Mariupol

A city destroyed, while Russia demands they surrender

Most of us will not have heard of Mariupol until recently as the city has been attacked, destroyed in parts, and where the residents have been killed, are taking shelter, have been bombed, or have had to evacuate. Stories are circulating that the only evacuation corridors were to Russia—right into the lion’s den. The Russians claim that the Ukrainians wanted to be ‘rescued’ and taken to Russia, while other accounts claim that they had no choice but to go and have effectively been ‘kidnapped’. As the Russians stopped humanitarian aid into the city, the people are being starved and forced to accept Russian assistance or die.

There is no denying that what Russia has done is criminal, as bodies are left lying in the streets because it is too dangerous to retrieve them. Those that have attempted to do so have been killed by in the process, while mass graves pile up as civilians are left in an undignified manner as they were murdered. We thought we had responsible bodies that could prevent such attacks, but we now must accept that they were alliances in name only. They can move some troops around and reposition some weapons but that won’t bring back the dead, and their plan of action is about two months late.

Mariupol is an important linchpin for the Russians as it is in-between Crimea and the Donbas area which is controlled by separatists groups. By taking Mariupol, it will give the Russians a clear run across the southern coast where they could transport weapons and troops more readily, and that would strengthen their hold.

There are calls for tighter sanctions, but what is the use if other countries like India, China, and Turkey continue to trade with Russia? Israel is trying to stay neutral, but this is a no brainer—neutral in this conflict means that you support Russia, but you don’t want to admit it publicly because you know you will be criticized and may face sanctions that you don’t want. It’s a cowardly way to state you support the aggressor.

Zelenskyy has warned that if negotiations with Russia fail then World War III will happen. Many of us believe it has started, just that the fighting is confined to Ukraine for now. This has affected us all in a sort space of time, petrol has gone up from £1.48 per litre to £1.65 in two weeks. The price will only go up, and that has a knock on effect on businesses.

Most of us can see that other countries are preparing for the worst, and we know that even if a peace agreement is made with Ukraine, the fact is that Putin cannot be trusted to keep to his word. NATO and the other institutions are merely delaying the inevitable, and are trying to diplomatically resolve issues with a power hungry dictator who has been planning this for 30 years. The art of diplomacy is to accept when it isn’t going to work, and to formulate a strategy that will cause the least amount of harm.

We have discovered one thing, and that is the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainians who know that their freedom is worth fighting for. I believe the answer lies in Zelenskyy forming a new alliance for the world, to ensure that red tape will not encumber aid to those who need it. Perhaps he can succeed where NATO has failed? Even if NATO ‘acts’ they waited too long, and irreparable damage has occurred and history will not be able to overlook this. What the masses think on how this was handled by the world leaders and organizations matters, for it is heartbreaking to watch the Ukrainians suffer while we must wait for those who can do something to halt this war to stop sitting on their hands.

Day 25 (20 March)

• Japan is to take in Ukrainian refugees.

• Zelenskyy addressed an anti-war protest outside the Swiss Parliament yesterday, urging the Swiss banks to impose tighter sanctions against their Russian clients who are bankrolling the war.

• The latest is that Russia has given the Ukrainians a 5 am deadline to surrender Mariupol. How can peace talks continue when this happens? Aren’t these talks a tactic to stall things? The deal is that civilians will be able to evacuate safely if they surrender.

• Another civilian building was attacked in Mariupol, a school that was sheltering 400 people. There is no conformation of the status of the attack.

• In Mariupol again, a large steelworks has been attacked.The Azovstal factory was one of the largest in Europe and was targeted.

  

• A military base was attacked with a missile while around 200 marines were asleep. The 36th Ukrainian Naval Infantry Brigade in Mykolaiv was targeted. There was not enough time to sound the sirens and to raise the alert. No one knows the number of casualties.

• The railways between Ukraine and Belarus are suspended as Belarusian lines allowed Russian military trains to use their tracks to enter Ukraine.

• These are the current cities and towns under attack by the Russians:Kyiv, Odesa, Cherkasy, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mariupol, and Lviv.

• Zelenskyy has restricted the activities of 11 political parties that are pro-Russia, or have ties to Russia. These include: For Life; Opposition Bloc;Vladimir Saldo Bloc; Party of Sharia, Socialist Party Ukraine, Ours, Left Opposition, Union of Left Forces, and the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine.

• Australia bans exports of alumina to Russia, which is significant as Russia depends on the export to produce aluminium.

• Pro-Russian propaganda channels have been blocked in Ukraine. Around 1,500 have been reported so far that have been instigated by the Russians.

• Zelenskyy (who is Jewish) addressed the Israeli Parliament to request that they support Ukraine. The country has tried to remain neutral, where the Foreign Minister has condemned the attack by the Russians, while the Prime Minister has not commented and wishes to act as a mediator in talks between Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy reminds that that this is not a ‘military operation’ but it is a war with missiles attacking civilians, and buildings have been strategically destroyed.

  

• Slovenia has deployed a Patriot fire defence system. it will be operated by Germans Dutch troops and the S-300 once replaced will be given to Ukraine.

• Protests continue in Russian occupied cities where some people have been beaten and detained, while other protests have been peaceful.

• Russia uses another hypersonic Kinzhal missile and destroys a fuel storage site in Kostiantynivka near Mykolaiv. These are cutting edge technology where there is no time for advance warnings when the missiles strike, and fly at Mach 5-10. This means they can fly at 5 x the speed of sound.

• Reports claim that Russian tanks targeted a care home in Kreminna— some were killed and others were taken and removed to another facility.

• The Turkish talks continue (although I would question how trustworthy they are as they do not have a good reputation in this department), where they identify the key areas for discussion; neutrality, demilitarization, de-nazification, the use of Russian in Ukraine, and the official status of Crimea and the Donbas area (as in Russia wants them to be officially part of the Russian Federation).