Arena Special», after “10 to 10” at 10:25 p.m. on SRF 1 there will also be an “Arena” on the subject, extended to 80 minutes. We keep you informed about the situation in Ukraine in the live ticker and on SRF 4 News.
