During diplomatic talks with Ukraine, the head of Russia’s delegation said that the sides had narrowed their differences. According to the Ukrainian side, its position remains unchanged.
Russia’s invasion has sparked a wave of antiwar protests. The Moscow rally was suspected to be a Kremlin-manufactured display patrioticism. Telegram channels that are critical of the Kremlin report that employees and students of various state institutions were directed by their superiors, to attend concerts and rallies marking the eighth anniversary Moscow’s annexation Crimea. The Crimea was seized from Ukraine. These reports were not independently verified.
Russian troops continued to fire lethal fire at Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, the capital. They also pounded an aircraft repair facility on the outskirts Lviv, near the Polish border. Late Friday, Ukrainian officials stated that Mariupol, the southern port city under siege, had lost access to the Azov sea and that Russian forces were still trying storm the city. It was not clear if they had taken it.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, stated that Russian forces have been blocking the biggest cities in order to cause a “humanitarian disaster” and to persuade Ukrainians to cooperate. According to him, the Russians blockade cities in central and southern Ukraine to prevent supplies from reaching them.
Zelenskyy stated that “this is a totally deliberate tactic” in his nighttime address to the nation. He recorded the address outside Kyiv with the presidential office behind him.
Putin made a rare public appearance since the beginning of the war and he expressed his admiration for Russian troops. He added, “We haven’t had unity like that for a long while,” to the cheers of the crowd.
Moscow police reported that more than 200,000 people were present at the Luzhniki stadium. The event featured patriotic songs, including “Made In the U.S.S.R.” with the opening line “Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus, and Moldova, it’s all my country!”
Putin tried to make the war seem just by paraphrasing the Bible to describe Russia’s troops. He said: “There is no greater love that giving one’s soul to one’s friends.”
Putin took to the podium where a sign said “For a World without Nazism,” and railed against his enemies in Ukraine, making the baseless claim they were “neo Nazis.” Leaders around the world rejected this idea.
The event’s video feeds were cut at times, but they showed a cheering crowd that broke into “Russia!”
Putin’s appearance was a departure from his isolation in recent weeks. In those weeks, he was shown meeting with world leaders or his staff at long tables or via videoconference.
The Kremlin has taken a tougher stance against dissent in the aftermath of the invasion. They have arrested thousands of protestors, banned sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as issued harsh prison sentences for false reporting about the war. This is what Moscow calls a “special military operations.”
The rights group OVD-Info, which monitors political arrests, reported that at most seven independent journalists were detained prior to or during coverage of the anniversary events in Moscow/St. Petersburg.
Three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station Friday wearing bright yellow flight suits and blue accents that matched the colors of Ukraine’s flag high above the conflict. One of the cosmonauts was seen in a blue flight suit as the capsule prepared for docking with the space station. It is not clear what message, if any the yellow uniforms intended to convey.
Oleg Artemyev, cosmonaut, was asked about yellow suits. He said that every crew selects its suits and they had lots of yellow material. “That’s why we had yellow.”
Many people have shown solidarity with Ukraine since the beginning of the war by using the flag and colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Putin spoke for five minutes backstage in Moscow wearing a white turtleneck, a blue down jacket, and a white turtleneck. T-shirts and jackets bearing the “Z” symbol were worn by some people at the event, including the presenters. This symbol is seen on Russian tanks in Ukraine and was embraced by those who support the war.
Putin’s quotations of the Bible, and of an 18th-century Russian admiral are a reflection on his growing focus in recent years upon history and religion as binding factors in Russia’s postSoviet society. His characterization of his enemies in Nazist form evoked the best hour of Russian history , the defense of their motherland from Germany during World War II.
Vladimir Medinsky, the Russian negotiator who led several rounds of negotiations with Ukraine, stated that both sides had moved closer to an agreement on Ukraine’s decision to drop its bid for NATO membership and to adopt a neutral status.
Medinsky stated that “that is the issue where both parties have made their position maximally close.” He spoke to Russian media. Medinsky said that both sides were now “halfway” in their discussions on the demilitarization and integration of Ukraine.
Mikhailo Polyak, Zelenskyy’s adviser, described the Russian assessment as “to provoke tension within the media.” He tweeted: “Our positions remain unchanged. “Ceasefire, withdrawal from troops and strong security guarantees with concrete formulas.”
Zelenskyy appealed again to Putin to have direct talks. He said, “It’s the right time to meet, it’s time for us to talk.” “I want everyone to hear me, especially in Moscow.”
Other developments included the U.S. President Joe Biden speaking for almost two hours with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to try and deter Beijing’s offer of military or economic aid for Russia’s invasion.
One person was killed in the missile strike near Lviv earlier Friday. Satellite photos revealed that the strike damaged two buildings and destroyed a repair hangar. Ukraine claimed it had destroyed two of the six missiles that were fired from the Black Sea.
The attack in the early morning was the closest to Lviv’s center. This is a crucial intersection for those fleeing other parts of Ukraine as well as for those who are trying to enter to aid or fight. The city has seen an increase in population of around 200,000 due to the war.
Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine’s defenses are stronger than expected and Russia “didn’t know what defenses we had or how we would respond to the blow.”
British Chief of Defense Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Jim Hockenhull, warned that Russian forces have shifted to a strategy of attrition after failing to seize major cities in Ukraine. This will involve “reckless” and “indiscriminate” use of firepower. This will lead to higher civilian casualties and worsening humanitarian crises.
Hospitals, schools, and other buildings that provide safety were attacked in every city in Ukraine. Rescue workers continued to search for survivors among the rubble of a theater being used as a shelter after it was hit by a Russian bomb Wednesday in Mariupol.
Ludmyla Daniisova, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Human Rights Commissioner, stated that at least 130 people survived the theater bombing.
Denisova stated that “But according to data, there are still over 1,300 people inside these basements, within this bomb shelter.” “We pray they all live, but there is not much information.”
On Friday, satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed that Mariupol was flooded with cars as people attempted to evacuate.
A residential building in Kyiv’s Podil neighborhood was also struck by early morning barrages. At least one person was killed, according to emergency services. 98 people were evacuated from that building. Vitali Klitschko, the Kyiv Mayor, said that 19 people were injured in the shelling.
According to Ukrainian officials, a firefighter was killed in an attack by Russian forces on an area where firefighters tried to extinguish a flame in Nataevka in the Zaporizhzhia Region.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor, stated that two other people were killed in strikes on residential and administrative buildings in Kramatorsk’s eastern city.
Major General Oleksandr Pavlyuk is leading the defense for the region around Ukraine’s capital. He stated that his forces were well-positioned to defend it and promised: “We will not give up.” We will fight to the very end. We will fight until the end, to the very last bullet.