WAR IN UKRAINE: March 8, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS (Day 13 of the war):
The weather in many regions of Ukraine are taking a turn for the worse. In Kharkiv, daytime temperatures will hover for the next week at the freezing or below freezing mark - with night-time temperatures plunging to a frigid 7-Celsius. Snow may also be on the way. As I told CNN last night, the cold is a huge threat to migrants on the move, or for those remaining who’ve no power or gas. Additionally, it makes the terrain more firm which, in turn, makes it easier for heavy weaponry, including tanks, to move. I’ve been told that about 10 days of below freezing temperatures are needed for the ground to become solid. Later in March, the weather typically becomes springlike VERY quickly - something military planners on both sides are taking into account.
Hopes for a miraculous end to hostilities in Ukraine collapsed as a third ound of Ukraine-Russia peace talks ended with no results. The delegations, who met in Belarus, agreed to change the logistics of humanitarian corridors. However the placement of the corridors through Belarus and through Russia itself were unacceptable to the Ukrainian side. The parties will hold further consultations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is "not hiding" and "not afraid of anyone" as he revealed his location in Kyiv. In a defiant video message from his office on Bankova Street, he said he is staying there "as long as necessary" and his team is with him. Mr Zelenskyy was previously reported to be in hiding but still somewhere in the Ukrainian capital, having refused to leave the country (SKY News)
Polish authorities say they’re receiving migrants from Ukraine at the rate of about 100-a-minute. The map below shows the major direction of migrant flows out of Ukraine.
“We are a place in Europe, a place of freedom, a zone of freedom. When the limits of rights and freedoms are being violated and stepped on, then you have to protect us. Because we will come first, you will come second”
Although Russian forces have met a fiercer resistance than expected - even with about 100 percent of their committed manpower and gear in Ukraine- they’ve managed to almost completely encircle the eastern borders of the country. A coveted land bridge linking the Russian mainland with Crimea is pretty much complete and it’s now feared they may move on the key cities of Odesa and Kyiv.
Traffic gridlock in Lviv at mid-day on March 8, 2022 (M. Bociurkiw)
The mayor of Lviv said the city in far western Ukraine is struggling to feed and house the tens of thousands of people who have fled here from war-torn regions of the country. "We really need support," said Andriy Sadovyi, one of the country’s longest-serving mayors.
More than 200,000 Ukrainians displaced from their homes are now in Lviv, filling up hotels, dormitories, private accommodation, sport halls, schools, hospitals and church buildings. The historic city - much of which is designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site - and once popular with tourists had a population of 700,000 before the war.
Lviv is the main transit point for those fleeing just across the border to Poland. Hundreds of thousands more people could arrive if humanitarian corridors are opened up from cities under siege from Russian troops.
Until now, most of the displaced people appear to be middle to upper class people from Kyiv and cities to the east and south who are able to afford hotels and private accommodation.
Meanwhile, a part of the city center came to a standstill Monday when a coffin carrying a UAF war journalist was carried into a church. The man was reportedly killed near Mykolaiv.
Monday evening, on CNN Newsroom With Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell, there was chilling assessment by former US General Wesley Clark. The CNN analyst said that an increasingly impatient Vladimir Putin could be tempted to advance gains in Ukraine by using a nuclear weapon.
Shortly afterwards, I chimed in with the observations from Kremlin-watchers of a Putin who’s showing clear signs of anxiety: not as polished as usual in public, losing his train of thought, seemingly doodling on paper and looking increasingly isolated with few senior officials around him.
A few days ago, at the bi-weekly press conference of the World Health Organization (WHO), I put it to senior management why, in none of their written oral statements, are they unable to bring themselves to name the aggressor in the Ukraine war - Russia. The same goes for other UN agencies such as UNHCR and UNICEF - where an internal memo directs staff to use ‘escalating conflict’ instead of ‘war’ or ‘invasion.’ Above you can hear the brief explanation for WHO’s second-in-command, Dr. Mike Ryan (Dr. Tedros, the Director-General, took a pass on the question). As a former global spokesperson for UNICEF who also served in many conflict zones, I am in a good position to challenge the policy. In our day, we would call out the Myanmar generals or warring sides in the Middle East when we saw the rights of children violated - as we do now in Ukraine. Sources inside UNICEF inform me that the directive to go soft on Russia - which was in place well before hostilities commenced - originated from the office of the Regional Director in Genera, who reportedly is keen to re-establish the organization’s presence in Russia.
Believe me - I know the risk a UN agency takes to call out a member state. In some cases it can cost them access of bring harm to national staff. But this isn’t the case here and contributes to the increasing impression that the UN is toothless. This is definitely one of those situations in life where it is impossible to keep silent.
To end on a positive note, this image of a just-married couple is making the rounds on social media. The nuptials quoted as saying why should a war get in the way of love. The groom was identified as an active soldier. Another Ukrainian couple who have been together for 22 years and have joined the fight against invading Russian forces were married over the weekend on the front line.
Speaking of which, to those observing International Women’s Day, warm greetings from Ukraine!
