Cities under the attack. Russia started attempts to prepare grounds for an illegal referendum in Kherson, following the Crimea and L/DNR scenario. โFollowing the 2014 playbook, Russians now desperately try to organize a sham ‘referendum’ for a fake ‘people’s republic’ in Kherson. Given zero popular support, it will be fully staged. Severe sanctions against Russia must follow if they proceed. Kherson is & will always be Ukraineโ says the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba. In the meantime, people go out at the rallies every single day in Kherson against Russian invaders. An airstrike was launched on a Ukrainian military base Yavoriv, Lviv region, 25km away from the Polish border. Preliminary 8 missiles were fired at the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security. 134 people injured, 35 killed. Preliminary the 30 missiles were launched from Saratov region, Russia. Ivano-Frankivsk airport has been shelled for the third time since the beginning of the war. The residential areas of Severodonetsk, Rubizhne Lysychansk and Popasna are under constant fire. In Popasna, Lugansk region, occupiers dropped banned phosphorus munitions. Another three air raids in Chernihiv over a night. In Svyatogorsk, Donetsk region, the Russian military bombed the children’s regional health center and two rooms of the Svyatogorsk Lavra, which housed about a thousand people, including more than 200 children. There are several wounded. Mayor of Dniprorudne, Yevhen Matveev, was abducted after he was previously participating in peaceful rallies.
Current map of the attacks as of March 13.
Humanitarian crises. Almost 2,000 people were evacuated from hotspots in the Kyiv region on Saturday. During an attempt to evacuate people from the village of Peremoha, Kyiv region along an agreed โgreenโ corridor, the Russian troops shot dead a convoy of civilians consisting exclusively of women and children. Seven people died, including one child. After the shooting, the Russian troops forced the remnants of the convoy to return to the village and did not let them out of the village. Mariupol remains cut off from the living resources. Humanitarian aid is slowly moving in the direction of the city but has not yet reached. Mariupol mosque was shelled by Russian forces. More than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey. Russian troops fired at a passenger evacuation train in the Donetsk region. One train conductor was killed and another was injured. The train was going on an evacuation flight to the city of Lyman to pick up residents of Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Russian troops. On March 11, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that more than 16,000 โvolunteersโ from the Middle East had expressed interest in joining Russiaโs โliberation movementโ for the Peopleโs Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Shoigu said many of the volunteers fought alongside Russia in the fight against ISIS. Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraineโs President Advisor, says that hiring ISIS and claiming Ukrainian military uses chemical weapons is an attempt to implement the โSyrian scenarioโ in Ukraine.
Russian army leadership legalized looting, guiding its troops to ‘self-sufficiency’ mode. Considering numerous reports that Russian soldiers do not have sufficient resources for living and didnโt expect war to last for so long. Therefore, the legalization of looting allows them to obtain resources from the civilians and the civil infrastructure available. Ministry of Defence of Ukraine claims numerous cases of serious crimes against civilians: murder, torture, rape.
Belarus. The Ministry of Defense of Belarus has announced that they will send five battalion-tactical groups to the border with Ukraine to replace the military just to protect the border. Belarus soldiers categorically refuse to take part in the war against Ukraine, the Center for Information Security reports. Soldiers leave the country with their families to avoid deployment to Ukraine. To quell military protests, the command began appointing Russian officers to senior positions in the army.
Energy security. 11 civilians from Rosatom have arrived at Zaporizhzhya NPP. According to a representative of this group, they were sent to assess nuclear and radiation safety after the shelling and seizure of the station, as well as to assist with repairs. Another reason for their appearance is the refusal of the Ukrainian leadership and ZNPP personnel to cooperate with the invaders. Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev confirmed to the IAEA that a limited number of the companyโs experts were present at the Zaporizhzhya NPP in south-eastern Ukraine, but he denied that Rosatom had taken operational control nor that it intended for the plant to be under Rosatomโs โmanagement systemโ.
Foreign policy. Lviv hosted Members of the European Parliament, representing Lithuania, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain. They met with Ukrainian parliamentarians and representatives of the Lviv Civil-military administrations within the European Ukraine Forum to discuss the ongoing situation and to express their support.
Sunday reading. The Atlantic Council has analyzed public support of Putin in Russia. This is โentirely consistent with longstanding public statements and foreign policy goals that are enthusiastically embraced by a clear majority of Russians. This is their war just as much as it is Putinโs.โ Sing โZโ becomes an omnipresent sign in a variety of sectors, including Paraolympics or on the streets. National universities endorse โspecial operationโ in Ukraine. Read the full text.
Sunday watchlist: check 20 Ukrainian movies to understand the current situation in the country.
Sunday reading:
- Why We Need a Post-Colonial Lens to Look at Ukraine and Russia by Daria Badiour, Ukrainian film critic, journalist. Member of FIPRESCI. She was a member of the Ukrainian Oscar Committee in 2016-2018.
- A message for the attention of the international community from Ukrainian film director Roman Bondarchuk (Ukrainian Sheriffs, Volcano), art director of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival (whose 19th edition has just been postponed) and member of the board of the Ukrainian Film Academy
- The Ukraine-Russia Struggle Goes Way Back by Ukrainian Philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko, PhD
- Ukrainian National Identity, Explained by Ukrainian Philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko, PhD
Statistics:
- 1,300 Ukrainian military servicemen were killed during the 17 days of the war.
- 79 children killed and more than 100 wounded since the start of the war.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 6 a.m., March 13, 2022: troops – more than 12,000, tanks โ 374, APV โ 1,226, artillery systems โ 140, MLRS – 62, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 34, aircraft โ 74, helicopters โ 86, vehicles โ 600, light speed boats โ 3, fuel tanks โ 60, UAV operational-tactical level โ 7.
Every action counts, no contribution is too small!
- Follow the link to see a list of reliable organizations that support Ukraine.
- Share your story about Ukraine – whether youโve traveled here or you have friends in Ukraine. Spread information about Ukraine.
- Share the truths – share information about this update and website.
Thank you for supporting Ukraine! Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!
