Map of the war in Ukraine as of March 20, 2023

by time news

They are fulfilled this Monday 389 days of the start of the war in Ukraine. The epicenter of the fighting continues to take place in and around Bakhmut in Donbas where Russian forces have made significant advances towards the Ukrainian town of Avdivkalocated in the Donetsk region and about which an “envelope operation” is also appliedas in Bakhmut, to try to prevent the arrival of supplies to Ukrainian troops.

He Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Russia on Monday morningbeginning of a state visit that is preceded by great expectations and in which the Chinese president trusts lay the foundations for “a new momentum” in bilateral relationsas he made clear after landing in Moscow.

The former Russian president and current vice president of the country’s Security Council, Dimitri Medvedevhas considered that the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin will have “monstrous consequences”“and this order has framed it within the “collapse” of the international justice systemexemplified in a TPI whose efficiency is “zero”.

On February 24, 2022, the President of Russia Vladimir Putinordered the Russian offensive in the country in what he called a “special military operation”.

Since then, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that up to 19.5 million people have fled Ukraine, since the beginning of the Russian military offensive, which he considers to be the fastest exodus in Europe since World War II. That is, more than 47.5% of the population –estimated at almost 41 million in 2021– would have left Ukrainian territory.

Situation of the war in Ukraine on March 20, 2023 / Photo: EP Situation of the war in Ukraine on March 20, 2023 / Photo: EP

According to him last report of Institute Study of War (ISW) (1) considers it probable that the Russian forces obtained “marginal gains near Bohdanivka (six kilometers northwest of Bakhmut) amid continued Russian offensive operations in and around Bakhmut“.

On the other hand, the ISW also claims that Russian forces continue to carry out limited offensives along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line“.

Also, the think tank American claims that Russian forces continue with “offensive operations along the outskirts of the city of Donetsk and may have advanced towards Berdychi, about 10 kilometers northwest of Avdiivka“.

Image of maps of the first year of the war in Ukraine / Maps: EP

Russian forces have made significant advances towards the Ukrainian town of Avdivka, located in the Donetsk region and on which an “enveloping operation” is also applied, as in Bakhmut, to try to prevent the arrival of supplies to Ukrainian troops, according to British intelligence services. Avdivka lies just north of the city of Donetsk and has become a declared target in recent days for forces loyal to the Kremlin, who are trying to gain ground in eastern Ukraine to offset defeats suffered in the previous months.

In the case of Avdivka, the weight of the operation falls mainly on the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, close to Moscow and whose personnel “know the terrain well”, as British military intelligence has explained. Recent fighting has already meant that the city is practically “destroyed”.

One of the potential key points in the battle for ultimate control will be, according to London, a Coca-Cola plant, as it would be “particularly defensible” key terrain for Ukrainian forces.

British experts have pointed out that Avdivka’s situation is “similar” to that of Bakhmut, despite its larger size. In both cases, the local troops see the supply line that connects them with areas further west of Ukraine in jeopardy due to the efforts of Russian-allied forces to encircle the target from different fronts.

The President of China, Xi Jinping, has arrived in Russia this Monday morning, the start of a state visit that is preceded by great expectations and in which the Chinese president hopes to lay the foundations for “a new impetus” in bilateral relations, as he made clear after landing in Moscow.

The Chinese president did not refer directly to Ukraine in his first statements, but he did promise that his government will be on the Russian side to defend a system “based on International Law” and on the UN Charter, “in a world that is far from peaceful”.

Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov has taken for granted in statements to journalists that the Ukraine war will “inevitably” come up in the talks between Putin and Xi, “one way or another,” reports the TASS news agency. .

Putin will offer “exhaustive explanations” about the invasion that began more than a year ago, which Russia continues to classify as a “special military operation.” For his part, Xi will receive “first-hand” the Russian government’s version of the conflict, Peskov added.

Beijing has avoided clearly condemning the invasion and has presented its own peace plan to resolve the conflict, although kyiv has discarded the proposal as it considers it too biased towards Moscow’s political theses.

The former Russian president and current vice president of the country’s Security Council, Dimitri Medvedev, has considered that the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant against the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, will have “monstrous consequences”.

Medvedev has framed this order within the “collapse” of the international justice system, exemplified in a CFI whose efficiency is “zero”. In this sense, he has suggested that in the case of Putin none of the hypotheses that would allow him to be tried in The Hague is given: neither is Russia internally in a position of weakness that prevents it from maintaining its current system nor has it lost any war.

Steps of this type, he added, will cause no one to seek help in International Law and, instead, countries to negotiate among themselves. “The gloomy decline of the entire system of international relations is approaching. Confidence has been lost,” said Medvedev, who places the CFI within an orbit of interests that also includes the United States.

In addition to Putin, the court in The Hague has also identified the main person responsible for children’s rights in Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova, as a fugitive, in both cases as suspects in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children in occupied areas of the east from the country.

Flow of refugees from Ukraine to other countries as of March 14, 2023 / Map: EA Flow of refugees from Ukraine to other countries as of March 14, 2023 / Map: EA

The number of refugees who have crossed the border from Ukraine into the rest of Europe it continues to grow since the start of the war in Ukraine, unleashed by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

He United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that about 19.5 million people have fled Ukraine, since the beginning of the Russian military offensive, which he considers to be the fastest exodus in Europe since World War II. Until the 47.5% of the population –estimated at almost 41 million in 2021– would have left Ukrainian territory.

A Ukrainian girl cries for the separation of her two brothers at the border crossing in Siret (Romania) / Photo: FFM - EA

According to the latest UNHCR data (2), 19,505,596 people have left Ukrainian territory as of March 14, 2023. By countries, 10.168.089 Ukrainian refugees have already arrived Poland, 2.852.395 a Russia (October 3, 2022), 2.350.357 a Hungary, 2.091.044 a Romania (March 12), 1.239.412 a Slovakia (March 13), 787.594 a Moldavia (March 12) and 16.705 a belarus (7 of March).

A refugee woman, girl and boy from Ukraine are going to catch a bus in Siret (Romania) that takes them to another destination / Photo: FFM - EA

The High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that Up to 8.1 million Ukrainian refugees have already been registered on European territory, and almost 4.9 they would be in a situation of Temporary Protection, due to the Russian invasion of his country.

References
  • (1) Institute for Study of War (ISW).
  • (2) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

You may also like

Leave a Comment