Developments in the conflict. On 1st March Russian Federation forces aimed at encircling and besieging three of Ukraine’s largest cities: Chernihiv, Mariupol, and Kherson. The threat of an offensive by mechanised infantry brigades on Kyiv remains—some of these columns are being relocated to the south (presumably in order to enter the city from the Zhytomyr highway) although at present the Ukrainian army is resisting their entrance to the capital. A leader of the military administration in Kyiv has been appointed, working together with the head of the Kyiv City State Administration. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have repelled some advances of military columns. Notably, a Ukrainian “Point-U” (Tochka-U) missile struck Berdiansk airport where Russian hardware had been gathered en masse. The first prisoner exchange took place today in the Sumy Region (five Ukrainians for one Russian officer). The conflict has been internationalised through the introduction of units of the Belarusian armed forces into combat. Russian troops have hit the Kyiv TV tower. Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial complex is located near to the TV tower and this has also suffered significant damage due to the rocket attack.
Actions have been committed that may constitute war crimes. These can be grouped into several categories: indiscriminate rocket attacks on large cities, in particular, on the central districts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson; precision strikes on basic life-sustaining infrastructure (utilities, power plants, water supply). As a result of a Russian Federation air strike on Freedom Square in Kharkiv today, at least six people were injured, including one child—the death toll is being determined. In Kherson the Russian military fired at a fire truck which was going to extinguish a fire in the “Fabryka” shopping and entertainment centre building.
Information sphere. Due to the hit on the TV tower, broadcasting has been partially suspended, limiting the dissemination of information to Ukrainians in many regions. The TV tower is located next to densely populated neighbourhoods in Kyiv.
