Kyiv Mayor Announces 35-Hour Curfew

Conservative News DailyMarch 15, 2022

A 35-hour curfew is to be imposed in Kyiv after several tower blocks were attacked by Russian forces based outside the city, Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said.

It will begin at 8pm local time on Tuesday (6pm GMT), and continue until 7am on Thursday (0500 GMT).

Two people were killed in the latest fighting, Mr Klitschko added.

“It is prohibited to move around the city without special permission, except to go to bomb shelters,” the mayor said.

“The capital is the heart of Ukraine, and it will be defended. Kyiv, which is currently the symbol and forward operating base of Europe’s freedom and security, will not be given up by us.”

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a life or death ultimatum to Russian soldiers and urged them to surrender as he said the latest peace talks appeared to have gone well.

A fourth round of negotiations took place on Monday, but details of any progress have not been revealed. They are due to resume today.

Russia said “substantial progress” had been made following talks at the weekend.

Deadly attacks across Ukraine continue, however, and the White House has said President Putin must show signs of de-escalation if negotiations are to progress.

Follow live updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

In other developments:

• 43,000 applications so far for UK refugees scheme
• Squatters occupy Russian billionaire’s mansion – but he denies owning it
• Employee interrupts Russian news programme with anti-war slogan
• Woman carrying unborn baby and seen in hospital attack video died
• Johnson calls on Western nations to end ‘addiction’ to Russian oil and gas

Every second, another child becomes a refugee

More than three million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on 24 February, the International Organization for Migration has said, taking its figures from national authorities.

More than 1.8m of them travelled to Poland, the UNHCR said, spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh adding that 300,000 had moved on from there to western Europe.

And on average, on each of the last 20 days, 73,000 Ukrainian children have become refugees, Unicef has said.

That is about 51 a minute – almost one every second.

The United Nations has described it as the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

Russia attempting to subvert Ukrainian democracy – MOD

In an update on Tuesday morning, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said it appeared that Russia was trying to “consolidate political control” of Ukraine.

According to reports, Moscow may be seeking to “stage a ‘referendum’ in Kherson” in an attempt to “legitimise the area as a ‘breakaway republic’ similar to Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea”, the MOD said in its latest intelligence update.

There have been “multiple demonstrations” over “several days” in the “Russian occupied” Ukrainian cities of Kherson, Melitopol and Berdyansk, it added.

“Further protests were reported in (Kherson) yesterday with Russian soldiers reportedly firing warning shots in an attempt to disperse peaceful protesters.”

The MOD said Russia had reportedly installed its own mayor in Melitopol following the alleged abduction of his predecessor on Friday, and that the mayor of Dniprorudne had also reportedly been abducted by Russian forces.

“Russia is likely to make further attempts to subvert Ukrainian democracy as it attempts to consolidate political control of Ukraine,” it concluded.

Foreign Office minister James Cleverly told Sky News it was “obvious that the Russian military are not achieving the goals they set themselves”.

He added: “A faux election to try to justify Russia’s aggression to Ukraine will be recognised for exactly what it is, and that is a fake.”

Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday morning that its forces had taken control of all territory in the Kherson region, Russian news agencies reported.

Peace talks ‘pretty good’

President Zelenskyy, in his nightly address, said he wanted a “fair peace”.

“Our delegation also worked on this in negotiations with the Russian party. Pretty good, as I was told. But let’s see. They will continue tomorrow.”

Ukraine’s president also issued a stark choice to Russian troops. “Your life will be taken,” he said, if they continued attacking his country.

“I know that you want to survive. We hear your conversations in the intercepts, we hear what you really think about this senseless war,” Mr Zelenskyy said.

“On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I give you a chance. Chance to survive.

“If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you the way people are supposed to be treated. As people, decently. In a way you were not treated in your army. And in a way your army does not treat ours. Choose!”

In a possible reference to a TV employee who held an anti-war sign live on air, he said he was “grateful to those Russians who do not stop trying to convey the truth – to those who fight disinformation and tell the truth”.

Cities still under fire

Moscow’s bombardment of Ukraine showed no signs of easing on Monday, with two people killed in a strike on the Antonov aircraft factory in Kyiv.

Artillery fire also hit an apartment building in the capital’s northern Obolon district, killing two more, authorities said. And one person died in an airstrike near a checkpoint in the city, according to Ukraine’s emergency agency.

Mykolaiv, in the south, and Chernihiv in the north were among other cities again coming under fire.

In the besieged city of Mariupol, however, the council said 160 civilian cars had left along a humanitarian route after days of failed attempts.

There are apocalyptic scenes in the city after near-constant attacks knocked out water and power and killed an estimated 2,500 people.

Video has emerged from Mariupol which the Ukrainian military says is from inside one of its armoured vehicles, apparently showing it repeatedly firing on a Russian tank in its crosshairs.

Russian invasion ‘appears to have stalled’

Despite the ongoing carnage, an anonymous US defence official said on Monday that Russia’s invasion appeared to have stalled, with little progress in the last few days.

American and Chinese officials also met on Monday as the diplomatic back and forth continues.

The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned China’s top diplomat not to help Russia with weapons or other aid.

China has indicated a willingness to help Moscow, American officials have said

China, though, accused the US of “spreading misinformation”, and Russia has also denied the claims.

Japan sanctions 17 more people

Japan has become the latest country to tighten its sanctions in Russia, with its finance ministry saying another 17 people were being targeted, taking the total to 61.

EU finance ministers are meeting this morning in Brussels to discuss the effect of their own measures in turning the screw on President Putin and those linked to him.

In the UK, the economic crime bill – designed to tackle the maze of hidden “dirty” Russian money – was successfully fast-tracked through parliament on Monday night.

One of the oligarchs in the firing line, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, is said to be back in Moscow after apparently being pictured at an airport in Tel Aviv.