by Martina Natili and Azzurra Tacchi (3D)
Friday, 11 March 2022
The attack by Russian forces extends for the first time west in areas that until now remained sheltered from war (aree che fino ad ora erano rimaste al riparo dalla guerra). The offensive of Putin’s forces continues with violence in other areas of the country. In Melitipol the mayor was kidnapped (il sindaco è stato rapito); Mariupol is surrounded while the Kiev government raises the alarm about a possible attack by Belarus. A case, then, opens relating to the presence of pathogens (agenti patogeni) in Ukrainian facilities with Moscow denouncing the presence of chemical weapons (armi chimiche) in the country. The European Union will double (raddoppierà) its military support and is preparing to launch new sanctions while Putin “activates” 16 thousand volunteers from the Middle East.
Saturday, 12 March 2022
The threat (la minaccia) has moved west as Moscow’s troops get closer and closer to Kiev. The tension between Russia and the West is also once again involving space: the president of the Roscosmos space agency (agenzia spaziale) says that sanctions against the country could cause the fall of the ISS (International Space Station, stazione spaziale internazionale). Phone call between Macron, Scholz and Putin: the European leaders call for a ceasefire (chiedono un cessate il fuoco). The Ukranian President Zelensky trusts in the mediation of the Israeli Prime Minister Bennett and points to a new negotiation in Jerusalem.
Sunday, 13 March 2022
Russia hit a military base on the border with Poland. An American videographer who had previously collaborated with the New York Times was killed in Irpin, north of Kiev. Reassuring signals from the Chernobyl power plant. According to the Ukranian state company, the supply of electricity to the plant would be regular. On the negotiating front, tomorrow new videoconference talks between the two countries will take place. The Italian ambassador raises the alarm for the tranded compatriots (connazionali bloccati).
Monday, 14 March 2022
More than 2.8 million people fled (sono scappate) Ukraine after the Russian invasion. As to the negotiations, the parties remain firm on “their specific positions”. The Financial Times reported that the US had alerted allies to Beijing’s possible military support to Moscow. On the ground, meanwhile, some cars leave the besieged (assediata) Mariupol, where, however, humanitarian aid is unable to arrive due to Russian fire. A bombing hit an Antonov aircraft production center and a residential area in Kiev. The pregnant woman who was injured in the Mariupol hospital attack died.
Tuesday, 15 March 2022
In Mariupol, 400 patients and hospital health workers are hostages of the Russians, according to the report of local authorities. The deputy mayor (il vice sindaco), Sergei Orlov, tells CNN that “there are a lot of clashes on our streets and the situation is terrible (ci sono un sacco di scontri per le nostre strade e la situazione è terribile). Sirens are sounding again in all cities of Ukraine to announce the air alert, the Armed Forces invite all citizens to urgently reach the shelters (rifugi) of the civil protection. The explosions, at least three, in a residential area, caused four deaths and about thirty wounded (feriti). The Russian Defense announces the capture of the entire Kerson region. On the ground there are new victims among the reporters.
Wednesday, 16 March 2022
The US President, Joe Biden, promises new military aid to Ukraine and he branded Putin as a war criminal. “Unacceptable words,” they Kremlin replies. In Mariupol, attacks on civilians are multiplying: a theater converted into a shelter for hundreds of civilians and a swimming pool with pregnant women and children are bombed (bombardati un teatro convertito in rifugio per centinaia di civili e una piscina con donne incinte e bambini). On the road to negotiations, a series of points under discussion between Russia and Ukraine are emerging, including the neutral status of Kiev and the required security guarantees, points that “are about to be agreed”( punti che stanno per essere concordati). The Pope also intervenes on the war in a videoconference conversation with the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill: “We cannot speak of a just war”, the Pope says (non si può parlare di guerra giusta, sostiene il Papa). At least ten civilians were killed north of Kiev: they were queuing for bread (erano in coda per il pane).
Thursday, 17 March 2022
The Ukrainian president: “The world recognizes Russia as a terrorist state” (Il mondo riconosca la Russia come Stato terrorista). The White House announces: tomorrow phone call between Biden and Xi Jinping, among the topics the Ukrainian crisis and competition with China. One dead and three wounded caused by a missile in Kiev. The US: ready to supply drones to Ukraine. For Britain, the bombing of the Mariupol theatre was “a deliberate attack on civilians by Russian jets”(un attacco deliberato ai civili dai jet russi.) The deputy mayor: there is not a single intact building left in the city. Diplomatic corridors (corridoi diplomatici) are open, but Ukraine remains at the center of a violent attack by Russia. The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, was freed in exchange for 9 Russian soldiers.