The war in Ukraine until the evening of April 14: The pivotal stage in Mariupol

Russian Ka-52 helicopter Russian army

The battle for Mariupol

By the evening of April 14, Ukrainian forces continued to entrench in Mariupol. The war here is at a pivotal stage. The Russian military repeated claims that it had captured strategic positions of the city, including the seaport. However, the Ukrainian side still resisted fiercely.

In addition, Kharkov continued to become a fierce battleground, while Russia sought to control the city in the east. A Ukrainian special forces unit planted explosives and broke the bridge while a convoy military Russia crossed this bridge towards Izium, in the southeastern part of Kharkov, according to CNN, citing information from the Ukrainian Special Operations Command.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on April 14 that in the past 24 hours, Russian forces neutralized 12 Ukrainian military targets. These include MiG-29 fighters, Mi-8 attack helicopters and two warehouses of the Ukrainian armed forces.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video clip showing two Ka-52 helicopters launching missiles at the location of a Ukrainian artillery battalion hidden in the woods. The helicopter also disabled a number of enemy armored vehicles, according to Sputnik.

Ukrainian soldiers in tanks in Donbass on April 12 afp/getty

In addition, the fire on the cruiser Moskva was contained. The ship remained afloat after an explosion in an ammunition depot caused serious damage to the ship. However, the Russian navy said that it promptly intervened and prevented the fire from spreading to the place where the ship’s key weapons were located.

see more: Explosion on the most important warship of the Black Sea Fleet Russia, Ukraine say fired a missile

The prospect of Russian nuclear weapons near the Baltic, Scandinavia

On April 14, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that the country would bring nuclear weapons near the Baltic countries and Scandinavia if Finland or Sweden decided to join NATO, Reuters reported.

Mr. Medvedev, currently vice chairman of Russia’s Security Council, wrote on Telegram that if NATO joins the two countries, Russia has no choice but to strengthen its border defense capabilities in accordance with the new situation.

Finland and Sweden are considering joining NATO reuters

During a telephone conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will consider measures to increase its security if Finland or Sweden becomes a member of NATO.

Meanwhile, after showing no welcome to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on April 13, Ukraine is trying to mend diplomatic relations with Berlin by sending an invitation to the country’s Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.

Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda invited the German president to join the trip to Kyiv with the Lithuanian presidents, Latvia and Estonia to show solidarity with Ukraine.

German President Steinmeier said he was prepared to go to Ukraine, but “Kyiv doesn’t seem to want it.” Newspaper Bild Germany quoted an unnamed Ukrainian diplomat as saying that President Steinmeier is not welcome in Kyiv at the moment because of his soft stance towards Russia in the past.

see more: After refusing to receive the German president, Ukraine wants to mend relations

Russian soldiers guard the Luhansk power plant in the town of Shchastya afp

More than 4.7 million Ukrainians leave the country

On April 14, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that more than 4.7 million Ukrainians had left the country within 50 days of the outbreak of hostilities. Women and children made up 90% of these, while men aged 18 to 60 were drafted into the army.

In addition, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that about 7.1 million people have left their homes and fled within Ukraine, according to AFP.

Ukraine said it reopened humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians on April 14. There are a total of nine evacuation corridors, according to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.