Once a day, NU.nl gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: in the east of the country, the fighting continues and the city of Zaporizhzhia in particular has come under fire. About 200 kilometers away, the port of Mariupol can be reached again, according to the Russians.
The intensifying fighting in the east of the country was mainly reflected in Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday. The city was bombarded with rockets in the morning. According to local authorities, four Russian ballistic missiles were fired. Those would have hit a factory where engines are made and a train station.
The exact damage is not yet known. It is also not clear whether there have been any casualties.
There was also a lot of fighting in the Luhansk region on Wednesday. For example, regional governor Sergiy Gaidai said that the city of Severodonetsk was being bombarded with rockets.
Port Mariupol reachable again according to Russians
According to the Russians, the port of Mariupol is usable again. They claim to have cleared the harbor in the recently captured city of “thousands of explosive objects and sunken vessels”.
The port is said to be fully operational again, but that has not yet been independently confirmed. The Kremlin does say that the first ships can leave the port again.
Putin visits wounded soldiers
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly visited military personnel for the first time. Images released by Russia show him visiting a hospital in Moscow. Putin wore a doctor’s coat during the visit and shook hands with several employees and soldiers. He also spoke to a wounded soldier about his baby and said he would be proud of his father.
Russian television showed only a very brief picture of the visit. It would be Putin’s first visit to wounded soldiers in three months.
Maximum age for Russian soldiers removed
On the day of Putin’s visit to the hospital, the Russian State Duma has decided to scrap the age limit for military personnel. It is now also possible for Russians over the age of 40 to join the army.
Russia itself says it is taking that step so that the army can use the skills of the older Russians. However, experts think that Russia is struggling with staff shortages due to the war in Ukraine. Many Russian soldiers would have been killed in this, but it is unclear how many there are exactly.
Putin still has to sign the law, but that is mainly a formality.
Zelensky only wants to negotiate directly with Putin
While fighting continues in Ukraine, peace negotiations with Russia have long stalled. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said via video link at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that he only wants to talk directly with Putin about peace.
If Putin “sees the reality”, the Ukrainian president says they could find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Then Moscow must first withdraw its troops to the front lines before the Russian invasion of 24 February. “That would be a first step towards negotiations.”
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