Russia widens attack on Ukrainian cities, attacks western airfields and Dnipro

Many Ukrainians evacuated in recent days from other cities under Russian fire were moved to the relative safety of Dnipro.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Friday it was “seriously concerned by the increasing deaths and human suffering in Ukraine” and called for “an immediate end to the attacks”.

OHCHR spokeswoman Liz Throsel said in a statement: “Civilians are being killed and maimed in indiscriminate attacks, the Russian military using explosive weapons over wide areas or in populated areas.”

The OHCHR said 549 civilians were killed and 957 wounded since the attack began on February 24, “though the actual figure may be much higher.”

“We are still investigating reports that at least three civilians were killed in the airstrike,” he said. “We spoke to various sources in Mariupol, including local officials, who were constantly indicating that the hospital was both clearly identifiable and operational when it was struck.”

Throsel also said that the OHCHR has received “credible reports of several cases of use of cluster weapons by Russian forces, including in populated areas.” He said the use of cluster munitions in populated areas is “inconsistent with international humanitarian law”.

Russian column spreads

Closer to Kyiv, fighting intensified to the northeast and east of the capital, with Ukrainians successfully ambushing and attacking a Russian tank column on Thursday.

According to Kyiv officials, there were no casualties in an overnight airstrike in the Brovry district, east of the capital. Ukrainian officials also reported an overnight missile strike on the town of Baryshevka, about 45 miles east of the city, on Friday.

A Russian column that had stalled outside Kyiv for nearly two weeks has now dispersed, according to Maxar satellite imagery from Thursday. The forces seem to be regrouping.

Thomas Bullock, a senior analyst at the defense intelligence firm, said, “The strategy of targeting Ukraine’s supply lines has worked well, especially during the first five to 10 days of the war. was down to Russia’s operations.” Jens told CNN.

“During the first few days of the war, Russian forces preferred to move quickly to secure objectives. This meant they were not advancing as a coherent front line, securing territory. This effectively allowed the Ukrainian military to slip behind Russia’s advanced mechanized units and attack logistics columns traveling on unprotected roads in the rear,” Bullock said.

“It is unclear how effective this strategy will be as Russia begins to redirect its forces for a protracted war after their failure to achieve a quick victory,” he said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine was being carried out successfully, despite claims from Western leaders that its military faced unplanned obstacles and resistance.

“Everything is going according to plan, we report to you here every day this week,” Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin at a televised meeting of the country’s Security Council.

Shoigu claimed that the Russian military had received more than 16,000 applications from volunteers in the Middle East who wish to join the war in Ukraine. He also asked Putin to arm the separatist regions of eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region, which Shoigu claimed had been confiscated from Ukrainians by Russian forces.

Putin backed both suggestions, saying Russia should help relocate foreign volunteers who are willing to fight in the Donbass in the region.

Following Shoigu’s remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that at the moment there was no talk of sending volunteers from Russia to fight in Ukraine.

Logical issues, resistance remains

However, the French government painted a less rosy picture of the Russian military’s progress.

French armed forces spokesman Pascal Eny told TV station France 2 on Friday that Russian forces were poorly prepared for an invasion of Ukraine and were now facing many difficulties on the ground “particularly in the logistics sector and intelligence sector”. Is.

“It is possible that Kyiv will be attacked in the next few days, but actually taking control of Kyiv is a different matter and will take a long, long time,” he said. “The Russian army also gets stuck in a premature spring,” he said, adding that defrosting ground makes mobility difficult for the military.

Britain’s defense ministry said on Friday that Russian forces were making “limited progress” in advancing toward Kyiv – but could prepare for a new offensive against the Ukrainian capital in the coming days.

“It is highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved the objectives outlined in its pre-aggression plan,” the ministry said in an intelligence update. “The logistical issues hindering Russian progress remain, as does strong Ukrainian resistance.”

European Union leaders are meeting again on Friday in Versailles, France, as they try to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia to end its offensive.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ahead of the second day of the summit that leaders would vote on doubling the bloc’s financial support for the Ukrainian armed forces.

If approved by the leaders, this would make the bloc’s financial aid to the Ukrainian military more than $1 billion. “Everyone knew perfectly well that in order to continue to put pressure on Russia, we would have to increase our military support to Ukraine, so $550 million more,” Borrell said.

Financial aid would be “immediate”, he said, adding that “now the money flows quickly.”