Even as the Kremlin said diplomatic talks with Ukraine were on, Moscow has not made a deal yet. Believing that they will win the war within days, Russian forces are no longer making any progress on the ground. They have, however, continued to blast cities, leading to civilian casualties.
In Mariupol, a Russian airstrike destroyed a theatre where hundreds of people were sheltering, said Ukrainian officials. They said the number of casualties was unclear. Even though the overall death toll, since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, remains unknown, it has led more than 3 million people to flee Ukraine, as per UN estimates.
Here are the key things to know about the conflict, which has entered its fourth week:
Diplomatic talks: In the latest update, the Kremlin said talks with Ukraine were on but there was no deal yet. The Kremlin further said Russia was putting colossal energy into talks on a possible peace deal with Ukraine that could swiftly stop the “military operation”. “Our delegation is putting in colossal effort and demonstrates more readiness towards them than the other side,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, adding, “agreeing such a document, the observance of all its parameters and their implementation could very quickly stop what is happening.”
In a video address to lawmakers in Berlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Germany to take the lead in effort to end the war.
According to news agency Reuters, on the United Nations front, the Security Council is due to vote on Friday. This is for a Russian-drafted call for aid access and civilian protection, which diplomats are saying is set to fail as it does not call for an end to fighting or withdrawal of Russian troops.
The toll: After a Russian airstrike on Wednesday, women and children are feared to be trapped in a theatre they had been taking shelter in at the southern port city Mariupol, said officials. Rescuers were at work, combing through rubble, but Russia has denied striking the theatre.
In northern Chernihiv, the governor said bombardment had killed 53 civilians over the past 24 hours, according to a report by Reuters. Russia has denied targeting civilians.
In the suburbs of capital Kyiv, thousands have been deprived of heat and clean water. According to the Associated Press, Russian forces freed the Melitopol mayor in exchange for nine captured soldiers, Ukraine said.
Russians making no progress on ground: The progress of Russian troops have largely been stalled, according to British military intelligence. Inputs also said the forces had suffered heavy losses in recent days.
‘Russiaphobia’: Russia has accused the United States of stoking “Russophobia” to bring it down.
A day after US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”, Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov also told European lawmakers that the EU should recognise him as the same. The Kremlin has called this comment “unforgivable”.
Impact of the war: In a briefing on the impact of the Ukraine war, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the fallout from the Ukraine war could cut global growth by over one percentage point in the first year after the Russian invasion, reported news agency AFP. Meanwhile, the IfW economic institute also said the Ukraine war could alomost halve Germany’s 2022 growth to 2.1 per cent. According to a report by the Associated Press, Russia’s war in Ukraine will disrupt commerce and clog up supply chains, slashing economic growth and pushing prices sharply higher around the globe, in a warning by the OECD. The 38-country organisation said over the next year, the conflict would reduce gross domestic product the broadest measure of economic output by 1.08 per cent worldwide, by 1.4 per cent in the 19 European countries that share the euro currency and by 0.88 per cent in the United States.
(With agency inputs)
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