Russia Ukraine War Updates: 72 attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities since Feb 24, says WHO

Russian forces in Ukraine appear to have shifted their focus from a ground offensive aimed at Kyiv to instead prioritizing what Moscow calls the liberation of the contested Donbas region, suggesting a new phase of the war. It appears too early to know whether this means President Vladimir Putin has scaled back his ambitions in Ukraine, but Russian military moves this week indicate a recognition of the surprisingly stout Ukrainian resistance. Russian-backed separatists have controlled part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since 2014. Putin’s forces are under great strain in many parts of the country, and the United States and other countries are accelerating their transfer of arms and supplies to Ukraine. In recent days, US officials have said they see evidence of Ukrainian defenders going on the offensive in a limited way in some areas.

72 attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities since Feb 24: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has registered a total of 72 attacks targeting Ukrainian healthcare facilities since Russia launched its war on February 24.

According to the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Healthcare (SSA), of the 72 attacks, 58 impacted facilities, 11 transportation, 16 personnel, 10 patients, eight supplies and one impacted a warehouse.

There were a total of 71 deaths and 37 injuries as a result of these attacks, the SSA added.

Spotify suspends service in Russia

Swedish music streaming giant Spotify is suspending its services in Russia after Moscow passed a new law earlier this month to crack down on free press and speech.

Spotify said it had no choice but to leave the Russian market, citing the law that essentially outlaws independent journalism.

“Spotify has continued to believe that it’s critically important to try and keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information in the region,” a Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch.

“Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression and criminalising certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify’s employees and possibly even our listeners at risk.”

In early March, the Russian Parliament enacted the law that criminalizes sharing what the government deems to be “false information” about Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ukrainians hold large protest in Brussels, demand west for tougher sanctions on Russia

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its second month, a large protest was carried out in Brussels with protesters, including the sizable Belgian-Ukrainian community and recently arrived refugees, demanding tougher sanctions against Russia.

The event was organized by the Ukrainian-led advocacy group Promote Ukraine. It took place in front of the Council of the European Union, where US President Joe Biden was concluding a summit with European leaders, reported Ukraine’s local media outlet The Kyiv Independent.

Initially, the protesters were demanding NATO for a no-fly zone over the war-torn country. After the refusal of the NATO alliance to create a no-fly zone over Ukrainian airspace, the organizers are now demanding that Ukraine’s Western allies supply anti-air defences and fighter jets.

Pentagon claims Russia sending troops from Georgia to Ukraine

A senior US defence official told reporters that the Pentagon has seen indications of Russia sending troop reinforcements from “Georgia” to Ukraine to support its offensive in the Donbas region.

UK to provide Ukraine with 2 million pounds in essential food supplies

The United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with essential food supplies worth 2 million pounds, the UK Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

“The UK is set to provide £2 million in vital food supplies for areas of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed today,” the statement read.

According to the Ministry it is estimated over 12 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance across Ukraine, with the actual figure likely to be much higher.

“Warehouses in Poland and Slovakia are being readied to supply these goods to the government of Ukraine from early next week. Around 25 truckloads will then be transported by road and rail to the local Ukrainian communities in greatest need,” it added.

Russia announces completion of 1st stage of military operation in Ukraine

The main tasks of the first stage of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine have been completed in general, the Russian military has said.

“The combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been significantly reduced,” said Sergei Rudskoy, first Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, on Friday.

“Our forces and means will concentrate on the main thing — the complete liberation of Donbas,” he added.

Russia restricts flow of funds to ‘unfriendly’ countries, regions

Russia has imposed restrictions on the movement of funds that could be transferred to “unfriendly” countries and regions, its central bank has said.

The measure was taken in response to the freezing of part of Russia’s gold and foreign currency reserves in some countries, the central bank said on Telegram on Friday.

“A comparable amount” of funds are affected, it said, without specifying the exact sum, Xinhua news agency reported.

Biden supports Russia’s exclusion from G20

US President Joe Biden has said he was in favour of Russia being excluded from the Group of 20 (G20).

If Russia is not excluded, at least Ukraine should also be invited to the G20 group as an observer, Biden added at a press conference at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

The US President is in Brussels to attend three summits addressing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including the NATO extraordinary summit, the Group of Seven summit and the European Council meeting, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia has not commented on Biden’s statement so far.

Turkey’s Erdogan holds phone talk with Ukrainian Prez

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

The two leaders on Friday discussed the situation on the ground and the stage of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency.

Erdogan told Zelensky that he once again had emphasised Turkey’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity at the NATO leaders’ summit, which was held in Brussels on Thursday, said the statement.

Biden about Mariupol: ‘It’s unimaginable, we’ve only seen it in horror movies’

Biden about Mariupol: ‘It’s unimaginable, we’ve only seen it in horror movies.’ – The Kyiv Independent

While in Poland, Biden again called Putin a war criminal. “I saw these catastrophes, children, babies, mothers. You don’t have to understand their language, you just have to look them in the eye.”

Ukrainians fighting to take back Kherson

Ukrainians fighting to take back Kherson, now ‘contested’ city: Pentagon

Ukraine destroys Russian three airplanes, five cruise missiles, three UAVs, and a helicopter

Ukraine destroyed Russian three airplanes, five cruise missiles, three UAVs, and a helicopter on March 25, according to the Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. – The Kyiv Independent

60 miles from Ukraine, Biden sees refugee crisis in Poland

Just 60 miles from Ukraine, President Joe Biden saluted Poland on Friday for welcoming more than 2 million refugees who have fled Russia’s invasion. Then he met with humanitarian experts on the ground about what will be needed to mitigate the growing suffering.

Biden said he had hoped to get even closer to the border but was prevented because of security concerns. Still, he said he wanted to visit Poland to underscore that the assistance it is providing is of “enormous consequence” as Europe experiences the biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

“It’s not stopping,” Biden said of the devastation in Ukraine. “It’s like something out of a science fiction movie.”

Ukraine says 300 died in theatre attack, hunger grips cities

About 300 people were killed in the Russian airstrike last week on a Mariupol theater that was being used as a shelter, Ukrainian authorities said Friday in what would make it the war’s deadliest known attack on civilians yet.

Meanwhile, in what could signal an important narrowing of Moscow’s military objectives, the US said Russian forces appear to have halted, at least for now, their ground offensive aimed at capturing the capital, Kyiv, and are concentrating more on the fighting for control of the Donbas region in the country’s southeast — a shift the Kremlin seemed to confirm.

Col-Gen Sergei Rudskoi, deputy chief of the Russian general staff, said the main objective of the first stage of the operation — reducing Ukraine’s fighting capacity — has “generally been accomplished”, allowing Russian forces to focus on “the main goal, liberation of Donbas”.

News Credit: India TV News