Day 22 of Putin's war. Russians attack Kyiv, Chernihiv, loot houses of locals in Sumy Oblast
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been going on for over three weeks. Today, March 17th, is the 22nd day of Putin's war. The U.S. President Joe Biden has publicly called Putin a war criminal for the first time.
UPDATE (1548): Hollywood action movie star and
politician Arnold Schwarzenegger has released a heartfelt plea to Russian
soldiers and civilians to challenge the disinformation and propaganda of the
Putin regime. In a video over nine minutes long tweeted by the star, he tells
of his fondness for the Russian people, and speaks of the pain and damage done
by Nazi propaganda to his own father, who fought for the Nazis against the
Russians. “This is an illegal war,” Schwarzenegger says, addressing invading Russian
soldiers in Ukraine. “Your lives, your limbs, your futures are being sacrificed
for a senseless war condemned by the entire world.”
UPDATE (1505): Is the Putin dictatorship looking for
scapegoats? Bellingcat open-source investigator Christo Grozev says he has three
separate sources telling him that Russia’s FSB, the successor to the infamous
Soviet KGB, has detained Russia's Deputy Chief of Staff, General Roman
Gavrilov. Gavrilov also previously worked for the FSO, Russian dictator Vladimir
Putin's security service. Grozev said the reason for the detention was uncertain:
According to one source, the FSB's military counterintelligence department
detained the general for "leaking military information, causing deaths,"
while the two others said it was for "wasting fuel."
UPDATE (1224): Over almost two days of strict curfew,
several Russian sabotage groups were detained in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, adviser
to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vadym Denisenko said on
Ukrainian television on March 17.
"We detained sabotage groups both in Kyiv and in Kyiv Oblast,” Denisenko said. “They were all neutralized. As a result, the situation in Kyiv and in the territories we control in the oblast is relatively stable and fully under control. Therefore, given that, I believe that the curfew worked.”
UPDATE (1214): Ukraine’s Armed Forces have released
a video of a street battle with Russian tanks in the besieged Ukrainian port
city of Mariupol. Upon entering the city, armored vehicles of the Russian Armed
Forces were ambushed by soldiers of the Azov Regiment and were completely
destroyed, Ukraine’s army said.
UPDATE (1130): The Lithuanian Seimas (parliament) on March 17 unanimously adopted a resolution asking the United Nations to impose a
no-fly zone over Ukraine.
UPDATE (1110): The losses of the Russian Federation
in Ukraine have reached 14,000 soldiers and almost 1,500 armored combat
vehicles, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on March 17
– day 22 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The updated total combat losses of the enemy since
the beginning of the invasion are as follows:
personnel - about 14,000;
tanks – 444;
armored combat vehicles – 1,435;
artillery systems – 201;
Multiple rocket launcher systems – 72;
air defense systems – 43;
warplanes – 86;
helicopters – 108;
cars and trucks – 864;
ships / boats – 3;
fuel tankers – 60;
UAVs of operational and tactical level – 11;
special equipment – 10.
UPDATE (1057): Nearly all of the buildings in
Mariupol have been damaged or destroyed, the city’s deputy mayor, Serhiy Orlov told
Forbes. "I think 80-90% (of the buildings) have been bombed. No building
is undamaged. It is either destroyed or damaged," Orlov said.
Summary, as Day 22 of Putin's war on Ukraine begins:
Russia continues to commit numerous war crimes in Ukraine. Mariupol remains its main target for attacks. On March 16 Russian forces dropped a bomb onto Mariupol Drama Theater, where hundreds of civilians were hiding. Russian shelling killed 53 people in Chernihiv during the last 24 hours only, local governor Viacheslav Chaus reported on March 17. "We are having huge loses. The enemy continues shelling civilian and critical infrastructure in our city. Yet the invaders haven't managed to break our defense," Chaus said in a statement.
Early morning debris of a Russian missile damaged two residential buildings in Darnitsky district of Kyiv, Kyiv City Council has reported. "One person died. At least four people were injured," Kyiv authorities said.
Despite the ongoing attacks Kyivans are allowed to go out again as the 35-hour curfew imposed on March 15 is over.
Ukraine's Army General Staff has reported Russian army has already lost 14,000 soldiers in Ukraine, more than 86 aircrafts, 444 tanks, 108 helicopters and more than 1,400 items of other different military vehicles.
Meanwhile Sumy Oblast governor Dmytro Zhyvytskiy has reported Russian looting in the region has reached cosmic level. "Using the fact that Sumy oblast had no humanitarian corridors on March 16 Russian soldiers started throwing people out of their houses, robbing, looting. They take away food from civilians and kill their farm animals and birds to feed themselves," Zhyvytskiy said.
More than 120 children were injured and 108 died in Ukraine since the start of Russian invasion on Feb.24, Prosecutor's General Office of Ukraine has said in an official statement.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
