WAR IN UKRAINE: March 16, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 21:
Foreign military experts suggest the Russian military advance near Kyiv has stalled and that Russian forces near Kharkiv are running low on supplies. At least 10 people queueing for bread were killed when Russian forces shelled the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, according to the head of the regional administration, Vyacheslav Chaus. Video geolocated by CNN shows what appear to be lifeless bodies on the ground, but the images of the bodies had been blurred.
Russian troops are holding 400 people, including doctors and patients, "like hostages" inside a hospital in Mariupol, the deputy mayor says. About 20,000 people were able to leave the city on Tuesday, according to a senior Ukrainian official (BBC)
In the besieged city of Mariupol, Russia has attacked a theatre where civilians have been sheltering, the city's deputy mayor tells the BBC. Between 1,000 and 1,200 people may have been inside, Serhiy Orlov says. The number of casualties is currently unknown
US President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time. The Kremlin has reacted with fury, labelling Biden's comments "unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric" - BBC
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed both houses of the US Congress today in a historic speech underlining the need for Ukraine to obtain a no fly zone as well as Soviet-era jets from Poland. US and NATO allies appear reluctant to deliver on these requests for fear of being drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia. "In the darkest time for our country, for the whole Europe, I call on you to do more. New packages of sanctions are needed, constantly, every week until the Russian military machine stops. Restrictions are needed for everyone on whom this unjust regime is based," he said in the address to Congress.
Congressman Michael McCaul, who sat in the audience for the speech, tells CNN that the footage stirred up a lot of emotion in the room.
"A lot of the members, many that you'd be surprised by, were in tears watching that because it looked like Nazi Germany to me, very reminiscent of that," he said.
The Faces of War: Olga Semydyanova, a mother of 6 children, was killed in a battle against Russian troops. (Thanks to Mariana Betsa for the tweet)
