The battles in Ukraine are raging for the 21st day, with Kyiv at the center of Russian bombing.
As the 35-hour curfew in the Ukrainian capital went into effect yesterday, powerful explosions took place in the western part of the capital.
The past day is considered to be the most difficult, as a powerful explosion occurred about 3 km from Independence Square, while entire buildings have been destroyed and many people have lost their lives.
Russian artillery and warplanes continue to pound cities and towns across Ukraine.
Sirens sound again in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odessa, Dnipro, local media reported, warning people to run to shelters to protect themselves from possible rocket attacks.
???? Air raid sirens in Lviv at 5:25 AM local time.
– Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) March 16, 2022
A 5 am tradition across Ukraine: the sound of air-raid sirens waking you up.
– Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 16, 2022
In Odessa region There have been reports of Russian war bombings on the coast, but no attempt has been made so far, according to Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
Fierce battles are fought north of Nikolaevwith the Ukrainians blowing up bridges to prevent the advance of the Russian army.
In the besieged city Mariupollocal officials say about 400 patients and doctors are being held hostage in a hospital.
Russian troops have taken the Mariupol hospital and taken 500 hostages, said regional leader Pavlo Kirilenko.
Troops use those inside the hospital as human shields and do not allow anyone to leave, he said.
“It is impossible to leave the hospital, they shoot loudly,” he said.
The Ukrainian staff considers the situation in Mariupol critical. The Russian army is trying to block it on its western and eastern borders, but there are “big losses”.
Negotiations continue today
Meanwhile, talks between Moscow and Kiev with the Ukrainian president are expected to continue today. Volodymyr Zelenskyto state in a new message that the positions of the two sides now sound more realistic.
However, he warned that it would take time for Kiev’s demands to be met.
“We all want peace and victory as soon as possible,” he said, “but it will take effort and patience.”
“Every war ends with an agreement,” Zelensky continued, assuring that negotiations “will continue.”
Kyiv demands an end to the war and the withdrawal of Russian troops. For its part, Moscow is urging Kyiv to recognize that the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, is Russian, and also to recognize the self-proclaimed Donbass People’s Democracies as independent state entities.
Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that what he called Russia’s aggressive war would bring shame, misery and years of isolation to Moscow. However, he seemed to take a step back, implying that Kyiv does not rule out the possibility of Ukraine abandoning its bid to join NATO, something that Russia considers casus belli.
In addition, he in his new message called on world leaders to visit Kyiv to see what is happening in the region and let it be, as he said, dangerous.
At the same time, US President Joe Biden is expected to announce today $ 800 million in aid to Ukraine to strengthen its security forces after the Russian invasion, said a White House official.
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the United States would provide $ 186 million in humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing Ukraine to escape the war. The amount is added to the $ 293 million already offered, according to the head of US diplomacy.
