Dispatches from Ukraine, provided by Forbes Ukraine’s editorial team.
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes Ukraine’s reporters will continue to gather information and provide updates on the situation. We will be sharing them here as they come. Live coverage from Forbes Ukraine’s site can be found here.
March 8, Tuesday. Day 13.
11a.m. EST/6p.m. Kyiv time. By Daryna Antoniuk
Regional
The evacuation of civilians from Mariupol failed for the third time because of continued Russian attacks. Nearly 300,000 civilians are still stuck in Mariupol, while 8 trucks and 30 buses are ready to deliver humanitarian aid to the city and to evacuate its citizens to the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Civilians in Mariupol don’t have food, water, electricity or heat. Volunteers cannot reach Mariupol to save people. A 6 year-old girl died of dehydration there.
The Russian military killed 21 civilians, including 2 children, in the northeastern city of Sumy. Russia bombed a residential neighborhood in Sumy in the early morning of March 8. Residents of Sumy have been evacuating from the city by private vehicles and by buses.
Citizens of Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Makariv, Borodianka and Vorzel near Kyiv have been forced to stay in bomb shelters for days without water and food as fighting continues there.
Russian troops do not allow volunteers to provide humanitarian aid and will not guarantee a ceasefire. They continue to accumulate troops and equipment near Kyiv, shelling residential areas and infrastructure.
Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said he has received threats demanding he surrender the city to Russian forces. “But Irpin does not surrender, Irpin is not for sale, Irpin is fighting!" Markushyn wrote on Telegram on March 8.
Over 600,000 people were evacuated by railways from Kharkiv. In recent days, Russian troops have severely shelled the city, destroying its historical buildings and residential quarters. The city is still under Ukraine’s control.
National
The Russian war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of 41 children since Feb. 24; about 76 children have been injured.
Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych called on Volodymyr Zelensky to stop fighting, “overcome his pride” and stop the war at any cost. Yanukovych fled Ukraine in February 2014, days after a mass shooting of protesters by his security forces during the Euromaidan Revolution. Since his ouster he has resided in Russia.
As of 9 a.m. Kyiv time on March 8, Ukraine’s military has killed about 12,000 Russian troops, destroyed 1,036 armored personnel carriers, 474 vehicles, 303 tanks, 120 artillery systems, 60 fuel tanks, 56 multiple launch rocket systems, 80 helicopters, 48 aircraft, 27 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 7 unmanned aerial vehicles, and 3 boats.
Over 2 million people have left Ukraine in the last 12 days in search of security, food, and assistance.
