On Sunday, the Russian military launched a barrage of missiles at a Ukrainian military base 24 kilometres away from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Poland’s border, killing 35 and injuring 134, according to Ukrainian officials.
The attack took place at the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv, a city located in the Lviv Oblast region of western Ukraine. The Governor of Lviv, Maksym Kozytskyy, said that the Russian forces launched about 30 cruise missiles but most of them “were shot down because the air defence system worked.”
Ukraine plans to try evacuating civilians through 10 humanitarian corridors on Monday, including from towns near Kyiv.
— DW News (@dwnews) March 14, 2022
It will also attempt to deliver humanitarian supplies to besieged Mariupol, said the deputy prime minister, where 2,500 residents were reportedly killed so far. pic.twitter.com/WSO8qfJKPh
Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov claimed the facility was a “training centre for foreign mercenaries” and a storage facility for foreign military aid sent to Ukraine. Contrary to Ukraine’s claims about the death toll and injuries from the strike on Yavoriv, Konashenkov claimed that Russia’s high-precision strike had killed up to 180 foreign mercenaries and “a large amount of foreign weapons.”
One day before the attack, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned that the Kremlin considered American weapons convoys to Ukraine as “legitimate targets.” He also accused the United States (US) of furthering the conflict in Ukraine, calling Washington’s policy in Kyiv the “source of the maximum escalation.”
Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian military base in Yavoriv near the border with NATO member Poland, in what appeared to be the westernmost attack of the war as intense fighting was reported elsewhere https://t.co/LUCMeicBfI pic.twitter.com/nomDvy05B4
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 13, 2022
In the past, Yavoriv has been the site of NATO military drills and is the western-most site to have been attacked by Russia. Currently, Ukraine’s border with NATO-member Poland serves as the primary point of contact for the supply of Western military and humanitarian aid to the country.
The Russian military also targeted an airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, near NATO members Romania and Hungary.
Elsewhere, heavy fighting between the Ukrainian forces and Russians continued on various fronts. Chernihiv and Irpin, cities near Kyiv, reported heavy shelling as Russian forces continued their effort to enclose the capital. Kyiv authorities said they were beginning to stockpile food for the current population of two million residing in the city.
‘Everyday they have to scramble to find something to survive on’
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) March 14, 2022
Martin Schüepp from the International Committee of the Red Cross tells #BBCBreakfast about the situation facing residents in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol https://t.co/ZuvxFyLI2j pic.twitter.com/3fhBlY6c5H
Similarly, Russian forces tried to surround the southern port city of Mariupol and Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv. The city council of Mariupol noted that since the onset of Russia’s war, 2,187 residents have lost their lives. According to Reuters, Kharkiv experienced some of the most severe bombing.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russia to engage in negotiations as authorities evacuated more than 130,000 people from the humanitarian corridors set up in Kyiv and Luhansk regions. However, Zelensky pointed out that Russian troops had disrupted the humanitarian corridor in Mariupol.
⚡️Ukrainian, Russian delegations to restart negotiations via video conference at 10:30 a.m. Kyiv time.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 14, 2022
Source: Interior Ministry advisor Anton Gerashchenko, citing member of the Ukrainian delegation David Arakhamia.
Both Russia and Ukraine have indicated an interest in holding more diplomatic talks. Leonid Slutsky, a senior member of Russia’s negotiating team, pointed out that the Kremlin has noted “considerable progress” in peace talks. In a similar vein, leader of the Ukrainian delegation and presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that the two sides could reach a consensus “literally in a matter of days.”