A shopping center in Kiev hit, a new 35-hour curfew is triggered. Moscow against the US: "Relations towards rupture". Biden talks to EU leaders

While a new 35-hour curfew takes place in Kiev, until 7 am on Wednesday, and the Black Sea pearl Odessa denounces shelling from the sea that hit residential buildings, negotiations are going on relentlessly even if skepticism prevails.

Today alone, more than 8,000 people have been evacuated from the battle zones. The figure was provided in the daily briefing for journalists by the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. "Of the 8 humanitarian corridors activated - he explained -, 7 were operational: in one case, Russian troops fired on a bus convoy and the evacuation had to be stopped".

On a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "it would be important for Kiev to become more available". "Organizing a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine requires an agreement on the possible results of the talks, but the parties currently have nothing to put on the table in this regard," Peskov stressed speaking to reporters.

While Kiev calls the ongoing talks not serious: "Russia is not serious about the peace talks," says Alexander Rodnyansky, Zelensky's advisor, to the BBC, adding that the talks aim to "trap the West into thinking that further sanctions are not necessary. They used these talks as a way to distract attention from what is happening on the battlefield. Peace is not sought and cities are bombed on a large scale at the same time. " However, the negotiations are progressing. On the international front, however, the call from American President Joe Biden to European leaders, including Prime Minister Mario Draghi, lasted an hour.

Meanwhile, Kiev has rejected the Russian ultimatum on Mariupol, one of the cities most affected in these first days of war, we are now at the 26th. Russia issued an ultimatum "to all Ukrainian military formations to leave Mariupol" this morning, "between 10 and noon all Ukrainian military formations and foreign mercenaries without exception, without weapons and ammunition, must go out using the route agreed with the 'Ukraine, ”said the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center Mikhail Mizintsev.

Ultimatum promptly rejected: "Surrender is not an option," replied Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, adding that Kiev "demands that Russian forces immediately allow safe passage" for civilians. Corridor Moscow claimed would only create if Mariupol surrendered. We are therefore preparing for the final battle for the town overlooking the Azov Sea, where Russian bombs fall every ten minutes.

After yet another night of bombing, Kiev is also shaking, where a shopping center in the northern district of Podilskyi, just ten kilometers from the center, was destroyed, causing at least eight deaths. Ukrainian defenses are preventing the Russian army from surrounding the capital, which is, however, hit from the sky. Moscow, as usual, has its version: “That mall was used as a rocket depot”.

According to the Pentagon, the Russian strategy of intensifying air and naval operations, also with the use of futuristic hypersonic missiles, is an indication of the difficulties in the advance of the ground troops, thanks to the Ukrainian resistance. A resistance that is strenuous even in occupied areas such as Kherson, where the Russians have fired to disperse protest demonstrations.

( HERE all the news on the crisis).

Below is the live broadcast of the 26th day of the war.

Di Maio: "We need a permanent table within the EU"

The Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, explained that work is underway to reach a peace agreement: "The whole international community is committed but awaiting results that require continuous talks, we ask the EU to promote of the initiative of a permanent table to identify the most critical areas where to build humanitarian truces to evacuate civilians and bring basic necessities to cities besieged by the Russian army ”. Currently, he clarified, "there are no conditions for a general ceasefire".

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Zelensky's appeal: "Resist the invaders"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the inhabitants of the Russian-occupied southern cities to resist the invader. "Great people of the great Ukraine, in this video I want to address the brave inhabitants of these cities", he begins in his message, citing in particular the cities of Berdyansk, Kakhovka, Energodar, Melitopol and Kherson. In the latter today the Russian military fired into the air to disperse a hostile demonstration of the inhabitants. Here, the president underlines, "we have seen slaves shoot free people". Zelensky then adds that he wants to address all Ukrainians, those residing in the country and those abroad: "Everyone - he says - must fight for freedom and not wait".

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Russia blocks Euronews website

The website of the Euronews TV channel has been blocked in Russia. The news was reported by the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor quoted by Interfax. According to the RKN universal service for checking the blocking of pages and sites, access to the euronews.com website and its Russian version ru.euronews.com has been restricted at the request of the Attorney General which accuses the sites of spreading false news. on the situation in Ukraine.

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Pro-Kremlin media: nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers killed

Komsomolskaya Pravda, a "pro-Kremlin tabloid", reported that, according to the Moscow Defense Ministry, "9,861 Russian soldiers have died" since the start of the war in Ukraine and "16,153 were wounded". The Moscow Times writes it.

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Kiev: "No compromise on territorial integrity"

Kiev will not accept any compromise on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Ukrainian negotiator Mykhaylo Podolyak says this to the BBC. Ukrainian resistance to the invasion, Podolyak says, has forced Russia "to assess the reality more adequately" of the situation, which has helped to encourage "a kind of dialogue". But any decision on a possible peace agreement will be made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he adds.

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USA: "We will make Ukraine have Soviet-era defense systems"

"We are working to get Ukraine exactly the anti-missile systems it needs, including Soviet-made ones and the S-300s." US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a press briefing.

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Borrell: "Putin uses refugees as a weapon"

"I am convinced that Putin is using refugees as a weapon by sending as many of them as possible. He did not destroy the infrastructure but he destroyed the cities to terrorize civilians and make them escape. We are ready to help them all." This was stated by the High Representative of EU foreign policy, Josep Borrell, at a press conference at the Foreign Council in Brussels.

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Zelensky: "An agreement with Russia will be put to a referendum"

A possible agreement with Russia should be subjected to a referendum in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said this, according to reports from Tass.

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The EU: "War returns to Europe, green light to the strategic compass"

The European Council formally approved the Strategic Compass, the so-called strategic compass, "at a time when we are witnessing the return of war in Europe". This was announced in a statement calling it "an ambitious plan of action to strengthen the security of the European Union and defense policy by 2030". "The most hostile security environment requires us to step up our capacity and willingness to act, strengthen our resilience and invest more and better in our defense capabilities."

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For Russian TV, the anti-war journalist "is a spy"

"Spy" in the pay of the British: this is now being accused by the Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who suddenly appeared live on a news program of the Russian state TV Channel One a few days ago with a placard against the war in Ukraine. Kirill Kleimyonov, the channel's journalistic director, in a video today made a heavy accusation: "Not long before the protest, according to our information, Ovsyannikova spoke with the British embassy," he said, also quoted by various British media.

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Di Maio: "In Ukraine there are still 239 Italians"

The number of Italians stuck in Ukraine and wanting to leave has dropped to 239. This was stated by the Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, recalling that "yesterday there were 276" and "a week ago they were 400". "Where there are no security conditions, we recommend that you stay safe and wait for the actions of the humanitarian agencies in the evacuation corridors on the ground. We will take away all those who are contacting us," he added.

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"Over 3 thousand civilians died in Mariupol"

The death toll among civilians in the city of Mariupol has reached over 3,000 people. This was stated by the commander of the Azov detachment, Major Denys Prokopenko in a comment to the CNN, as also reported by Ukrinform. "The death toll among civilians is growing every day and now exceeds 3,000 people. But no one can say the exact number of deaths, as people are buried in nameless mass graves. Many corpses remain unburied on the streets. Some people are buried. they are trapped under the rubble, buried alive, "Prokopenko said.

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Moscow: "The Kiev shopping center was a rocket depot"

A battery of multiple missile systems and an ammunition depot were in the commercial center of Kiev, which was hit by the Russians with the use of long-range high-precision weapons. The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Igor Konashenkov said, as reported by Tass. "Hiding behind residential quarters in the Kiev suburb of Vinogradar, Ukrainian nationalist units have conducted multiple missile fire on the Russian military for several days," he said. According to Konashenkov, the shopping center was used as an ammunition and missile depot.

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Berlin: "If we could, we would immediately stop gas from Moscow"

"If we could stop Russian oil imports we would do it automatically." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said this in Brussels. "It is not a question of whether we want it or not, but how dependent we are and for example Germany imports a lot of oil from Russia and like us other EU countries. This is why it is important that we talk to each other, to understand how we can reduce this dependence. We are now preparing the steps to be implemented very soon in the future. "

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Moscow against Biden: "US-Russia relations at risk"

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador John Sullivan and handed him a note protesting Joe Biden's "unacceptable" comments on Russian President Vladimir Putin, defined as a "war criminal" and "murderous dictator". This was reported by some American media, including CNBC and the Bloomberg agency. According to Russia, the words of the US president could cause a break in relations with the United States.

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Facebook and Instagram banned from Russia for "extremist activities"

Russia has banned Facebook and Instagram in the country for their involvement in "extremist activities". Interfax reports it.

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Kiev: "The negotiations are not serious"

"Russia is not serious about the peace talks," said Alexander Rodnyansky, advisor to Ukrainian President Zelensky, at the BBC. Rodnyansky says the talks are aimed at "trapping the West into thinking that further sanctions are not necessary. They used these talks as a way to distract attention from what is happening on the battlefield. Peace is not sought and cities are bombed on a large scale at the same time, "he adds.

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Kharkiv, a concentration camp survivor killed: he was 96 years old

“Boris Romanchenko, 96, a former prisoner of the Nazi concentration camps, died in Kharkiv. After surviving in Buchenwald, Peenemunde, Dora Mittelbau, Bergen-Belsen, was killed by a Russian missile launched at his apartment during the 'denazification operation'. The new fascists continue Hitler's work. "The mayor of Lviv, Andrij Sadovyj writes on Telegram.

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An hour and a half of negotiations, now we continue with the working groups

Negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations lasted an hour and a half today, and are now continuing in the format of working groups. Tass reports it. "The meeting lasted from 10.30 to 12 with the official delegations, then the working groups arrived again. Today we work all day," said a member of the Ukrainian delegation and head of the Sn faction David Arahamiya, quoted by the ' UNIAN agency. No further information was provided on the progress of the talks.

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Interior Ministry: "Since the beginning of the war 60 thousand refugees"

59,589 Ukrainian refugees have entered Italy since the beginning of the war: according to data from the Interior Ministry, updated to date, 30,499 are women, 23,877 minors and 5,213 men. In the last 48 hours, just under 4 thousand refugees have crossed the Italian border.

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Moscow: "Impossible for the EU to do without Russian gas now"

"It is impossible" for Europe at the moment to do without Russian gas, while as regards crude oil, Russian oil companies have begun to redirect flows towards the East. This was stated by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak quoted by Tass.

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"Russians on operational pause, unable to attack"

The Russian army is in a phase of "operational pause" in Ukraine, with fighting of local importance. This was stated by the advisor to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Arestovych, according to reports from the UNIAN agency.

"In general, the situation is as follows: there is an operational pause and there are battles of local significance. Even in those cities where the enemy has concentrated its main efforts - Mariupol, Izyum, Volnovakha, Kherson, Mykolayiv", he said Arestovich, explaining that this "operational pause" is due to the fact that the Russian army "is unable to attack".

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"Mariupol great, it won't be easy to conquer her"

A week may not be enough to take control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. This was stated by the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, quoted by Interfax. "I'm not that optimistic that it takes two or three days or even a week to settle the matter. Unfortunately no, the city is big," he said.

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Zelensky asks the EU to stop trade with Russia

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky calls on Europe to stop all trade with Russia.

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Town of Mariupol: "Here we are all waiting for death"

"I'm sure I'll die soon. It's a matter of days. Everyone in this city is constantly waiting for death. I just wish it wasn't so scary." This is the testimony on Facebook of a citizen of Mariupol, Nadezda Sukhorukova, relaunched on twitter by the Ukrainian journalist of the Independent Kiev Anastasiia Lapatina.

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New curfew in Kiev

The mayor of Kiev has announced a new curfew in the capital, from tonight to Wednesday morning.

It will last 35 hours from today at 20:00 (local time) until 7:00 on Wednesday 23 March, explains the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. "I ask everyone to stay at home or in shelters," he writes. You will be able to circulate in the city only if you have special permits.

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Peskov: "Kiev should become more available"

"It would be important for Kiev to make itself more available." This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by TASS, referring to the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

"Organizing a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine requires an agreement on the possible outcome of the talks, but the parties currently have nothing to put on the table in this regard," Peskov said speaking to reporters.

"First, there is a need to do homework, ie hold talks and agree on their results, before talking about a meeting between the two presidents. There has been no significant progress so far," he stressed. "They would have nothing to document, there are no agreements to document," Peskov added.

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In Mariupol bombs every ten minutes

In Mariupol Russian bombs fall every ten minutes and in addition to the tanks and artillery, the city is bombed by Russian landing ships. This was stated by the deputy commander of the Azov regiment, as reported by Ukrinform. According to the Mariupol city council, some residents of the Mariupol Left Bank district are forcibly deported to Russia, whose passports are confiscated. But according to Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, 45,000 people have already managed to leave besieged Mariupol.

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Russian ships bomb houses in Odessa

Russian warships bombed residential buildings in Odessa. This was reported by the Kyiv Independent, which quotes the spokesman for the military administration of the Odessa oblast, Serhiy Bratchuk, according to which many buildings have been damaged. It is not yet known at the moment if there are any victims.

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More sirens in Lviv

New anti-aircraft alarm in Lviv. The sirens rang around 9.30am local time. It is the third time in less than twelve hours that residents have received orders from the loudspeakers of the western city of Ukraine to go to the nearest shelter as soon as possible.

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"Mariupol destroyed, immense war crime"

"What is happening in Mariupol is an immense war crime, something horrendous, we have to condemn it outright, the city is completely destroyed". This was stated by the high representative for EU foreign policy Josep Borrell.

"This is not war but the destruction of a country without consideration of the laws of war because war also has laws. Morally, Russia has lost its legitimacy. Putin deserves the strongest condemnation in the civilized world," he added.

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Russians open fire on the port of Odessa

Two Russian ships appeared on a remote raid in the port of Odessa and opened fire "indiscriminately". The spokesman for the operational headquarters of the Odessa regional military administration Serhiy Bratchuk reported on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform. The artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces would open fire in response and drive the ships away from the shore.

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Eight humanitarian corridors open, not in Mariupol

Eight humanitarian corridors have been agreed for today in Ukraine, but none from the besieged city of Mariupol. The Guardian reports it citing the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who explained how efforts to reach Mariupol with humanitarian escorts continue to fail.

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Missiles on military training area

A missile attack hit a military training area in Rivne, in northwestern Ukraine, about 300 km west of Kiev. The international media reported this, citing a video in which the governor of Rivne oblast, Vitaliy Koval, explains that Russian forces hit a military training area with two missiles. There is still no information on possible casualties or damages.

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"Sumy's loss under control"

The overnight ammonia leak at the Sumykhimprom chemical plant is "under control with only one person injured." This was stated on Twitter by the Center for Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture. Even the governor of Sumy oblast Dmytro Zhyvytskyy on Telegram confirms: "At 7.50 the loss was eliminated". "Currently there is regular work going on. There is no threat to the population. It is known of an injured person, an employee of the company," adds the governor.

(Unioneonline)