Natalia Zinets, Gleb Garanich

MARIUPOL/LVIV (Ukraine) – Russian forces took control of a village where Chernobyl workers live. The governor of Kyiv said that fighting had been reported on the streets in Mariupol’s southern port.

Russia is still unable to take any Ukrainian cities after four weeks of war. Moscow also signalled that on Friday it will reduce its military ambitions, focusing instead on eastern territory seized by Russian-backed separatists.

There was intense fighting in several places Saturday. This suggests that there will not be a quick end to the conflict which has already killed thousands, sent 3.7 million people abroad, and driven over half the children of Ukraine from their homes according the United Nations.

Russian troops took the Slavutych town, close to Belarus’ border. This is also where Chernobyl employees live. Oleksandr Palyuk, governor of Kyiv, stated that the Russians had taken the Slavutych.

He stated that the soldiers had invaded the hospital, and the mayor was kidnapped by them. Reuters couldn’t independently verify these reports.

Slavutych lies just outside the exclusion zone surrounding Chernobyl, which was where in 1986 there was the most severe nuclear catastrophe. The area was also the location of the first invasion by Russia on February 24th.

The other half of the country was Mariupol where Mayor Vadym Borichenko stated that the situation therein was still critical. There is street fighting in the middle.

Moscow’s fire damaged the city for weeks.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, made a comparison between the destruction at Mariupol and the damage inflicted by Russian-Syrian forces during the civil war.

Zelenskiy stated that “they are destroying our port” and warned of serious consequences if Ukraine – one the largest producers of grains in the world – cannot export its food products. Countries around the globe will suffer if Ukraine does not export its goods.

Video link: He also called for energy producers countries to boost their output to ensure Russia does not use its huge oil and gas resources to “blackmail” others.

NEW RUSSIAN GOALS

Late Friday, Zelenskiy demanded further negotiations with Moscow. The Russian Defence Ministry had said that the first phase was almost complete. It stated that the operation would now concentrate on the Donbass area bordering Russia. This region has pro-Moscow separatists enclaves.

Ukrainian forces fighting in Donbass have been fought by rebel Russian-backed units since 2014.

Analysts believe that redefining Russia’s goals could make it more easy for President Vladimir Putin, to win a victory.

Moscow said that it has stated its intentions for “special military operations” to demilitarize and “denazify” the neighbor. This is what the West allies and Ukraine have called a baseless excuse for an unprovoked invasion.

According to the White House, Saturday’s address by President Joe Biden will be a significant one. It is expected that he will stress the West’s resolve to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable in the conflict.

Biden is in Poland to meet with many of those fleeing the violence.

While the United Nations confirms 1,081 deaths in civilian areas and 1,707 injuries since the invasion of Ukraine, the actual toll could be much higher. According to the Ukraine’s prosecutor, 136 children were killed in the conflict.

According to Interfax, Russia’s defense ministry reported Friday that 1,351 Russian soldiers were killed and 3,825 injured. Ukraine reports that 15,000 Russian soldiers were killed. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claims.

LAID WASTE

Mariupol was home to over 400,000 before World War II. Footage showed burned out buildings and vehicles, and survivors who were shell-shocked, running for food and water. As the ground freezes, residents have placed bodies in temporary graves.

Iryna Veselchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minster, stated that it was possible to establish 10 humanitarian corridors Saturday for evacuation of civilians from hotspots at the front.

On national television she stated that civilians attempting to flee Mariupol will need to use private vehicles as Russian forces are not permitting buses to pass their checkpoints. This information could not be independently verified by Reuters.

Vereshchuk indicated that Mariupol still needs to evacuate more than 100,000 people.

North, the battle lines surrounding the capital Kyiv are frozen. There are two major Russian armored columns that remain northwest and south of the city.

On Saturday, a British intelligence document stated that Russian forces were using indiscriminate artillery and air bombardments to counter large-scale military operations.

The latest British assessment stated that Russia “is likely to continue using its heavy firepower against urban areas in order to limit its losses already significant, at the price of additional civilian casualties.”