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KYIV, Ukraine — The federal government of the Ukrainian metropolis of Mariupol says 300 folks died in a Russian airstrike on March 16 on a theater getting used as a bomb shelter.
The put up Friday on the town authorities Telegram channel cited eyewitnesses for the toll of “about 300.” It was not instantly clear whether or not emergency staff had completed excavating the location or how the eyewitnesses arrived on the horrific dying toll.
When the theater was struck, an unlimited inscription studying “CHILDREN” was posted exterior in Russian, meant to be seen from the skies above.
Quickly after the airstrike, Ludmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian Parliament’s human rights commissioner, mentioned greater than 1,300 folks had been sheltering within the constructing.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukrainians who can’t flee warfare more and more face starvation
— Biden to go to Poland, a fancy ally on Ukraine’s doorstep
— Some distinguished Russians stop jobs, refuse to help warfare.
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for extra protection
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
BRUSSELS — America and the European Union have introduced a brand new partnership to scale back Europe’s reliance on Russian power. High officers characterised the step as the beginning of a years-long initiative to additional isolate Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden asserted Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin makes use of power to “coerce and manipulate his neighbors” and makes use of the earnings from its sale to “drive his warfare machine.”
Biden mentioned the partnership he introduced collectively with a prime European Union official will flip that dynamic on its head by lowering Europe’s dependence on Russian power sources, in addition to the continent’s demand for fuel general.
Underneath the plan, the U.S. and different nations will enhance liquified pure fuel exports to Europe by 15 billion cubic meters this yr. Even bigger shipments can be delivered sooner or later.
On the identical time, they’ll attempt to hold their local weather objectives on monitor by powering fuel infrastructure with clear power and lowering methane leaks that may worsen international warming.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ukraine and Russia seem like making progress on 4 points being negotiated for an finish of the preventing however variations stay on two different key points.
Talking to reporters on his return from a NATO summit late Thursday, Erdogan mentioned Kyiv has expressed readiness to surrender on its want to be a part of NATO, is able to settle for Russian as an official language, and may also settle for “sure concessions” regarding disarmament and “collective safety.”
However Erdogan mentioned Ukraine “just isn’t so snug“ relating to Russian calls for on Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and the japanese Donbas area, the place it has acknowledged separatist entities as unbiased. His feedback had been reported by Hurriyet newspaper and different Turkish media on Friday.
NATO member Turkey has been making an attempt to steadiness its relations with each Ukraine and Russia, positioning itself as a mediator between the 2. It has hosted a gathering between the 2 nations’ international ministers earlier this month.
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BERLIN — Germany’s economic system minister says his nation has cast contracts with new suppliers that may enable it to considerably scale back its reliance on Russian coal, fuel and oil within the coming weeks.
Robert Habeck instructed reporters in Berlin on Friday that Russian oil will account for about 25% of Germany’s imports within the coming weeks, from presently about 35%.
Habeck mentioned imports of Russian coal shall be halved from about 50% of Germany’s whole to 25% within the coming weeks.
He mentioned Germany additionally expects to have the ability to turn out to be virtually completely unbiased of Russian fuel by mid-2024. To do that the federal government has secured the usage of three “floating” terminals able to regasifying LNG introduced in by ship and is working onerous to construct everlasting LNG terminals for long-term imports.
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JERUSALEM — A Ukrainian who fled the nation together with her daughter has completed first amongst ladies on this yr’s Jerusalem marathon.
Valentyna Veretska, 31, competed in Friday’s race after fleeing together with her 11-year-old daughter shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Her husband stayed behind.
Organizers say Veretska completed the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) race in two hours, 45 minutes and 54 seconds. Ageze Guadie, 33, from Israel, completed first within the males’s class with a time of two:37:17.
Veretska, 31, is ranked 444th worldwide amongst feminine marathon runners and most just lately completed first within the October 2021 Tirana Marathon, in line with World Athletics. Forward of the Jerusalem race, she instructed reporters that she would “run for peace.”
She and her daughter fled from the southern metropolis of Mykolaiv with solely their journey paperwork, making their strategy to neighboring Poland. She was invited to participate within the Jerusalem marathon earlier this month.
Marathon organizers say round 40 Ukrainian immigrants and refugees competed amongst 1000’s of runners.
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BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s prime minister on Friday rejected an emotional attraction from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to provide Ukraine with weapons and help sanctions on Russia’s power sector.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban mentioned in a video posted to social media that Zelenskyy’s requests had been “in opposition to Hungary’s pursuits,” and that sanctions on Russian power “would imply that the Hungarian economic system would decelerate after which cease inside moments.”
The rejection got here after Zelenskyy on Thursday addressed a gathering of European Union leaders in Brussels the place he particularly addressed Orban, who’s broadly thought of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally within the EU.
“Pay attention, Viktor, are you aware what is going on in Mariupol?” Zelenskyy mentioned. “I need to be open as soon as and for all — it is best to determine for your self, who you might be for.”
Hungary, alone amongst EU nations bordering Ukraine, has declined to provide its neighbor with weapons and refused to permit weapons shipments to cross its border into Ukraine.
On Friday, Orban mentioned that 85% of Hungary’s fuel and greater than 60% of its oil comes from Russia, and that blocking Russian power exports would pressure Hungarians to “pay the worth of the warfare.”
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KHARKIV, Ukraine — About half the inhabitants of the japanese metropolis of Kharkiv has left, and meals and different necessities are dwindling for many who keep behind. A line fashioned Thursday at an condo block as neighbors waited for help from the Crimson Cross.
“Amongst those that stayed, there are individuals who can stroll on their very own, however many who can not stroll, the aged,” mentioned Hanna Spitsyna, who distributed the meals to the sound of explosions behind her.
Kharkiv has been beneath siege by Russian forces for the reason that begin of the invasion, with relentless shelling that has compelled folks to sleep in metro stations and in basements.
Ukraine’s authorities mentioned shelling on a gaggle of individuals awaiting help elsewhere within the metropolis killed six folks on Thursday. It was not instantly doable to confirm the allegation.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Satellite tv for pc images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Related Press present thick black smoke rising Thursday over the port within the Ukrainian metropolis of Berdyansk, with a big ship on hearth.
The timing of the images correspond with what the Ukrainian navy described as a profitable assault that noticed a Russian touchdown craft ferrying armored automobiles to the town sink off the port.
The picture additionally corresponds to on-line movies purportedly displaying the assault on the port within the metropolis held by Russia on the Sea of Azov.
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LVIV, Ukraine – Russian forces fired two missiles late Thursday at a Ukrainian army unit on the outskirts of Dnipro, the fourth-largest metropolis within the nation, regional emergency providers mentioned.
The strikes destroyed buildings and set off two fires, it mentioned, whereas the variety of these killed and wounded was nonetheless being established.
Dnipro is west of the areas alongside the Russian border which were managed by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
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LVIV, Ukraine — With the warfare headed into its second month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of hope and willpower in his nighttime video handle to the nation late Thursday.
“It’s already night time. However we’re working,” he mentioned in a quiet voice. “The nation should transfer towards peace, transfer ahead. With every single day of our protection, we’re getting nearer to the peace that we’d like a lot. We’re getting nearer to victory. … We are able to’t cease even for a minute. For each minute determines our destiny, our future, whether or not we are going to reside.”
He reported on his conversations that day with leaders of NATO and European Union nations gathered in Brussels, and their guarantees of much more sanctions on Russia.
“We have to search for peace,” he mentioned. “Russia additionally must search for peace.”
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked EU leaders for working collectively to help Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia, together with Germany’s determination to dam Russia from delivering pure fuel to Europe by means of the brand new Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
However he lamented that these steps weren’t taken earlier, saying there was an opportunity Russia would have thought twice about invading.
He then appealed to the EU leaders, who had gathered Thursday in Brussels, to maneuver shortly on Ukraine’s utility to affix the bloc. “Right here I ask you, don’t delay. Please,” Zelenskyy mentioned by video from Kyiv. “For us it is a likelihood.”
He then listed the 27 member nations, noting these he mentioned had been “for us.” He appealed to Germany and notably to Hungary to not block Ukraine’s bid.
“Pay attention, Viktor, are you aware what is going on in Mariupol?” Zelenskyy mentioned, addressing Hungarian President Viktor Orban. “I need to be open as soon as and for all — it is best to determine for your self, who you might be for.”
Orban is broadly thought of to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally amongst EU leaders.
Zelenskyy mentioned Ukraine is definite that “within the decisive second, Germany additionally shall be with us.”
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BRUSSELS — President Vladimir Putin’s menace to have “unfriendly” nations pay for Russian pure fuel exports solely in rubles any further has received the not-so-friendly remedy from European Union nations.
A number of EU leaders have come out saying it could be a gross violation of their contracts. From German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, they mentioned they’d not meet such calls for.
The Russian menace is potent for the reason that EU imports 90% of the pure fuel used to generate electrical energy, warmth properties and provide trade, with Russia supplying virtually 40% of EU fuel.
Economists say such a transfer appears designed to attempt to help the ruble, which has collapsed in opposition to different currencies since Russia invaded Ukraine and Western nations responded with far-reaching sanctions in opposition to Moscow.
Making such calls for although, would basically change contracts and render them null and void, a number of European leaders mentioned in the course of the first day of their EU summit.
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