Kyiv prepares for a 'relentless defence'

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The situation on the map
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The context

On the eighteenth day of the war in Ukraine, Kiev feared encirclement by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised a “relentless defense”.
The Russian army heavily bombards the port cities of Mykolaiv and Mariupol. The latter, plunged into a critical situation, “almost hopeless” according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), hopes for the arrival on Sunday of a humanitarian aid convoy which was blocked for more than five hours at a Russian roadblock on Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday accused Ukrainian forces of “gross violations” humanitarian law, during a discussion with Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. ” Lies “reacted the Elysée, which called on Russia to “an immediate ceasefire” and to “raise the seat” from Mariupol, where the situation is “humanly unsustainable”.
Selon Volodymyr Zelensky, “about 1,300” Ukrainian soldiers have died since the start of the Russian invasion. He clarified, in relation to talks for a possible ceasefire, that Russia “don’t just issue ultimatums anymore”which constitutes “a fundamentally different approach”.
According to the UN, at least 579 civilians have been killed and nearly 1,000 injured since the start of the war. Ukrainian local authorities report a much higher toll, with more than 1,500 civilian deaths in the city of Mariupol alone, according to the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba.
Nearly 2.6 million people have fled Ukraine since February 24, and around 2 million people are also internally displaced, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.