The day of the war at a glance
Lviv reports heavy airstrike, Biden calls Putin “butcher”
03/26/2022, 10:21 p.m
The Russian and Ukrainian armies fought fiercely for Mariupol. Both sides report military successes in other parts of Ukraine. Rocket strikes are reported from Lviv, while the US President in neighboring Poland sharply attacks the Russian President. The 31st day of the war at a glance.
Mayor: Lviv experiences heavy air raid
The metropolis of Lviv in western Ukraine has been hit by Russian missiles, according to Ukrainian sources. The regional military administration reported three violent explosions on the eastern outskirts of the city. A thick plume of black smoke could be seen in the sky. Mayor Andriy Sadovyj said that “an industrial facility storing fuel caught fire.” At least five people were injured. Civilian infrastructure was not hit. The governor of the region, Maxym Kosytsky, spoke of two Russian rocket attacks in the afternoon.
Lviv has seen few attacks so far and is around 80 kilometers from the Polish border. US President Joe Biden visited the neighboring country today and Friday. The attacks happened shortly before his speech on the war in Ukraine in Warsaw. “I think that’s a kind of warning to Biden,” Ukrainian security expert Anton Herashchenko commented on the airstrike.
Biden: “This man can’t stay in power”
In his speech, Biden sharply attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a “dictator”. In the Warsaw Royal Castle, the US President said, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” It is about a struggle between “democracy and autocracy”. Biden emphatically assured Ukraine of US support: “We are on your side.” Immediately after Biden’s speech, a senior White House official took pains to stress that the president’s statement was not directly calling for Putin’s overthrow. “The message from the president was that Putin must not be allowed to have power over his neighbors or the region.”
US assures Poland of NATO assistance
In addition, Biden used his visit to Poland to make a clear commitment to NATO and the duty to provide assistance. He called the alliance case article of the NATO treaty a “sacred obligation”. The US President also met the foreign and defense ministers of Ukraine in Warsaw.
Biden calls Putin “butcher”, Moscow reacts
At a meeting with Ukrainian refugees at Warsaw’s National Stadium, Biden described the Russian president as a “butcher”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such “personal insults” further limited the possibility of bilateral contacts with the US government. It is “at least strange” to hear such words from Biden, who called for bombings on Serbia in the 1999 Kosovo war.
Mariupol is still fiercely contested
Both the Russian and the Ukrainian side continued to report fierce fighting around the port city of Mariupol in the south-east of the country. The Russian army is shelling civilian and military objects from the air and with artillery, the Ukrainian General Staff said in its report. On the ground, Russian forces tried to advance into the city center.
From the Russian side, the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published videos about the alleged deployment of his fighters in Mariupol. The strategically important industrial and port city is the only stretch of the Sea of Azov that Russia does not yet control.
Military administration: Russia captures Slavutych, residents protest
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian army seized control of the small town of Slavutych, where the personnel at the Chernobyl nuclear ruins lived. According to the military administration of the Kyiv region, Russian soldiers entered the city, occupied the city hospital and briefly arrested the mayor. He told the AFP news agency hours later on the phone that he had been released.
The military administration said residents of Slavutych took to the streets to protest the occupation and marched towards the hospital with a huge Ukrainian flag. The Russian military fired warning shots and threw stun grenades at the demonstrators. The mayor spoke of around 5,000 demonstrators.
Russia reports destruction of weapons arsenal
Meanwhile, Russian forces said they had once again destroyed a Ukrainian arsenal of weapons and military equipment. Four “Caliber” rockets were fired from a warship in the Black Sea and hit the depot near the city of Zhytomyr. The important industrial city of Zhytomyr is around 120 kilometers west of Kyiv. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 117 military objects were destroyed within 24 hours, including six command posts and three combat aircraft. This information cannot be verified by an independent party.
Video shows Russian defense minister after speculation
The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video of a meeting of the military leadership after speculation about the whereabouts of department head Sergei Shoigu. The photo is undated, but according to Russian news agencies, the minister alludes to a meeting with the finance minister that took place on Friday. According to media reports, Schoigu had not held any public appointments for two weeks. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said of speculation about health problems: “The defense minister has a lot to do at the moment.” In the midst of the conflict in Ukraine is “not the time for media appearances”.
Ukrainian media: Russians flee town near Sumy
The Ukrainian side also reported successes. In the northeast of the country, Ukrainian soldiers said they drove Russian troops out of a town not far from Sumy. The Russians left weapons, ammunition and equipment in Trostianets, several media outlets wrote, citing the 93rd Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The information could not be independently verified. The Sumy region has been under attack since Russia’s war against Ukraine began more than four weeks ago. There is also heavy fighting in the neighboring Kharkiv region.
Hit the Holocaust memorial near Kharkiv
According to local media reports, a Holocaust memorial on the outskirts of the city of Kharkiv was damaged by Russian shelling. The monument in the form of a seven-armed chandelier was missing two arms, the KharkivToday portal reported. There was no information as to when the memorial was hit. The Drobitskij Jar memorial commemorates 16,000 to 20,000 Jews and Soviet prisoners who were murdered there by the Nazi occupation in 1941/42.
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