Humanitarian corridors. Supporting the organization of the humanitarian corridors for evacuation of civilians was one of the main outcomes of the second round of Ukraine-Russia negotiations. On March 05, the evacuation should have taken place in Mariupol, Volnovakha, and Irpin. However, the airstrikes by the Russian side had not stopped. Evacuation from Mariupol was postponed as the shelling by Russian forces continued in the city and its vicinity. Civilians from Irpin and the suburbs were forced to leave the town by buses, because Russian troops had destroyed the railway lines. Under the airstrikes, more than 400 residents of Volnovakha and surrounding villages were evacuated. Volunteers in Irpin, Kyiv region risked their lives, but managed to survive Russian shelling. Ukrainian animal rights organization, UAnimalis, reports that four of their volunteers, who helped the animal shelter, died under the shelling. The same fate met the residents of Chernigiv and Kyiv regions (in particular, of Bucha and Hostomel) who were killed on the road in their own cars while trying to evacuate.
Cities under attack. Russian troops seized a boarding house for psychoneurological patients in Borodyanka, Kyiv region and mined all the entrances. About 500 residents of the boarding house were taken hostage, 100 of whom are bedridden. Hostages were released later that evening. In Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, 20 buildings were under shelling. Donetsk region continues to be a hotspot for the shootings – Mariupol, Lastochkine, Bohoyavlenka, Volodymyrivka, Mangush, Verkhnotoretske, and Taramchuk were attacked. 26 objects of infrastructure were damaged, including pension fund buildings, houses of culture, and civilian houses. In Lysychansk, Luhansk region the Russian forces shelled the regional children’s hospital. Trostyanets, Sumy region, has been occupied by the Russian troops. Local authorities say the troops settled down at their base camp with all the military equipment. In Kharkiv, 10 apartment blocks with civilians were shelled. The Russian forces launched an airstrike on the Zhytomyr Armored Plant, where 2 people were injured.
The General Staff of Ukraine is alerting that Russian troops are headed towards the Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Plant, about 100 kilometers south of Kyiv.
In Ivano-Frankivsk, the Security Service of Ukraine detained organizers of the so-called โpeopleโs republicsโ of 5 Western regions of Ukraine, the regions which are considered to be the most anti-Russian and might prove to be the most resilient and resistant. These saboteurs prepared the leaflets which aimed to undermine Ukrainian authorities and the armyโs credibility, following the scenario of L/DPR (Luhansk/Donetsk Peopleโs Republics). The Security Service of Ukraine also detained Russian saboteurs in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zakarpattya regions, and in cities of Kyiv and Dnipro. The saboteurs planned to attack critical civilian infrastructure and the Ukrainian military.
On the positive side, Ukraineโs military forces regained control over the city of Mykolayiv as well as Kulbakino airport.
Check the updated map of the battlefields by COUPSURE.
Rallies against Russian invaders. Rallies continue across municipalities in Southern and Eastern Ukraine. Protesters in Kherson managed to force Russian troops out of the city. During the rally, Russian soldiers fired in the air, to scare the protesters, but they didnโt move. Ukrainians took to the streets in occupied Berdiansk, as well as in Melitopol, Zaporizhia region.
International community. G-7 countries have agreed on the need to abandon Russian gas, and on further sanctions on Russia. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba held a meeting with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ukrainian-Polish border. The discussion concerned urgent strengthening of Ukrainian defensive capabilities, including air defense, to be able to protect civilian lives and infrastructure from Russian military aircraft and artillery.
Closure of business. Visa and Mastercard suspend their activities in Russia. As Mastercard reports in their official statement โWith this action, cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by the Mastercard network. And, any Mastercard issued outside of the country will not work at Russian merchants or ATMsโ. Paypal has announced that it has left Russia as well. Bloomberg predicts around 3 million Russians might lose their jobs as international businesses leave Russia or suspend their business there.
Negotiations – Round 3. Davyd Arakhamia, the Head of the โServant of the Peopleโ party in the Ukrainian Parliament has announced that the next round of negotiations will take place on Monday, March 7.
Airbnb support. Airbnb rental service supported the financial aid initiative for families in Ukraine. People from across the world have joined the initiative to support the Ukrainians by booking rentals in hard-hit regions of Ukraine. The idea is to transfer money to the apartment owners, but not to check in there. Total of $1.9 million was transferred to the Ukrainian Airbnb hosts in 48 hours.
Digital security. Digital war goes in parallel with a military one. Daily hackers’ attacks on the UA news outlets continue. The group of hackers Anonymous has announced an attack on Russian government servers. The Federal Security Bureau was the first one that has been hacked.
Visual war. Follow how the war in Ukraine has developed through the interactive map that shows all the current attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Sunday watch:
- Discussion โThe War in Ukraine and the Future of the Worldโ – Yuval Noah Harari, Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum.
- Youtube channel โThe Truth about the War in Ukraineโ prepared by the Charitable Foundation โFrom Country to Ukraineโ
Statistics:
- 100 thousand Ukrainians have joined local voluntary municipal defense units in 10 days.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 6 a.m., March 6, 2022: troops – more than 11 000, tanks โ 285, APV โ 985, artillery systems โ 109, MLRS – 50, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 21, aircraft โ 44, helicopters โ 48, vehicles – 447, light speed boats – 2, fuel tanks – 60, UAV operational-tactical level – 4.
Every action matters, no matter how small!
- We have prepared some factsheets about the Russian war in Ukraine. Grab a few of them when you decide to go to the rally or distribute it among your neighbors.
- Spread information about the war in Ukraine among your media and decision-makers.
- Support the initiative โSaving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Onlineโ
- You can support Ukraine via a list of reliable organizations – Stand For Ukraine.
- Share information about the possibility to support the International Legion of Ukraine.
Thank you for supporting Ukraine! Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!
Update prepared by representatives of Ukrainian NGOs and experts in human security and democracy, who are in cities all over Ukraine right now. NGOs: Institute for political and information research NGO, World of Communities, Kyiv educational center Tolerspace, U-Cycle NGO (Kyiv Cyclists Association), OpenSpace.Works Cooperative. Experts: Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Sofia Bela (culture heritage block), Taras Tymchuk, Uliana Movchan (Disinformation block).
