Russia's Attack on Ukraine Information Update as of 1 March 2022

TUESDAY (EVENING) 1 MARCH 2022

(Sources: TASR, SITA, AFP, AP, DPA, ČTK, ČT24, GUARDIAN, CNN, BBC, REUTERS, UNIAN)

UKRAINE:
 

• Ukrainian President V. Zelenskyy said that Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before meaningful ceasefire talks could start. He also called on NATO member countries to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
• The Russian Defence Ministry said Russian troops were planning to attack the infrastructure of the Ukrainian Security Service in Kyiv.
• Kyiv's main TV tower was hit in an air strike, interrupting the broadcasting of some Ukrainian state media channels. Five people died in the attack.
• Over ten people were most probably killed in a Russian air strike on a residential building in the city of Kharkov, while an administrative building was also destroyed.
• Presidential Adviser O. Arestovych said: ”The main focus of operations is on Kherson. Street fighting is taking place there. The second focus of operations is on the northwestern direction from Kyiv, where the enemy is trying to group and regroup and we are undertaking massive artillery strikes against him. Kharkov is, of course, a hotspot.”
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister D. Kuleba informed that the Ukrainian Air Force is targeting the Russian columns heading for Ukrainian cities. According to him, Ukraine needs help – air force assets, missile defence systems and weapons.
• Ukrainian President V. Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President J. Biden by telephone today, telling him that it was important to stop Russia the aggressor as soon as possible.
• Russian crimes against Ukraine have shown signs of genocide, said Ukrainian President V. Zelenskyy, adding that the International Court of Justice in The Hague will convene to address the war in Ukraine on 7 and 8 March.
• European Commissioner for Home Affairs Y. Johansson said more than 400,000 people have so far fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries.

WORLD:

• The DPA news agency released the statement of Russian President V. Putin laying out the conditions to end the "war operation" in Ukraine. He demands that Kyiv recognise the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics and Russia's sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea, adopt neutral status and make a commitment to renouncing nuclear weapons in the future. He also demands Ukraine's demilitarisation.
• German Federal Chancellor O. Scholz said that Russia must immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine and end the bloodshed. He threatened to impose further sanctions on the Kremlin.
• U.S. troops from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, have arrived in Germany after NATO first activated the NATO Response Force for defensive purposes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• In an extraordinary session, the European Parliament supported tougher sanctions against Russia. It also welcomed efforts to grant Ukraine EU candidate status.
• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with his Ukrainian partner D. Kuleba by phone, calling on Ukraine and Russia to find a solution to the crisis through negotiations.
• Prime Minister B. Johnson warned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, saying refugee numbers could reach millions. He offered that the UK could take in over 200,000 Ukrainian refugees.
• Turkish President R. T. Erdogan called on Ukraine and Russia to stop fighting immediately and contribute to world peace.
• The UN estimates that 12 million people in Ukraine will need help and protection and that some 4 million Ukrainian refugees in the neighbouring countries will need help as well. The UN has therefore appealed for a US$1.7bn immediate humanitarian aid package.
• As Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov addressed the UN Conference on Disarmament, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN and many diplomats walked out en masse in protest.

SLOVAKIA:

• The Interior Ministry informed that 53,136 people had crossed into Slovakia from 24 to 28 February. Of this figure, 46,618 people hold Ukrainian citizenship, which equates to nearly 90 per cent.
• According to rough estimates, there are currently up to 200 Slovaks in Russia. The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry recommends that they should return to Slovakia as soon as possible.
• In response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Slovakia is holding talks to stand up a NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup in SVK territory. Defence Minister J. Naď wants to submit a proposal for the presence of NATO troops in Slovakia at the SVK Government meeting as early as next week.