On February 24, Russia declared war on Ukraine. While many cities have been destroyed, bombardments and fighting continue unabated.

THE SIEGE OF KYIV CONTINUES

Russia's siege of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, is still ongoing. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops continue to encircle Kyiv while attacking the cities of Izium, Petrosvke, Khruchuvakha, Sumi, and Ohtryrka. Clashes continue in the Donetsk and Zaporojie areas, according to the statement.

Six days ago, Russian troops were stationed around 50 kilometres northeast of Kyiv. Russian tanks are now positioned 15 kilometres from the capital's centre.

35 thousand civilians were evicted in a day.

On Wednesday, at least 35,000 people were evacuated from various besieged cities. Evacuations took place through three humanitarian corridors established in Sumi, Enerhodar, and areas around Kyiv.

DOES UKRAINE HAVE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS LABORATORIES?

In recent days, alternative media and virtual networks have reported that there are numerous laboratories for the manufacturing of biological weapons on Ukrainian territory. The Pentagon is said to be funding these laboratories. The official press accuses the Kremlin, claiming that the allegations are "false news" intended to legitimize the war against Ukraine. Those who disseminate the news are referred to as "conspirators."

In reaction to the backlash, particularly from China, the US Undersecretary of State, Victoria Nuland, said in a tweet on Tuesday that Washington is collaborating with Ukraine to keep its biological research facilities out of Russian hands. This statement has been taken as confirming all "conspiracy theories" about the laboratories' existence.

Nuland blamed Russia after claiming that he had spoken with Ukrainian officials to ensure that sensitive materials did not come into Russian hands: "It is a classic Russian technique to accuse others of what they themselves want to do."

According to "Le Courrier des Stratèges," one of the sites spreading this information, there are 11 US-linked bio-labs in Ukraine "working with highly deadly infections."

According to Xinhua, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested that the US "disclose all data regarding its biological laboratories in Ukraine." Zhao Lijian, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said that "US bio-military efforts in Ukraine are simply the tip of the iceberg. Under various titles, the US Department of Defense maintains 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries."

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the US accused Moscow and Beijing of propagating "false news." They claimed that the US, Russia, and China were disseminating "intentional" misinformation about US biological and chemical weapons laboratories in Ukraine and that Russia's use of such weapons should be feared.

HOSPITAL BOMBING

On Wednesday, a pediatric hospital in Ukraine's key port of Mariupol was bombed. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the bombing a "war crime." The mayor of Mariupol stated that three people, including a girl, died in the bombed hospital. Russia, on the other hand, called the hospital bombing "false news." Russian forces claimed that the bombed location was used by Ukrainian troops.

1207 DEAD IN MARIUPOL

According to the mayor of Mariupol, 1207 civilians were killed during the nine-day siege of this port city in the country's south.

BRITISH SOLDIERS FIGHTING IN UKRAINE

According to some reports, a large number of British soldiers went to Ukraine. British Defense Secretary James Heappey claimed that "very few" British soldiers went to Ukraine of their own volition and may face "significant challenges." Heappey argued that this could lead to Russia "unfairly" assessing Britain as a war participant.

THE UNITED STATES INCREASES WEAPONRY AID TO UKRAINE

Democrats and Republicans will vote on Wednesday to raise the federal budget to $1.5 trillion, which will include $13.6 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

THE UNITED STATES REJECTED POLAND'S AIRCRAFT PROPOSAL

The Pentagon also stated on Wednesday that the US had firmly rejected Poland's proposal to first deploy MiG-29 aircraft to the US army and subsequently to Ukraine.

27 EU COUNTRIES WILL MEET IN VERSAILLES

The activities on the diplomatic front are also ongoing. The French Presidency announced that the leaders of the 27 member countries would meet for an extraordinary summit on Thursday at the Palace of Versailles.

The goal of this meeting was supposed to establish the groundwork for a more sovereign Europe and improve the Union's economic model. Because the war in Ukraine exposes Europe's flaws, both in terms of defence and its excessively reliant economy. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, in particular, has stated that this is a pivotal point in European history.

NEGOTIATIONS IN TURKEY

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba held their first meeting at this level since the start of the conflict, in Turkey. Officials from Kyiv and Moscow have met previously, but this is the first time Russia has sent a minister to discuss the problem.

Dmitro Kuleba claimed in a video message on his Facebook page that Russia's ruthless bombing campaign and siege of key towns had "reduced" his expectations. The success of the negotiations, according to Kuleba, will be determined by "the orders and directions supplied to Lavrov" by the Kremlin.