The night of the war at a glance
Heavy airstrikes with civilian casualties, nuclear power plant staff “tortured”
03/09/2022, 06:05 am
Russia’s attack on Ukraine rages on two weeks after the invasion began, again killing many civilians, including children. The Ukrainian energy minister complained that “Russian military units are torturing the staff of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant” and the President’s wife Selenska accuses Russia of “mass murder”.. An overview of what happened during the night and a view of the day.
Heavy air raids in Malyn, two children die: According to the authorities, several people have been killed or injured in new airstrikes on cities in Ukraine. In the town of Malyn, Zhytomyr region, three adults and two children died when bombs destroyed seven houses, civil defense officials said. At least one person died in Ochtyrka near Sumy and 14 people were injured. The Russian army shelled the town’s civilian infrastructure for two hours, said the head of the regional administration, Dmytro Shyvytskyi. The information is not independently verifiable.
Seven-year-old child dies in house shelling in Kharkiv: According to the civil defense, two people died near the city of Kharkiv, including a seven-year-old child, when a projectile hit a residential building. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 170 civilians have been killed in fighting in Kharkiv, including five children, a spokesman for the Unian agency said. Russia insists the troops are not attacking civilian targets, only military ones.
Ukrainian Energy Minister: Russians “torture” nuclear power plant personnel: According to Ukraine’s energy minister, Russian military units are “torturing” the staff at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to force them to make a public statement. Herman Halushchenko claimed in a post on Facebook that the operating staff had been “held hostage for four days”. “There are about 500 Russian soldiers and 50 units of heavy equipment in the station. The station employees are physically and mentally exhausted,” said Halushchenko.
President’s wife Selenska accuses Russia of “mass murder”.: The wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated calls for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the country. “Close heaven, and on earth we will make it ourselves,” wrote Olena Zelenska in an open letter published by the Presidential Office in Kyiv. Ukraine wants peace. “But Ukraine will defend itself and will never capitulate.” The Russian invasion was a “mass murder of peaceful people”.
US finds Poland’s fighter jet decision ‘unsustainable’: The US Department of Defense seems to reject the idea of providing Ukraine with Polish MiG-29 fighter jets from a US military base in Germany. The US has expressed surprise at Poland’s willingness to make all of the country’s MIG-29 fighter jets available to the US. This had not been agreed with the United States in advance, said Secretary of State at the US State Department, Victoria Nuland, in Washington. “That’s why I think it was actually a surprising move by Poland.” The Pentagon then declared that Poland’s solution was “unsustainable”. Poland’s proposal “raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. “It’s just not clear to us that there is a substantive justification for this.”
IAEA: No connection to monitoring devices in Chernobyl: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is no longer connected to the monitoring equipment at Ukraine’s former Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This was announced by the authority. The devices ensure that the nuclear material is in place. The former power plant was taken by Russian units a few days ago.
US sends anti-aircraft missile systems to Poland: The United States has deployed two Patriot missile batteries to Poland as a “defensive deployment” to counter a possible threat to US and NATO allies during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a US European Command spokesman said. Patriots are anti-aircraft missile systems designed to repel and destroy incoming short-range ballistic missiles, modern aircraft and cruise missiles.
This will be important on Wednesday: Russia has again announced the opening of several “humanitarian corridors” in Ukraine. From 8 a.m. CET local ceasefires should apply, Russian news agencies reported, citing a department of the Ministry of Defense responsible for humanitarian issues. Earlier, the first civilians had been taken via an official evacuation corridor from the embattled city of Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also speak to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And the Interior Committee of the Bundestag is dealing with the consequences of the war.