The Russian government says that if the Ukrainian army surrenders, it will return to the negotiating table. The Kiev Government asks its citizens to prepare.
Russian troops have entered Kyiv this February 25, 2022, the day after the beginning of the invasion ordered by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, whose government plans to return to diplomatic channels if Ukraine lays down the weapons.
The military entry occurred through the Kiev district of Obolon, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported this Friday, and the Russian advance guard is made up of a Russian exploration and sabotage group.
In this context, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense asked citizens to report any movement of enemy war equipment and prepare molotov cocktails to “neutralize the occupant,” but called on civilians to exercise caution and avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily.
Battles in various locations
The irruption of a group of Russian soldiers in the Ukrainian capital was preceded by fighting in various parts of the country. Thus, Ukrainian forces clashed in the town of Ivanki, 80 kilometers from Kyivto Russian tanks advancing in the direction of the capital from the regions near the old Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar previously warned on her Facebook account of the possibility of the Russian Army occupying Vorsel, 35 kilometers from the capital, and surrounding towns.
Russia demands Ukraine lay down its arms
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on February 25 that Russia is willing to return to diplomacy if the armed forces of Ukraine They hand over their weapons.
“We are ready to negotiate. As long as the Ukrainian military responds to the call of our president (Vladimir Putin), ceases resistance and lays down the weapons“said the head of Russian diplomacy at a press conference.
In addition, Sergey Lavrov refused to recognize the Ukrainian government as democratic by defending the military operation launched the day before by Moscow in Ukraine.
“We do not see the possibility of recognizing as democratic a government that oppresses and uses genocidal methods against its own people,” he said at a press conference with the deputy foreign minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Sergei Peresada.
A symbol of the arbitrariness of war
In its invasionIn recent hours, the Russian Army has taken Snake Island, an uninhabited Ukrainian islet located in the Black Sea just 45 kilometers from the Romanian city of Sulina, local media reported today.
The islet was defended by 13 Ukrainian soldiers, who refused to surrender and died under Russian fire.
The seizure of the islet, confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities, has caused concern in Romania, which sees how the most pessimistic forecasts about the advance of Russian troops to the vicinity of its territory are being fulfilled.
Energy experts have warned that the current conflict situation in the Black Sea makes it practically impossible for Romania to attract investors to extract the huge amounts of gas that have been found in its territorial waters. Reserves that could help Europe reduce its energy dependence on Russiaanalysts say.
Refugees
The UN is preparing for possible flows of between one and up to five million Ukrainian refugees who could soon flee their country, depending on the direction of the war that has broken out in Ukraine.
“We are preparing with UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) contingency plans for the departure of a population of between one and up to three million people to Poland, and between one and up to five million considering all neighboring countries,” he said. UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan.
Protests in Russia
More of 1,800 people have been arbitrarily detained on Russia during the protests against invasion of Ukraine and it is unknown at the moment if some have been released, the UN Human Rights Office said today.
This figure triples that communicated by the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of the Interior in the last few hours.
“Being arrested for exercising the right to freedom of expression or assembly is an arbitrary deprivation of liberty and we ask that the people affected be released,” Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva. EFE
