The twenty-first day of the war against the Russian occupiers continues in Ukraine. The major developments of that day were the shelling during the evacuation of Mariupol and the shelling of the gas distribution network in Lysychansk. At the same time, the invaders dropped a bomb on the Drama Theater in Mariupol.
Shelling of autocade with refugees in Mariupol
The military of the Russian Federation fired at a autocade with refugees heading from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. It is known about five wounded, of which one child is in serious condition. There are no reports of deaths.
"Today, at about 15:30, Russian invaders fired on a column of civilians who were evacuated from the city of Mariupol to the city of Zaporizhzhia from the BM-21 Grad MLRS. According to preliminary information, there are casualties. There are children among the injured and wounded. The number of victims is being specified," the General Staff said in a statement.
At the same time, almost 4,400 people arrived from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, of which more than 1,000 were children.
Invaders use hospital as a firing position
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Russian invaders in Mariupol had herded residents to the regional hospital and were using it as a firing position.
"In Mariupol, the invaders seized a hospital. Regional hospital for intensive care. It has already been damaged by Russian bombs. Patients and doctors are in captivity. The residents of neighboring houses were also herded inside. Over 400 hostages! And the invaders are using the hospital as a firing position to shell the city," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Wednesday.
Russian troops destroyed Drama Theater in Mariupol
The Russians dropped a heavy bomb in Mariupol right on the Drama Theater in the city center. At that time, more than a thousand local residents were hiding in the cellars there.
At the same time, the invaders continued shelling, which is why rescuers cannot dismantle the rubble and save people.
"The aircraft dropped a bomb on a building where hundreds of Mariupol civilians were hiding. It is still impossible to assess the scale of this terrible and inhuman act, because shelling of residential areas continues in the city. It is known that after the bombing, the central part of the Drama Theater collapsed, and the entrance to the bomb shelter was blocked by debris. Information about the victims is being specified," the Mariupol City Council said in a statement.
The invaders also dropped another air bomb on the pool Neptune. The house served as a shelter for pregnant women and mothers with children under the age of 3. One pregnant woman is blocked by debris. Rescuers are trying to get her out.
Lysychansk is left without gas supply
Over the shelling on the night of March 16, Lysychansk (Luhansk region) was left without gas supply over the damaged distribution networks.
"Night shelling damaged the gas distribution networks in front of the main gas distribution point of the city. Lysychanskgaz (a subdivision of Luhanskgaz) has decided to cut off gas networks," the GTS Operator of Ukraine said in a statement.
According to it, at 13:00 Wednesday due to hostilities as a result of military aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the work of 38 out of 1,389 gas distribution stations (GDS) was halted.
So far, gas supply has not been resumed for consumers in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions that received gas through these stations.
Victims after shelling in Chernihiv
Rescuers found the bodies of five dead, including three children, while dismantling the structures of a dormitory in Chernihiv after shelling by Russian invaders, the State Emergency Service reported.
"As of 19:00, units of the State Emergency Service in the Chernihiv region were involved seven times in extinguishing fires, four more times to provide assistance as a result of shelling of residential buildings and infrastructure facilities. During the dismantling of the dormitory structures in Chernihiv, rescuers found the bodies of five dead, including three children," the report reads.
In addition, the pyrotechnical and underwater demining teams seized two explosive items.
Context
- Previously, we posted the foreign media digest as of March 16 that reports about Zelenskyy's address to the US Congress and the Kremlin's demands for Ukraine.
- We also provided up-to-date information about the situation in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion that lasts 21 days.
- In addition, we provided reports from the Ukrainian armed forces on enemy losses in the war with Ukraine as of March 16, 2022.
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