Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
picture released, Archyde.com
A temporary camp has been set up in Poland to receive some of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has advised Russia not to “waste its time” in his country, stressing that the bombing of Ukrainian cities by its forces will not make Kyiv bow to the conditions set by Moscow for a truce.
In a video clip posted on Facebook, Zelensky said that the first round of Russian-Ukrainian talks took place “in the wake of bombings and shootings targeting Ukraine” and indicated that he believed “Russia is trying in this simple way to put pressure” on Kyiv, adding, “Do not waste your time.”
According to the Ukrainian president, Kyiv “did not get the result it would have liked” at the end of this first round of negotiations, but he referred to the “counter-proposals” made by the Ukrainian delegation to “end the war”.
The two delegations returned to hold “consultations in their capitals” following they agreed to hold a “second round” of talks.
Battle of Kharkiv
And officials in Ukraine announced that dozens of people were killed in the Russian bombing of the city of Kharkiv.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said, via Facebook, that Kharkiv was subjected to heavy shelling, which led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
The attack came on the fifth day of the Russian invasion in conjunction with talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has confirmed that more than half a million people have fled their homes to escape the war in Ukraine, with intense fighting continuing across the country.
Major cities are still subjected to bloody attacks by Russian forces.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said millions of civilians have been forced to gather in makeshift bomb shelters, such as underground train stations.
Since the invasion began last Thursday, her office has recorded 102 civilians killed, including seven children – and more than 300 wounded.
“I’m afraid the real numbers are much higher,” Bachelet said.
In the capital, Kyiv, the bulk of the Russian forces are stationed regarding 30 kilometers outside the northern outskirts of the city, following their advance was slowed by the violent Ukrainian resistance, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
But street-level fighting continues in many parts of the city. Despite the danger, the curfew imposed two days ago has been lifted, with residents leaving their underground shelters to buy food and collect other necessities.
Casinia, who has spent more than 36 hours underground, told the BBC she was able to go home. “I can’t describe how I feel, I am happy to be safe and alive and to have the opportunity to see my beautiful and wonderful city of Kyiv,” she added.
“Even underground,” she said, “everyone is trying to help the other, to help our military be stronger, and to spread the word regarding our situation here.”
picture released, Getty Images
A Ukrainian family resides in an underground shelter in the city of Kyiv to avoid the bombing.
In the north and northeast, Kharkiv and Chernihiv were also bombed by Russian forces during the night but remained under Ukrainian control. Shells fell near a shopping center in Kharkiv today, while fighting continued in the streets of the two cities.
Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister, posted on Facebook that “Kharkiv just came under massive bombardment by Grad missiles. Dozens were killed and hundreds wounded.”
In the south of the country, Russian forces are trying to control the strategic port of Mariupol, located near the Russian-annexed Crimea.
Ukraine denied reports that the city of Zaporizhia, which includes the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, had fallen into the hands of Russia.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin has put deterrent forces, which include nuclear weapons, on a “special alert”. The announcement does not mean that Russia intends to use these weapons, but it was considered a threat on a large scale.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the media that the Russian move was intended to “remind the world that it has deterrence” and divert attention from “what is going on in Ukraine”.
Western countries continued to impose sanctions and coordinate non-military actions once morest Russia.
The Russian currency, the ruble, fell by 30 percent once morest the US dollar in early trading on Monday – a record low caused by Western financial sanctions. The Russian Central Bank more than doubled the interest rate to 20 percent in response to the sanctions.
Human rights organization Amnesty International accused Russia of indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas, which it said may constitute a war crime.
The Lithuanian government said Monday it would ask prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate “war crimes and crimes once morest humanity” in Ukraine.
Searching for vandals
Orla Guerin – Kyiv
With the curfew lifted at 8 a.m. on the fifth day of the Russian invasion, small numbers of people began appearing on the sun-drenched streets of Kyiv.
Since the curfew was imposed on Saturday evening, there has been a change in the city. There are more checkpoints, more sandbags, and more tension.
We passed a blue Lada parked in the middle of the street. There were bullet holes on one side of it, and the driver had fallen dead on the steering wheel. He had been shot in the head.
Suddenly Ukrainian forces – in a hidden position – started screaming for us to leave. We do not know the circumstances, but it is possible that the driver is a suspected Russian saboteur. Security forces are looking for Russian saboteurs inside the city.
For some, today was an opportunity for those trying to escape. In the morning, as the air raid siren was sounding, we met a group of regarding 30 Indian students, rushing to the train station, dragging their bags behind them.
They said they have heard reports that foreign students are not allowed to board the trains. A medical student told me that, in this time of war, they hoped that all people would be treated equally. In any case, they were not planning to rely on the train. They booked their own bus.
