The contributions of this live tracking are activated between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Paris time.
- At least 262 children dead, 415 injured; 5.2 million need humanitarian aid (UNICEF). More than three months of war in Ukraine (99 days) had “devastating consequences for children on a scale and at a speed not seen since the Second World War”
- The Russian army tightened its grip on the strategic city of Sievierodonetsk on Thursday. “The city is eighty percent occupied” by Russian forces and street fighting is raging, Luhansk region governor Serhi Haidai said. After the failure of their lightning offensive to bring down the regime in kyiv, the Russian forces are concentrating on the conquest of the Donbass region, where a war of attrition is now being played out after nearly three months of conflict. And the steamroller tactic applied by Moscow to slowly nibble away at the Donbass seems to be paying off.
- Between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers die every day, another 500 are injured, says Zelensky. This high number of casualties comes as Ukrainian troops are fighting fiercely against a powerful concentration of Russian forces trying to take control of the Luhansk region and the city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. “We hold our defensive positions” in the East, however, said Volodymyr Zelensky.
- kyiv “assured” in Washington that he would not use American weapons to target targets in Russia. These are multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor, with a range of about 80 kilometers, which could change the military balance of power on the ground. “It’s Russia attacking Ukraine, not the other way around”declared before the press the head of the American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, in response to the accusations of Moscow criticizing the supply of these new American weapons.
- In a column published by the New York TimesJoe Biden says he is not looking for “a war between NATO and Russia”. US president dismisses any desire to foster regime change in Moscow, says he does not encourage or give to Ukraine “the means to strike beyond its borders”.
- Denmark joins EU defense policy. An overwhelming majority of Danes, almost 67%, voted on Wednesday in favor of joining EU defense policy. “Denmark has sent an important signal. To our allies in Europe and NATO, and to [président Vladimir] Cheese fries. We show that when Putin invades a free country and threatens stability in Europe, the rest of us come together”said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “There was a Europe before February 24, before the Russian invasion, and there is a Europe after”she added.
- In Donbass, eastern Ukraine, Russian forces are about to seize Sievierodonetska strategic city of which they “control most”, announced Tuesday, the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhi Haïdaï. The latter called the inhabitants of this city “90% destroyed” to stay in the shelters and “prepare masks for the face, soaked in a solution of soda” after a “nitric acid tank” of a chemical plant was ” hit “ by a Russian strike.
- According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, one of Moscow’s objectives in Sievierodonetsk is D’“encircle the Ukrainian troops and complicate the situation by blackmailing [les Ukrainiens] later with these encircled troops, what can generally be called a ‘cauldron’”. “So far they have not succeeded, because the Ukrainian army is resisting with force”she said Wednesday morning.
- In the streets of kyiv, Ukrainians wait for the ninety minutes which, on Wednesday evening, will allow them to escape from the daily life of war, with their team’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Scotlandin Glasgow.
Find our live from yesterday here.
Read all our articles, analyzes and reports on the war in Ukraine
Decryptions. Military aid to Ukraine: the contrasting effort of Westerners
Grandstand. “The pandemic and the war in Ukraine show that the phenomenon of conspiracy and its dangers are likely to revive at every opportunity”
Narrative. Angela Merkel condemns “the barbaric war of aggression waged by Russia” without making a mea culpa
Decryptions. The Danes say “yes” to European defense
Grandstand. “To defeat Putin, we must also protect Europeans, especially the most vulnerable, from the shock waves of war”
Narrative. “Europe Square, Berlin, March 2022”
Video. How the siege of Mariupol resulted in heavy civilian casualties
