WAR IN UKRAINE: March 6, 2022 — Michael Bociurkiw

A medieval sculpture of Jesus Christ that survived even the hardships of World War II has been moved from the Armenian Cathedral in Lviv into a bunker - amid fears that the city rich in cultural artefacts will come under Russian attack.

Valuable cultural & artistic monuments all over Lviv are being hidden due to the threat, reports Ukrainska Pravda.

In temples and residential buildings, unique stained glass windows are covered with protective screens, and some are dismantled altogether.

All museums in the city also dismantled the exhibits and transferred them for storage in the bomb shelter. Professional restorers and private installers-advertisers from Lviv were involved in the protection and dismantling of monuments. Polish restorers also joined the work, raising money to purchase materials, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

Lviv is listed on the UNESCO cultural heritage site list. The organization says of the city: “In its urban fabric and its architecture, Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.”

Over the past few days, the city has become increasingly fortified - with new sandbag and concrete barriers as well as increased law enforcement presence.

“There will probably come a time soon where the only places the oligarchs around Mr. Putin can vacation is North Korea - or maybe on the artificial islands being created in the South China Sea by the Chinese (where the temperature rarely drops below 33 Celsius)” - me speaking from Lviv on Al Jazeera English.

Ukrainian Media & Social Media Monitoring

heavy shelling in Zhytomyr and Irpin, north of Kyiv. Many residential units destroyed.
The World Health Organization says it has confirmed at least 4 health care facilities in Ukraine have been attacked by Russian forces killing 6 and injuring 11. This constitutes as a war crime. (via BBC Breakfast)
increasing criticism among commentators of NATO’s and the western alliance’s unwillingness to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine. (US and Canadian experts are suggesting the creation of a Berlin-style air bridge to bring in humanitarian aid to Lviv for distribution into needed areas elsewhere).
Ukrainian Air Force says 5 Russian aircraft and 4 helicopters were downed, Kyiv Independent reporting. The Armed Forces Air Command issued a statement saying that it had shot down one enemy Su-25 fighter jet, two Su-34 fighter-bombers, two Su-30 SM planes, and four helicopters today. Ukraine now claims a total kill count of 44 planes and 44 helicopters.

Large bombs have been seen in residential areas of Chernihiv (above). Photo: Andrew Kravchenko

Finally for today. There’s been plenty of head scratching here in Ukraine at the unwillingness or inability of NATO and the western alliance to establish a No Fly Zone over Ukraine in order to rob Russia of its air superiority. Instead many US experts are suggesting the establishment of a Berlin airlift style air corridor into western Ukraine, in order to help alleviate suffering of areas that have been attacked and the rapidly-growing numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs).

Here’s one take: “a Berlin Airlift-style operation to deliver medical, food, and other humanitarian supplies to Lviv. It could have different ROE than a combat NFZ (no fly zone) if that makes the medicine go down easier to avert escalation. It thus could help ease humanitarian suffering but also potentially help deter Russian attack on Lviv, thereby perhaps making Lviv essentially a safe haven for Ukrainians including Ukrainian government officials. It obviously wouldn’t be as expansive as a broader NFZ, but that might help it to avoid some of the more problematic risks as well. It wouldn’t solve all of the operational military problems, but when combined with a very robust pipeline of weapons transfers and other measures, it may help.”