New attacks on Kyiv

Russia has again attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Residential buildings and a shopping center were hit. The Ukraine rejects a capitulation in Mariupol, a chemical plant in Sumy is causing concern.

Russian forces have continued their attacks on Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian civil defense, residential buildings and a shopping center in the capital Kyiv were damaged. At least four people died. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke of attacks on several residential buildings in the Podil district. Rescuers and paramedics are on site, Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

Emergency services said on Facebook that “enemy fire” set fire to several floors of a shopping center in the north-west of the city. Journalists reported a massive explosion and fire. Security camera footage released by the authorities showed a large explosion followed by smaller detonations. Firefighters pulled at least one dust-covered man from the rubble. Soldiers cordoned off the site and warned of danger from unexploded ammunition.

Zelenskyj: Russia’s misconceptions

The Russian advance on the capital had largely come to a standstill recently. Moscow’s forces engaged in sporadic engagements with Ukrainian defenders in the north-west and east of the city, but have barely moved in two weeks. In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the Russian soldiers that they had misconceptions about how their invasion was going: “They keep looking for the imaginary Nazis they supposedly wanted to protect our people from and they still can’t find any Ukrainians who received them with flowers,” he said.

The video messages from the Ukrainian head of state, in which Zelenskyj occasionally addresses Russian soldiers or the Russian population directly, are now an integral part of the defense measures against Russian attacks.

Mariupol: “There will be no surrender”

These are further concentrated in the south and east of Ukraine. The city of Mariupol is particularly competitive. During the night, the Ukrainian government rejected an ultimatum to withdraw from the city. “There will be no capitulation, no laying down of arms,” ​​Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk told Ukrayinska Pravda early in the morning. She demanded that the Russian military open escape routes for the several hundred thousand civilians in need.

Russia on Sunday asked Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to lay down their arms and leave the city. A corridor should be set up for this purpose. The Russian military sent an eight-page letter requesting a written reply. “Instead of wasting your time on eight pages of letter, just open a corridor,” Vereshchuk quoted from her reply.

Concerns about chemical plant near Sumy

Highly toxic ammonia apparently escaped during attacks on a chemical factory near the city of Sumy. An “ammonia leak” had occurred in the Sumychimprom plant in Novoselytsia, the governor of the Sumy region, Dmytro Zhyvytsky, told Telegram. An area of ​​2.5 kilometers around the fertilizer plant is affected. “Ammonia is lighter than air, so shelters, basements and lower floors should be sought out for protection,” he said. Rescue workers are on site. However, the nearby city of Sumy is not in danger.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of preparing attacks with improvised chemical weapons. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, “nationalists” “mined” the ammonia and chlorine gas storage facilities at the Sumychimprom plant. The aim is a “mass poisoning of the residents of the Sumy region in the event of the arrival of units of the Russian armed forces in the city”.

new negotiations

Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a new round of negotiations via video link for today. The two teams wanted to start talks in the morning, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told the Unian agency late on Sunday evening. “Recently, working groups on both sides have been working intensively.”

Last Monday, the last peace talks were held at a higher level. According to Podoliak, negotiations with Moscow about an end to the war could last “several weeks”. However, there are now signs that Moscow’s position has recently become “more appropriate” and more realistic. He did not provide any further details.

Moscow’s maximum demands include Ukraine’s neutrality and the demilitarization of the neighboring country. In addition, Russia is demanding that Crimea be recognized as Russian territory and that the breakaway so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk be independent. Ukraine has so far signaled a willingness to compromise in the talks on the country’s neutrality, but is demanding strong security guarantees from the West. In addition, Kyiv insists on territorial integrity.