Here is the situation as it stands on Saturday, February 18, 2023:
Fighting
Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the eastern city of Bakhmut pleaded on Friday for more weapons as Western powers gathered at the three-day Munich Security Conference.
The Russian mercenary company Wagner Group has suffered more than 30,000 casualties since the start of the war almost a year ago, with about 9,000 of those fighters killed in action, the US White House said on Friday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Western allies to speed up their military support for Ukraine, warning that delays would play into Russia’s hands.
Zelenskyy said it is “obvious” that Ukraine would not be the last stop on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion list.
Ukraine was weathering a wave of Russian attacks on its power grid and seeing recovering supplies, despite Russia’s campaign against key infrastructure, energy operator Ukrenergo has said.
Ukrainian servicemen fire a mortar towards a Russian…
2023-03-08 15:39:43
Article from www.aljazeera.com
The devastating conflict between Russia and Ukraine had completed its 360th day on March 4, 2021. As the war continues to rage on, with a death toll of over 13,000 people, it’s crucial to look back at the significant events that unfolded during the conflict.
One of the significant turning points in the war was the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014. The move was condemned globally and sparked a military confrontation in the eastern region of Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists demanded autonomy from the Ukrainian government.
In July 2014, an almost 300 people lost their lives, including civilians, after the Malaysia Airlines aircraft was shot down by a missile fired from eastern Ukraine, controlled by separatists. The incident amplified sanctions on Moscow and emphasized the urgency of the conflict.
In February 2015, Russian-backed separatists broke a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, launching a series of attacks on the cities of Mariupol and Debaltseve. This move was significant and marked a significant escalation of the conflict, showing that the peace efforts were futile.
The ceasefire agreement was signed in Minsk in September 2015 between the Ukrainian government officials and the separatists. The talks were brokered by Germany and France, aimed at ending the deadly conflict. However, the agreement failed to bring peace, as the fighting continued.
In November 2018, the Russian Federal Security Service seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crew navigating the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The move was called an act of aggression by Kiev and led to a significant deterioration of already tense relations between the two countries.
In July 2020, there was a sizable explosion in an ammunition depot near the Ukrainian town of Ichnya, affecting over 12,000 people living in the region. The incident caused the evacuation of residents and significant damage to the surrounding area.
More recently, in February 2021, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed as pro-Russian separatists launched artillery attacks on the disputed Donbass region. The incident marked the fighting’s deadliest day since July 2020, highlighting the worrying trend of increased aggression.
As the war continues to ravage the region, peace negotiations between the two countries’ officials have seen little to no progress. Despite continued efforts to get both sides to agree to end the conflict, the situation remains unresolved, with a significant human cost on both sides.
In conclusion, the 360th day of the Russia-Ukraine War marks yet another day of fighting, death, and destruction. The conflict remains a stark reminder of how political disagreements can escalate into violent confrontations, negatively affecting thousands of people’s lives. It is the hope of the global community that diplomatic efforts can eventually bring about a peaceful resolution to the protracted war.