The front lines have changed little in the past 24 hours, with the capital Kiev remaining under Ukrainian control, as has Kharkiv (north-east), despite intense Russian bombardment.
/2022/03/06/php7YmIM3.jpg "War in Ukraine: the highlights of Sunday March 6") |
| A destroyed bridge near Kiev in Ukraine, March 6, 2022. (ANDREA FILIGHEDDU / NURPHOTO / AFP) |
On the eleventh day of their invasion, Russian forces destroyed an airport in central Ukraine on Sunday March 6 and continued their siege of Mariupol, the major port in the south-east. The front lines have changed little in the past 24 hours, with the capital Kiev remaining under Ukrainian control, as has Kharkiv (north-east), despite intense Russian bombardment. Here are the main events of the day in Ukraine.
Kiev still remains under threat
Kiev remains under Ukrainian control, despite heavy bombing. Western observers noted the presence of a column of hundreds of Russian vehicles north of the capital, near Gostomel airport. Intense clashes took place in the vicinity of Gostomel, but the column made little progress in recent days.
Russian strikes, however, destroyed the airport in the city of Vinnytsia, some 200 kilometers southwest of Kiev, announced the Ukrainian president. On Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky also criticized Western countries for their refusal to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine and their reluctance to deliver combat aircraft to Kiev.
No evacuation in Mariupol
The Russians besiege the port city of Mariupol, which is still resisting. A second attempt to evacuate some 200,000 civilians has been "interrupted" , announced the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Both sides blame each other for these failures.
The capture of this strategically important city would allow Russia to link up its forces from annexed Crimea, which have already conquered the key cities of Berdyansk and Kherson and now threaten Mykolaiv, further west. , and separatist and Russian troops in the Donbass.
Odessa, where the main port of Ukraine is located on the Black Sea, still in Ukrainian hands, has so far not been affected. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russia of preparing to bomb the city.
Vladimir Putin remains determined, according to the Elysée
Vladimir Putin does not disarm. The Russian president remains determined to achieve his objectives "by negotiation or by war", according to the Elysée. The Russian president spoke for an hour and 45 minutes with his French counterpart on Sunday March 6. Emmanuel Macron, for his part, reaffirmed his determination to obtain a ceasefire and the creation of humanitarian corridors. New sanctions against Russia are also being considered.
On the issue of the nuclear threat, Vladimir Putin denied any intention to attack Ukrainian nuclear power plants and said he was ready to respect the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the French presidency.
This phone call was on the initiative of Emmanuel Macron. The French president will also meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday as world leaders rally to try to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine.