Residents of Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, are clearing debris from the premises of a school said to have been targeted by Russian forces. There were no reports of injuries. One resident, Oleksandr, said: “This is a political structure – it’s a school. They could not take over the city, so they decided to destroy it. As the fascists did. Putin’s forces “withdraw from some areas” – follow live updates “But what the Russians are doing now; not even the fascists did such things. This is very hard – it is pointless. It makes no sense. “What has the school done wrong? What have the children done? What have I done wrong?” It came at a time when Russia and Ukraine were due to hold talks in Turkey on Tuesday – although Ukrainian officials downplayed the chances of a major breakthrough. Key developments in the Ukraine war: Abramovich and Ukraine’s peace negotiators’ suffer from symptoms of suspected chemical weapons; • Fears Russia is trying to divide Ukraine in two • Heineken and Carlsberg exit from Russia There was also a warning from the mayor of the southern port city of Mariupol, who said the area was on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe with 160,000 civilians trapped. Vadym Boychenko said the city should be completely evacuated and that 26 buses were waiting to start transporting people away from the area. However, he said that the Russian forces did not agree to give them a safe passage, claiming that “they were playing with us”. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 4:07 Air Force Marshal Sean Bell offers analysis of allegations by Ukraine that Russia is “withdrawing forces” from certain areas “We are in the hands of the invaders” Mr Boychenko said people had been trapped in Mariupol without heat or electricity after weeks of Russian bombing. He told national television: “The situation in the city remains difficult. People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe. “We must completely evacuate Mariupol. The Russian Federation is playing with us. We are in the hands of the invaders.” Image: The Russian advance in Mariupol Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine would not open any humanitarian corridors on Monday amid fears of “public safety” over possible Russian “provocations”. It comes as Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Russian forces were regrouping but could not make significant progress in the country. “The enemy is regrouping his forces” He said Russian forces were trying to strengthen their positions and were trying to break through Kiev’s defenses – but claimed that they had no hope of capturing the capital. “As of today, the enemy is regrouping its forces, but they can go nowhere in Ukraine,” he said.
Will Putin back down on Zelensky’s offer?
Dominic Wagorn
Author of International Affairs @DominicWaghorn Trying to appear generous to the resistance, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used this interview with Russian journalists to tell Vladimir Putin: I know you know you made a terrible mistake, but I offer you a way out. We have heard a lot about ramps in this war. President Zelensky has just offered to make Vladimir Putin think about whether he wants to get out of this catastrophic conflict. First and foremost is neutrality. The Ukrainian president has considered declaring his country neutral in the past. He is not the first. Read the full analysis here The British military reported that Russia had gained more ground in Mariupol amid heavy fighting, but that its forces had made no significant progress in the country. The UK Department of Defense says bad morale and lack of momentum have exacerbated the problems facing Russian forces – along with “aggressive” resistance from Ukrainians. Fierce fighting continues around Mariupol as Russian forces try to seize the port on the Sea of Azov, which is linked to the Black Sea, the ministry added. Mariupol normally has a population of about 400,000 and is widely regarded as a strategic reward for Russia for building a bridge between Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and two separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:48 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin should take place when the two countries are “close to agreeing on key issues.” The “power of Russia” could “wear out” the Ukrainians The former British army chief told Sky News that “Russian power” was likely to “wear out” the Ukrainians – and that Mariupol “would probably fall at some point”. Speaking to Kay Burley, General Richard Danat said: “We understand that the Russians are saying they will focus on the Donbass area. “This is understandable given that they have been fighting there since 2014 and given that these two Donbass provinces have a very heavy Russian-speaking and Russian-speaking population. “So, in a sense, it’s not surprising that they are now focusing on where they started, in fact, in the Donbass area. Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker “But here’s the puzzle – what about this land connection they have now created more or less between Crimea via Mariupol, which will probably fall at some point, as far as Donbass? So they have connected their land connection from Crimea to Russia . “How much will Zelensky be willing to step down? How much will Putin demand to succeed? I think these are the issues for negotiation.” He added that the number of Russian senior commanders killed on the battlefield “could reach 20” and said: “As far as we know, the performance of the Russian army throughout the area was very poor.” However, he added: “Eventually Russia’s power – which is greater than that of the Ukrainians, although Ukraine is supported by the West – over time the large battalions may well destroy the Ukrainian army. Image: General Richard Danat says Russian military performance was “very poor” “So it is in Zelensky’s interest, while his forces are doing quite well on the battlefield, to try to reach the best deal he can. “My fear is that in the medium to long term, Zelensky’s position will weaken, Putin’s position will strengthen.” Meanwhile, the European Union Judicial Coordination Office Eurojust says it has helped Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine set up a joint investigation team to investigate war crimes and other atrocities against humanity in Ukraine. The Hague-based agency said Monday that the team would help the three nations work with the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor’s office, which has also launched an investigation.
