Keys to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in its fourth week

The struggle raged on several fronts in Ukraine Saturday with intense fighting in the beleaguered port of Mariupol, where some of the greatest suffering of the war is recorded. Ukrainian officials indicated that their forces are fighting with the russians by the Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest in Europe.

The war has already entered its fourth week. Overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of deliberately creating “a humanitarian catastrophe” but also appealed to President Vladimir Putin to meet with him for direct talks.

The UN migration agency said the fighting has displaced nearly 6.5 million people inside Ukraine, on top of the 3.2 million refugees who have already fled the country.

Ukraine claims that thousands of people have died.

Here are some key aspects of the conflict:

What happens on the ground?

In several Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools and buildings where people sought refuge have been attacked.

The Ukrainians announced on Saturday that they had agreed with the Russians on 10 humanitarian corridors: one in Mariupol, several in the kyiv region and several more in the Lugansk region. Humanitarian aid deliveries are also planned in Kherson, currently under Russian control.

In Mariupol, Ukrainian troops are losing control over the key Azovstal steel plant, now damaged and hotly contested, according to comments from an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister.

“Now there is a fight for Azovstal,” Vadym Denysenko said in televised comments on Saturday. “I can say that we have lost this economic giant. In fact, one of the largest metallurgical plants in Europe is currently being destroyed.”

Dozens of civilians have been killed or injured by attacks in the past 24 hours in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian police said on Saturday. At least 37 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities were damaged in the attacks in eight cities and villages using aircraft, rockets and heavy artillery.

The Russian military reported Saturday that it has used its latest hypersonic missile for the first time in combat. A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said Kinzhal missiles destroyed an underground warehouse with Ukrainian missiles and aircraft munitions in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region.

meanwhile in space

Three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station on Friday and entered zero gravity, wearing bright yellow flight suits with blue accents, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Afterwards, the cosmonauts were able to speak with their family on Earth and Oleg Artemyev was asked about the suits. He said that each crew chooses their own suit and “in fact, we have accumulated a lot of yellow fabric so we had to use it. That’s why we turned yellow.”

Since the war started, many people have started to use the Ukrainian flag to show solidarity towards the country. At the moment, it was unclear what the message, if any, of the yellow uniforms was.

What do the world leaders do?

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a nearly two-hour video call on Friday as the United States tries to dissuade Beijing from providing military or economic support for Russia’s invasion.

Biden outlined the consequences the Chinese would face if they clashed with the United States if they provided such support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

For his part, Xi called on the United States and Russia to negotiate and blamed the United States for the crisis.

But on Saturday, China’s vice foreign minister reiterated that NATO was responsible for the war and criticized sanctions against Russia. Le Yucheng said NATO was a “remnant of the Cold War” and its expansion could have “repercussions too dire to contemplate” for a power as great as Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for an immediate ceasefire in a phone call with Putin on Friday. The French presidency said Putin blamed Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also called on Putin for a ceasefire in a conversation on Friday.

Where are the talks between Russia and Ukraine?

The leader of the Russian delegation in talks with Ukrainian officials said the sides are closer to reaching an agreement on a neutral state for Ukraine, one of Russia’s key demands as its attack continues. Vladimir Medinsky said on Friday that the sides have also narrowed their differences on Ukraine desisting from NATO membership.

However, Mikhailo Podolyak, a Zelenskyy adviser, tweeted: “Our positions have not changed. Guarantees of a ceasefire, withdrawal of troops and solid security with concrete formulas?

How many civilians have died in the war?

The UN human rights office said it has recorded a total of 816 civilian deaths and 1,333 wounded since the Russian invasion began on February 24, although it only reports what it can verify. He believes that number is far below the true figure. Ukrainian officials say thousands of people have died.

How does the world respond to war?

The United States and its allies have imposed a series of sanctions aimed at damaging the Russian economy. Hundreds of international companies have announced that they are restricting their operations in Russia and those who remain there are under pressure to leave.

Pope Francis on Friday denounced Russia’s “perverse abuse of power” in its war in Ukraine and called for help for Ukrainians who, he said, have been attacked on their identity, history and tradition.