Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Timeline of events, March 5/6

President of Ukraine Zelensky has held talks with British Prime Minister Johnson, new sanctions against Russia and assistance to Ukraine have been discussed.

Zelensky is ready for direct negotiations with Putin on any item on the agenda, the office of the President of Ukraine said.

Vinnytsia airport has been destroyed, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced. Ukraine claims that several of the cruise missiles came from Russian-controlled Transnistria. However, the Ministry of Defense of Moldova stated that the Vinnitsa airport was attacked not from the territory of Transnistria, but from Russian ships in the Black Sea. “On the territory of Transnistria, there are only Grad multiple rocket launchers with a firing range of 20 km. And the missiles were fired from Russian ships in the Black Sea, and their trajectory actually passed over the territory of Transnistria, which has been under Russian occupation since 1992”, the Moldovan Ministry of Defense said.

Photo: civilians are evacuated from the town of Irpen, destroyed and shelled by Russian forces in the Kiyv region:

“The enemy is preparing a second wave of a large-scale offensive in Ukraine” – the head of the National Security Service of Ukraine Danilov: “The cities of Kyiv, Kharkov, Mariupol, Nikolaev, Chernihiv and Odessa remain strategically important. The enemy’s plan is to encircle them, bleed the Ukrainian armed forces, create a situation of a humanitarian catastrophe for the civilian population”.

Since the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, more than 140,000 Ukrainians have returned home. Of these, 80% are men.

The total number of applications from foreigners who are ready to take up arms in defense of Ukraine is approaching 20,000, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported.

US Secretary of State Blinken: Washington is actively discussing with Poland the possible supply of aircraft by Warsaw to Ukraine.

Head of the Verkhovna Rada Stefanchuk addressed his fellow deputies from Georgia: “How did it happen that today, in the midst of Russia’s war against your brotherly Ukraine, you decided to develop trade with a country that attacked both us and you? Is Russia’s decision to ease sanctions pressure on Georgia not gratitude for the fact that official Tbilisi does not want to fully support Ukraine? Is the lifting of sanctions against 15 Georgian milk producers really worth our thousand-year friendship, our long-term joint struggle, our common aspirations? Can’t you see that the people of Georgia, coming out on the squares of Georgian cities, support Ukraine, and not your murky agreements. However, we know for sure that Georgia is not only a government. This is, first of all, the Georgian proud, fearless and freedom-loving people. Who will never allow himself to remain silent when his brethren are in trouble. And you, dear parliamentarians, should not be silent. For you are part of your people!”

British Sky News showed how a Russian reconnaissance group attacked the film crew of the TV channel near Kyiv on Saturday evening. The shots continued even after members of the film crew loudly shouted that they were journalists:

VIDEO: In Chernihiv, the victims of Russian aggression are buried in a mass grave

VIDEO: Fight with police in St. Petersburg

On the ice of the Moika River in the center of St. Petersburg, someone wrote “No to war”. Of course, the communal services immediately tried to paint over the extremist inscription, but there was not enough paint, reports Paper.

VIDEO: In Kazakhstan they ask Putin not to save them and send their regards to the Russian warship

 Presidents of Russia and Turkey Putin and Erdogan discussed the war in Ukraine. Erdogan’s press service has not yet commented. A Kremlin press release conveyed Putin’s position thus:

▪️ President Putin has reaffirmed Russia’s readiness for dialogue to resolve the conflict.
▪️ The suspension of the war is possible only if Kyiv “stops resisting and accepts Russian conditions.”
▪️ Strikes are carried out exclusively on military infrastructure facilities.
▪️ Ukrainian nationalists shell Donbass and use civilians as “human shields”.
▪️ The war with Ukraine is going according to plan and in full accordance with the schedule.

Video: The result of the shelling of residential buildings in Gostomel

 One of the UK ports refused to unload a German tanker with Russian oil – BBC.

 The European Union will not finance the transportation of combat aircraft to Ukraine – head of the European Council Charles Michel.

Beatings and arrests at protests in Moscow and other Russian cities

 Mass protests have been announced across Russia today. This is Manezhnaya Square now:

 More than 1,000 people have already been detained at protests in 35 cities – OVD-info, among them the famous human rights activist Svetlana Ganushkina who has been detained in Moscow. Today she turns 80 years old.

Video: In Yekaterinburg, protesters against the war with Ukraine are beaten

Video: Protesters in Moscow are getting detained in the courtyards

In Mariupol, after 12:00, the evacuation of the civilian population through the “green corridors” should begin. The ceasefire announced yesterday was not observed, the shelling continued all day.

At the exit from the city of Irpin, Russian troops opened fire on civilians during their attempt to evacuate from the city. According to a Radio Liberty correspondent, at least three people have been killed, including two children, several have been wounded.

The General Staff of Ukraine: By March 6, the Russian army has lost more than 11,000 soldiers in battles in Ukraine. It was previously explained that this includes not only the dead, but also the wounded who cannot continue the battle. More than 90 Russian planes and helicopters have been destroyed.

 Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, reports from the frontline:

Kherson: Relatively quiet. Mobile communication is disabled.

Zhitomir: There were two air strikes at night. As a result of airstrikes in Korosten, 10 private residential buildings were destroyed (1 person died, 5 were injured – among them was 1 child).

Ovruchi: 15 private houses have been destroyed, but no one has been killed or injured as a result. .

Khmelnitsky: shelling of Starokonstantinov airport (2 wounded)

Chernihiv: Constant airstrikes have continued all night. Fighting is ongoing in the direction of Kyiv.

Poltava: Night airstrikes on Lubnya and Mirgorod and Poltava in the morning.

 Luhansk: The night passed more or less calmly. Heavy shelling took place yesterday, in the afternoon – settlements near Severodonetsk are cut off from the city. The villages are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Donetsk: Mariupol under siege and Volnovakha too. About 400 people were evacuated from Volnovakha yesterday. Evacuation attempts will continue today.

Nikolaev: The city was bombed in the evening and at night. Now the situation is generally under control.

Dnipro: There was one airstrike at night.

Kharkiv: Explosions again thundered in the regional center at night. Including in the center of Kharkov.

Kyiv: Battle of Irpin, Gostomel, Makarov contunues. The Russians are moving along Bucha.

? The area of ​​Zhytomyr Highway remains the hottest battle point. The situation in other areas is calm.

PHOTO: Clothing market in Kharkov after yesterday’s bombing:

Why does NATO refuse to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine?

When the no-fly zone is declared, it must be protected by military aviation patrols or air defense systems or anti-aircraft missile systems. Military aircraft violating the no-go zone are not allowed or will be shot down, and the airspace itself is actively monitored by radar and from space.

This means that if NATO declares a no-fly zone over Ukraine, NATO military forces will have to patrol Ukraine in the airspace and will have to shoot down Russian planes and helicopters. That is, we will talk about the direct involvement of NATO countries in the conflict and direct war with Russia, which none of the countries plan to do. p

The “Green Corridor” from Kharkov can be organized today during the day, said the head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia. The ceasefire declared yesterday never came to fruition, as the bombing continued throughout the day. No one was able to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha along the announced security corridors. The Russian Defense Ministry blamed Ukraine for this.

Under siege by the Russian army, Mariupol is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, MSF reports. The biggest problem is with access to drinking water, food is also running out in the city, there is no electricity.

Due to hostilities, gas supply networks in six regions of Ukraine have been damaged, 16 gas distribution stations have stopped operating in Kharkov, Nikolaev, Zaporozhye, Kiyv, Donetsk, Luhansk regions. Thousands of people are left without gas.

Since the beginning of the war, 194 civilians, including 5 children, have been killed as a result of the attack of Russian troops on the Kharkiv region, the regional administration reported.

Ukraine intends to build prison camps for Russian prisoners of war, “because there are hundreds of them and we don’t know what to do with them”, said Aleksey Arestovich, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. He said that the camps would be organized according to the rules of the Geneva Convention and that prisoners of war would be treated humanely.

Since the beginning of the war, more than 100,000 of its citizens have returned to Ukraine from abroad, most of them men of military age. “They are returning voluntarily. They are aware of their duty to protect themselves – family, home and state”, the border service said in a statement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba met with US Secretary of State Blinken this morning at the Polish-Ukrainian border. Kuleba said on his Twitter that it was about further arms supplies to Ukraine and tougher sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is currently in Berlin, where he will be meeting Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He arrived there from Moscow, where he met with Putin. Bennett then spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Zelensky. From Berlin, Bennett will fly to Paris.

Washington Post: Western countries are preparing for a guerrilla war scenario and the Ukrainian government in exile

“Ukraine managed to resist the Russian army much more effectively than the West expected, but the Russian army is much larger than the Ukrainian one. If Russia manages to break the resistance in Ukraine, the US State Department, the Pentagon and other agencies are preparing to evacuate President Volodymyr Zelensky to Poland, from where his government will lead a guerrilla war that can be very effective and last for as long as he likes. According to the Washington Post, citing Ukrainian intelligence services, the president’s guards have a plan to evacuate him, but so far he refuses to leave the capital.

European countries are preparing to recognize the Zelensky government as the only legitimate government of Ukraine, even if it ceases to control the territory of the country. The legal basis for this will be the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, which has already condemned the Russian aggression by an absolute majority”.

Support for Ukraine

 The Anonymous reported that they completely blocked the website of the Russian Federal Security Service.

International payment systems Visa and Mastercard are leaving Russia. This means that Visa and Mastercard cards issued in Russia will work until their expiration date, but only on the territory of Russia itself. They will no longer be accepted outside of Russia or when shopping online. Also, Visa and Mastercard cards issued in other countries will not work in Russia. The Central Bank of Russia has already advised Russian citizens to carry cash with them in case they travel abroad, or the World card for countries where it is accepted. These are just a few  – Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The list also includes South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Radio Liberty stopped working in Russia and plans to cover the aggression against Ukraine from abroad. The main reason is the new Russian law on “fake news”. On March 4, Roskomnadzor blocked Radio Liberty and all its projects in Russia.

UEFA has decided not to appoint Russian referees for matches under the auspices of the organization.

PHOTO Reuters: This is how the town of Irpen near Kiev looks now:

  Today was supposed to be the day of the partial ceasefire, which was agreed upon yesterday by Ukraine and Russia. The agreement implied the end of shelling and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha. However, local authorities in both cities report that Russia continues shelling and people cannot get out. The mayor of the city of Volnovakha, Irina Vereshchuk, says that since 12 am the city has been heavily shelled.

  President of Ukraine Zelensky’s new address: “Today’s evacuation measures for civilians will determine the further course of negotiations with Russia”.

VIDEO: Residents of Irpen in the Kiyv region leave the city through the destroyed bridge:

VIDEO: Odessa, maternity hospital bomb shelter. UNIAN

  Ukrainian media reports that Denis Kireev, who was a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the first negotiations with Russia in Gomel on February 28, was killed during the arrest in Kyiv. He was reportedly suspected of treason.

In Russia

  After a law on 15 years prison term for “spreading fakes about the actions of the Russian army” was introduced journalists asked Putin’s press secretary Peskov: “How can Russians express their point of view if it does not coincide with the official position?” Peskov replied: “Within the framework of our law”.

  From tomorrow, those aircraft that are registered in foreign registries will stop flying from Russia abroad. This applies to ALL foreign-made aircraft. This is happening against the backdrop of arrests of Russian aircraft abroad, since they are all leased from foreign companies. It turns out that Russia will simply try to steal the planes.

  According to the Baza investigation group, the head of Aeroflot, Mikhail Poluboyarinov, has already left Russia. The head of another popular airline, Pobeda, Andrey Kalmykov, wrote a letter to employees that he was staying in Russia. But “Baza” claims that he flew to Switzerland on the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, February 24th.

  The Board of Directors of the independent radio station and the popular Ekho Moskvy website fired Alexei Venediktov from his post as editor-in-chief. He has been the face of the company for decades. Ekho Moskvy itself has been blocked and is in the process of being liquidated.

Support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia

  The Coursera educational platform suspends all its activities in Russia. Content from Russian universities and other partners will disappear from the platform and Russian users will not be able to purchase paid courses.

  PayPal has suspended work in Russia.

  The Japanese company Komatsu (one of the world’s largest manufacturers of construction equipment) suspends supplies to Russia.

  eBay has also suspended delivery of orders to Russia and Ukraine.

  Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti are leaving Russia and closing all their offline and online stores.

  The huge rise in food prices in Russia, in all major retail chains, limit the amount of goods that can be sold in one hand.

VIDEO: Customers discuss price increases in Pyaterochka store:

Arrests of property of Russian oligarchs in the West

  In Italy, the villa of oligarch Alisher Usmanov in Sardinia and two villas of television propagandist Vladimir Solovyov on Lake Como have been arrested.

  Putin’s friend billionaire Timchenko has lost his Lena yacht in San Remo, Italy – it was arrested by local authorities. Also in Italy, the yacht Lady M of another billionaire Alexei Mordashov, the owner of Severstal, has been arrested. A villa in Tuscany which belonged to the ex-deputy of the State Duma and businessman Oleg Savchenko has been seized too – see the photo below:

  Zelensky sharply criticized NATO in his traditional nightly address: “All the Alliance has done for today is they bought 50 tons of diesel fuel for Ukraine. Perhaps enough so that we can burn the Budapest Memorandum. To light it on fire better. But it has already burned down for us. In the fire of Russian troops. Did we want this from NATO? Is that how you’ve build North Atlantic alliance? The leadership of the Alliance has given the green light for further bombardment of Ukrainian cities and villages, refusing to make a no-fly zone. You could close our sky. But…”

What is the Budapest Memorandum

After the collapse of the USSR, Kiyv inherited a large nuclear arsenal. However, in 1994, Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Great Britain signed the Budapest Memorandum. It stated that Ukraine was renouncing nuclear arsenals on its territory and receiving nuclear security guarantees in return.

VIDEO: Zelenskiy has recorded a video message to those who say he has left Ukraine. “The President is here!”

 The Russian Ministry of Defense: the Russian side has declared a regime of silence and opened humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha, starting from 10 am Moscow time today.

  The General Staff of Ukraine said that the blitzkrieg planned by Russia had been thwarted: “One of the signs that the enemy is demoralized is that they are bombing civilians. The Ukrainian army launches counterattacks”. The Ministry of Defense reported that during the war, the Ukrainian army destroyed 39 aircraft and 40 helicopters.

  Bellingcat investigators consider it “quite real” that by the 10th day of the war, about 10,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine.

  Ukrainian troops returned the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant under their control, said Vadim Denisenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

  Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal called on Ukrainians to “violently resist the invaders”.

Video:Military base destroyed during the air raid:

  Finnish President Niiniste said that the country is ready to discuss joining NATO: “The situation has changed both in Finland and in Sweden. For the first time, the majority of people, judging by the polls, are in favour of joining NATO, so we are open to discussing this with parliament”. Finland and the United States also agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of defense, the presidents of the two countries held talks yesterday at the White House.

  “Russia does not aim to divide Ukraine into parts, but only seeks to ensure guarantees of its own security”, Putin’s spokesman Peskov said.

  US and NATO officials who follow the war in Ukraine believe that Putin has a new shift in strategy – he intends to “bomb cities until they surrender”, which could lead to significant civilian casualties.

Assistance to Ukraine

  Singapore imposes sanctions against banks VTB, Promsvyazbank, VEB and Bank of Russia. Transactions with them are prohibited, and their assets are frozen.

  Jewelry manufacturer Cartier has closed its stores in Russia.

  BBC, CNN, CBC, ABC and Bloomberg announced the suspension of work in Russia.

  Italian media write that the yachts of Russian oligarchs Alexei Mordashev and Gennady Timchenko have been confiscated. The cost of yachts is 65-75 million euros.

  Aeroflot airline has been removed from the Saber global electronic ticket booking system.

  The International Gymnastics Federation will remove Russian and Belarusian athletes from the competition from Monday.

  The Czech Republic intends to pay 200 euros a month to refugees from Ukraine. The payment is calculated for three months from the moment of arrival in the country.

  The Kering group and its brands Gucci, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent announced the closure of all stores in Russia.

  Japanese clothing retail chain Uniqlo will send Ukraine $10 million in aid and warm clothes.

  Coca-Cola and Danone decided to leave the Russian market. Both companies had previously stated that they would remain on the Russian market, which led to the removal of their products from the shelves in Ukraine and a boycott.

  The International Boxing Association (IBA) has suspended the representatives of Russia and Belarus from the competition, they can only participate under neutral flags.

  The Washighton Post has decided to remove author names and other imprints from its Russian correspondents in order to protect their safety. All this is due to the law adopted yesterday in the Russian Federation on criminal liability “for spreading fakes.” The law provides for up to 15 years in prison for disseminating “false” information about the actions of the Russian military.

  Samsung suspends the supply of phones and chips to the Russian Federation.

  Volodymyr Zelensky spoke from screens displayed at rallies in Tbilisi, Frankfurt, Lyon, Paris, Prague and Vilnius on March 4. “Do not be silent! Take to the streets. Support Ukraine – we need it! Support our freedom, because this is a victory. Victory not only over the Russian military, but also light over darkness, good over evil… If Ukraine fails, the whole of Europe will fail”.

VIDEO: Tens of thousands came to the center of Prague on the evening of February 4

Président @ZelenskyyUa speaking to the demonstrators in Prague !pic.twitter.com/miv60wapZW

— Simone Rodan-Benzaquen (@srodan) March 4, 2022

Queen Letizia of Spain put on an embroidered shirt in support of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, day 9. Follow the timeline of March 4 events here.