Ukraine: Ten Greeks killed and six others are wounded near Mariupol
Ten Greek nationals are killed and six others are wounded in Russian air strikes near eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol
- Ten Greek nationals have been killed and six others injured, Greece’s PM said
- Kyriakos Mitsotakis said they were killed in Russian air strikes near Mariupol
- One of six injured in the bombing was a child, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said
- Thousands of Greek expatriates live in Mariupol in south eastern Ukraine
Ten Greek nationals have been killed and six others have been wounded in Russian bombing near the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Greece has said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed that ten Greek civilians were killed by Russian air strikes on the outskirts of the villages of Sartana and Bugas on Saturday.
One of the six Greek civilians injured in the bombing was a child, according to Greece’s Foreign Ministry.
Taking to Twitter, Mitsotakis wrote: ‘Ten innocent civilians of Greek origin (were) killed today by Russian air strikes close to Mariupol. Stop the bombing now!’
Greece’s foreign ministry condemned the air strikes against civilians, and called on Russia to immediately stop aerial bombings and attacks on civilians.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (pictured) said ten Greek civilians were killed by Russian air strikes on the outskirts of the villages of Sartana and Bugas on Saturday
In Mariupol, Ukrainian soldiers guarded bridges amid concerns Russian navy may launch a sea assault. Pictured: Residential building which locals said was damaged by shelling in Mariupol
The latest death toll includes four expats killed in Sartana, in addition to two killed there earlier and another four who died in Bugas.
Thousands of Greek expatriates live in Mariupol, which is in south eastern Ukraine.
At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this month, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias stressed the need to protect the Greek expatriate community in Ukraine.
Greece is willing to take in Ukraine refugees in coordination with the European Union, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said, as tens of thousands of Ukrainians attempted to flee the war-torn country.
‘If we have to take in a number of people we are willing to do it. The cost will be covered by Europe, but at this moment the priority is the humane dimension,’ he said.
Russian forces pounded Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday for a third day running, but Kyiv, the capital, remained in Ukrainian hands.
In addition to Kyiv, the Russian assault appeared to focus on Ukraine’s coastline, which stretches from near the Black Sea port of Odesa in the west to beyond the Azov Sea port of Mariupol.
If the Russian troops succeed, Ukraine would be cut off from access to all of its sea ports, which are vital for its economy.
An apartment building damaged following a rocket attack on the city of Mariupol, south eastern Ukraine on Friday
In Mariupol, Ukrainian soldiers guarded bridges and blocked people from the shoreline amid concerns the Russian navy could launch an assault from the sea.
‘I don’t care anymore who wins and who doesn’t,’ Ruzanna Zubenko said as her large family was forced from their home outside Mariupol after it was badly damaged by shelling on Friday.
‘The only important thing is for our children to be able to grow up smiling and not crying.’
Ukraine reported earlier on Saturday that 19 people had been killed in shelling in the country’s east, bringing the total civilian deaths up to 219 from 198, including three children.
Ukraine’s health minister said today that around 1,200 people – including 33 children – have been wounded.
As fighting continues to rage in the Ukrainian capital, a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv was hit by a devastating missile this morning.
Shocking footage showed a missile ripping apart the tower block near Zhuliany airport, while CCTV from inside also shows the extent of the damage after the site was hit.
Images show the building with a hole covering at least five floors blasted into the side and rubble strewn across the street below. Two people are reported to have been killed in the strike.
On Saturday morning, the upper floors of a building in Kyiv were struck by a Russian rocket (pictured). Reports suggested at least two people were killed in the explosion
A column of Russian military vehicles is seen near the village of Oktyabrsky, Belgorod Region, near the Russian-Ukrainian border, on February 26, 2022
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the bulk of Russian forces involved in the advance on Kyiv were now 30 km (19 miles) from the city centre.
‘Russia has yet to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine greatly reducing the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force,’ the defence ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter.
But armed forces minister James Heappey said today there was no reason to think a ‘happy ending is just around the corner’ as he warned the conflict could rumble on for months.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘Nobody should think that this is anywhere near over. What stands in front of Ukraine, its armed forces and very tragically its people, is days, weeks, months more of what we have seen over that last 48 hours.’
As Ukrainian forces said they had fought off a Russian attack on their capital today, president Volodmyr Zelensky vowed to stay and fight on in an impassioned video to his people.
‘I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,’ he said outside his office, denouncing as disinformation claims that he had surrendered or fled.
Wearing military garb, the president added: ‘A lot of fake information has appeared on the internet saying that I allegedly called on our army to lay down its arms and that evacuation is underway.
‘Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this. This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!’
The defiant president also pledged to ‘destroy the occupiers’ as he said his country’s army had successfully repelled Russian forces advancing on Kyiv.
A police vehicle is seen patroling the streets as a curfew has been imposed from Saturday 5 PM to Monday 8 AM local time on February 26, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine
Ukrainian tanks move on a road before an attack in Lugansk region on February 26, 2022
A view shows a destroyed armored personnel carrier (APC) on the roadside in Kharkiv, Ukraine February 26, 2022
In a video message to the besieged nation, Zelensky accused the Kremlin of attempting to seize the capital, overthrow the government and install a ‘puppet’ regime ‘like in Donetsk’, one of two separatist regions which warmonger Vladimir Putin officially recognised before launching an all-out invasion.
Declaring ‘we broke their idea’, he added: ‘The fights are going on in many cities and areas of our state. But we know that we are protecting the country, the land, the future of our children. Kyiv and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army.
‘Each Ukrainian should keep one thing in mind: if you can stop and destroy the occupiers – do it. Everyone who can come back to Ukraine – come back to defend Ukraine.’
Even as Zelensky spoke, the Ukrainian interior ministry was warning Kyiv’s residents to shelter in place and not venture out onto the streets.
A curfew in Kyiv has been imposed until 8am on Monday to ensure the most effective defence of the city and the safety of its people. A previous daily curfew had run from 10pm to 7am.
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said: ‘All civilians on the street during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups.’
Ukraine’s armed forces on Saturday morning claimed 3,500 Russians had been killed overnight, and 200 taken prisoner.
Russian troops are now advancing on Kyiv from the north and east, with US intelligence saying the plan is to besiege the city, capture an airport, and fly in paratroopers who would then attack the capital. The aim would be to capture the government and force them to sign a peace treaty handing control of the country back to Russia or a Russian puppet
A Ukrainian soldier runs holding his weapon outside a military facility, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 26, 2022
In a worrying sign, video from Russia’s Western border with Ukraine showed TOS-1 heavy flamethrower tanks moving towards its neighbour. The tanks are capable of firing high-power thermobaric weapons – dubbed the ‘father of all bombs’
Ukrainian soldiers take positions outside a military facility as two cars burn, in a street in Kyiv, Ukraine today
They said 14 Russian aircraft, eight helicopters, and 102 tanks had been seized.
Natalia Balansynovych, mayor of Vasylkiv, about 25 miles south of Kyiv, said Russian airborne forces landed near the city overnight and tried to seize the base. She added that fierce fighting also raged in Vasylkiv’s central street.
She said Ukrainian forces repelled the Russian attacks, and the situation is now calm. Ms Balansynovych said there were heavy casualties, but did not give any numbers.
More than 50 explosions and heavy machine gun fire were reported in the district of Shulyavka, near Beresteiska metro and the zoo, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The northern suburb of Troieshchyna was also coming under sustained attack for another night, as Russia tried to wrest control of the thermal power plant on the banks of the Dnieper river. Unconfirmed reports suggested dozens of Russians had been arrested.
Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the military struck a range of installations with long-range Kalibr cruise missiles.
He said that since the start of Russia’s attack on Thursday, the military has hit 821 Ukrainian military facilities, including 14 air bases and 19 command facilities, and destroyed 24 air defence missile systems, 48 radars, seven warplanes, seven helicopters, nine drones, 87 tanks and eight military vessels.
A destroyed Russian military vehicle is seen on the roadside on the outskirts of Kharkiv on February 26, 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine
A fragment of a destroyed Russian tank is seen on the roadside on the outskirts of Kharkiv on February 26, 2022
Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Lugansk region on Saturday
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to the borders on Saturday as invading Russian troops pressed on with their march toward Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv.
At least 150,000 people have fled Ukraine into Poland and other neighbouring countries in the wake of the Russian invasion, the UN refugee agency said Saturday.
Some walked many miles through the night while others fled by train, car or bus, forming lines miles long at border crossings. They were greeted by waiting relatives and friends or headed on their own to reception centres organised by neighbouring governments.
‘The numbers and the situation is changing minute by minute,’ said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
‘At least 150,000 people have fled, they are refugees outside of Ukraine. At least 100,000 people – but probably a much larger number – have been displaced inside Ukraine.’
The agency expects up to four million Ukrainians could flee if the situation deteriorates further.
Those arriving were mostly women, children and the elderly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy banned men of military age from 18 to 60 from leaving.
Some Ukrainian men were heading back into Ukraine from Poland to take up arms against the Russian forces.
In contrast to other conflicts around the globe, Russia’s unprovoked attack on the Western-looking democracy has ignited a huge outpouring of support for the fleeing Ukrainians.
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