Zelensky says Russia is preparing for a bombing in Odessa
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday (March 6th) that Russia was planning to carry out a bombing in Odessa. If something like this happens, it will be "a war crime ... a historic crime," Zelensky said in a televised statement.
"Now is the time to defeat evil to avoid irreparable damage," Zelensky said in a statement, urging the Russian people to choose between life and slavery.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Ukraine's sovereignty would be at risk if the country continued its current behavior.
During a meeting with Aeroflot staff, Putin added that any "no-fly zone" in the skies of Ukraine would have "huge and catastrophic consequences" not only for Europe but for the entire world.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized NATO for not imposing a no-fly zone. Western allies say imposing a "no-fly zone" could escalate their dispute with Russia.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday night. They discussed the modus operandi of the United States and its allies and partners and private industries to increase Russia's costs in the war.
Biden said his administration is increasing security, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and is working closely with Congress to raise more funds.
Zelensky himself attended a virtual meeting with more than 300 people on Saturday, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Among them were senators, some House members and aides. He made a "desperate request" to send more aircraft to Ukraine to help it fight Russian aggression.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rouge in Ridgezের, Poland, bordering Ukraine.
Blinken paid a brief visit to Ukraine to meet with Foreign Minister Dimitro Kulebar. At the time, Kuleba wanted more military assistance to defeat Russia.
After a meeting with the Polish foreign minister, Blinken told a news conference that the United States would "protect every inch of the NATO territory" and that the Biden administration was preparing to allocate an additional দশ 2.85 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees.
Blinken praised Poland for helping thousands of Ukrainians flee the country, saying "the Polish people know how important it is to protect independence."
"Poland will never, without persuasion, recognize regional change through illegal aggression," Rau said.
Battlefield
A regional official said Russian forces were dropping a large bomb on the town of Chernihiv, north of the capital Kiev.
"Typically, this weapon is used in military-industrial buildings and protected structures," regional head Bachellav Chos told the AP. "Not in a residential area like Chernihiv."
He posted a picture of an unexploded bomb, which he described as a 500-kilogram Russian-designed bomb.
Ukraine says Russian forces have been shelling the city, including crossing routes from Mariupol, since Saturday morning, in violation of a pre-arranged ceasefire. The southern coastal city has been under constant airstrikes for days.
"We are being completely destroyed," Vadim Boishenko, the mayor of the city of 450,000, told his telegram.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said in a video broadcast on Saturday that Russian "heavy artillery" had been fired during a ceasefire in the southern city of Volnovakha, home to 21,000 people.
However, Russia's state-owned RIA Novosti news agency reported that Russia's Defense Ministry had accused Ukrainian "nationalists" of trying to prevent civilians from fleeing Mariupol. They did not present any strong evidence in support of their claim.
The British Ministry of Defense tweeted on Saturday that despite heavy shelling in Mariupol and Valnovakhar, Russian forces had carried out fewer airstrikes and artillery attacks in Ukraine in the last 24 hours than ever before.
The ministry said Ukraine controlled the northern cities of Kharkiv and Chernihiv, as well as Mariupol in the southeast. The ministry said in a statement that fighting in the northeastern city of Sumi was "probably surrounded by Russian forces" and that they were advancing on the southwestern city of Odessa.
In a televised speech on Saturday night, President Zelensky called on Ukrainians to confront the invaders in Russian-occupied territory, saying "we must get out and drive this evil force out of our cities."
The number of Ukrainians seeking refuge in neighboring countries could reach 1.5 million over the weekend, according to the head of the UN refugee agency. He said the number of refugees fleeing had already exceeded 1.3 million.
Amin Awad, the UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine, who is meeting with local and international officials in Ukraine, said in a statement on Saturday that "urgent efforts are being made to increase operations at the border and in areas affected by the conflict."
[Some information for this report is taken from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters]
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