Day 7 Close: Russia Continues to Strike Key Cities, UN Condemns Invasion

Facts

• Russia continued shelling Kharkiv throughout Wed., with at least 21 killed and 112 injured in the last 24hrs. Troops may soon launch a ground offensive to seize the city, though Mayor Terekhov says at this time it's still under Ukrainian control.¹
• Kyiv also suffered attacks throughout the day and Russia apparently continues an attempt to encircle the capital. A convoy of military vehicles just North of the city is reportedly still stalled, but Mayor Klitschko has warned Russian troops are getting 'closer and closer' and that it's too late for evacuation.²
• Meanwhile, the strategically valuable Mariupol is reportedly 'near to a humanitarian catastrophe' after 15 hrs of continuous bombardment on Wed. The city appears to be surrounded by Russian troops and there are hundreds of reported deaths.³
• Russia has also claimed to have taken control of strategically significant city Kherson in southern Ukraine. Authorities have contradicted this, but Mayor Nikolayev confirmed that troops have entered the city. He has requested safe passage to remove the dead and wounded, and said the city is 'waiting for a miracle'.⁴
• Ukraine' has reported nearly 2k civilian deaths, whilst upwards of 680k people have fled Ukraine according to the UN. Russia has acknowledged nearly 500 soldiers killed, though Ukraine put the figure at nearly 6k.⁵
• Meanwhile, the UN voted 141 to 5 on Wed. to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, this is largely just a symbolic rebuke, and is unlikely to change the course of the war.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²ISW, ³BBC News, ⁴CNN, ⁵Guardian and ⁶Wall Street Journal.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by BBC News. This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after a fraudulent election a 'coup'. This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to re-write history.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by National Security Archive. NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.