18/3/2022–|Last update: 3/18/202203:40 AM (Mecca)
As Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its fourth week, British military intelligence has confirmed that Russian operations have largely halted on all fronts in Ukraine, while Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that Russian forces are besieging the capital from the north.
In addition to British intelligence statements, an American official confirmed to Al Jazeera that the Russian forces had not made any tangible progress towards Kyiv in the last hours.
For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced the downing of 5 Russian planes, 3 helicopters, and two drones, and the killing of two Russian pilots, it said.
The Ukrainian General Staff also announced that Russian forces are besieging areas north of the capital, Kyiv.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces destroyed 11 Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile systems in one day, and Moscow said that the Russian army had destroyed dozens of Ukrainian military facilities, and that it controlled several regions.
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that a large fire broke out as a result of the Russian bombing of the Svyatoshinsky district, 10 kilometers from the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Emergencies Service stated that firefighting teams were having difficulty reaching the area of the fire in Svyatoshinsky due to the Russian bombing.
In this context, the United Nations expressed its concern for the safety of civilians trapped inside Ukrainian cities, while the International Committee of the Red Cross called for the provision of safe corridors.
As for Human Rights Watch, it accused the Russian forces of repeatedly using cluster bombs in the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, which may amount – according to its description – to the level of war crimes.
Here are the latest developments on the 23rd day of this war:
38 minutes ago
NBC (NBC) on the Pentagon official: Russia is able to control the city of Izyum in eastern Ukraine and can continue to advance south.
40 minutes ago
Reuters from the Dutch Central Bank: More than 200 million euros of Russian assets in the Netherlands have been frozen as part of the sanctions.