Ukraine war: 'Cruel' school attack and humanitarian fears come ahead of Ukraine-Russia talks in Turkey
Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko says the city must be entirely evacuated - but he adds that Russian forces have not agreed to give trapped civilians safe passage out of the area.
Monday 28 March 2022 18:13, UK
A "very cruel" missile attack on a school in Kharkiv and warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol have come ahead of talks between Ukraine and Russia amid little hope of a breakthrough on the main issues.
Residents in Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv have been clearing debris from the premises of a school which was said to have been targeted by Russian forces. There were no reports of injuries.
One resident, Oleksandr, said: "This is a civilian structure - it is a school. They have not been able to take the city, so they decided to destroy it. Just like the fascists did.
Putin's forces 'withdrawing from some areas' - follow live updates
"But what the Russians do now … not even the fascists did things like this. This is very cruel - it is pointless. It doesn't make any sense.
"What has the school done wrong? What have the children done wrong? What have I done wrong?"
It came as Russia and Ukraine were due to hold talks in Turkey on Tuesday - although Ukrainian officials played down the chances of a major breakthrough.
Key developments in the Ukraine war:
• Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators 'suffered symptoms of suspected chemical weapons
• ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y willing to consider declaring neutrality and offer security guarantees to Russia
• Kremlin says Biden's comments on Putin are 'alarming'
• Fears Russia is trying to split Ukraine into two
• Heineken and Carlsberg exit Russia
There was also a warning from the mayor of the southern port city of Mariupol who said the area was on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe with 160,000 civilians trapped.
Vadym Boychenko said the city must be entirely evacuated and that 26 buses were waiting to begin transporting people away from the area.
But he said Russian forces had not agreed to give them safe passage, claiming they were "playing with us".
'We are in the hands of the invaders'
Mr Boychenko said people were trapped in Mariupol without any heat and power after weeks of Russian bombardment.
He said on national television: "The situation in the city remains difficult. People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe.
"We need to completely evacuate Mariupol. The Russian Federation is playing with us. We are in the hands of the invaders."
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine would not open any humanitarian corridors on Monday because of "public safety" fears about possible Russian "provocations".
It comes as Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said Russian forces were regrouping but were unable to make any significant advances in the country.
'The enemy is regrouping its forces'
She said Russian forces were trying to reinforce positions they already hold and were attempting to break through the defences of Kyiv - but claimed they had no hope of capturing the capital.
"As of today, the enemy is regrouping its forces, but they cannot advance anywhere in Ukraine," she said.
Will Putin budge to ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y's offer?
Trying to appear magnanimous in resistance, President Volodymyr ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y used this interview with Russian journalists to tell Vladimir Putin: I know you know you have made a terrible mistake, but I am offering you a way out.
We have heard a lot about off-ramps in this war.
President ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y just offered Vladimir Putin a clutch of them to mull over if he wants to exit this disastrous conflict.
First and foremost neutrality.
The Ukrainian president has mulled declaring his country neutral in the past. He is not the first.
UK military intelligence said Russia had gained more ground in Mariupol amid heavy fighting but that its forces had not made any major advances in the country.
The UK Ministry of Defence said poor morale and a lack of momentum had compounded the problems facing Russian forces - alongside "aggressive" resistance by the Ukrainians.
Heavy fighting continues around Mariupol as Russian forces try to capture the port on the Sea of Azov, which connects to the Black Sea, the ministry added.
Mariupol normally has a population of about 400,000 and is widely seen as a strategic prize for Russia to create a bridge between Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and two separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine.
'Russia's might' could 'wear down' the Ukrainians
The former head of the British army told Sky News "Russia's might" will likely "wear down" the Ukrainians - and that Mariupol "will probably fall at some point".
Speaking to Kay Burley, General Lord Richard Dannatt said: "We understand that the Russians say they are going to focus on the Donbas region.
"That's understandable given that they've been fighting there since 2014 and given that those two Donbas provinces have got a very heavy Russian-speaking and Russian-minded population.
"So, in a sense, it's unsurprising that they're now focusing back where they started, really, in the Donbas area.
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"But here's the awkward one - what about this land link that they've now pretty much established between Crimea through Mariupol, which will probably fall at some point, through to the Donbas? So they've got their land link from Crimea through to Russia.
"How much is ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y going to be prepared to give up? How much will Putin demands that he achieves? I think these are the issues for negotiation."
He added the number of Russian senior commanders killed on the battlefield "could be as many as 20" and said: "The performance, as we know, of the Russian military right across the piece has been very poor."
Despite this, he added: "Eventually Russia's might - which is greater than the Ukrainians', even though Ukraine is supported by the West - over time the big battalions may well wear down the Ukrainian military.
"So it is in ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y's interests, while his forces are doing pretty well on the battlefield, to try and get the best deal that he can.
"My fear is that in the medium to long term, ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y's position will weaken, Putin's position will strengthen."
Meanwhile, European Union judicial coordination agency Eurojust says it has helped Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine to establish a joint investigation team to probe war crimes and other atrocities against humanity in Ukraine.
The Hague-based agency said on Monday the team will help the three nations cooperate with the International Criminal Court prosecution office, which has also opened an investigation.