Russia Ukraine Conflict News Highlights: The United Kingdom’s Defence Ministry has said that the large Russian column northwest of Kyiv has made little progress in over a week and is suffering continued losses, reported Reuters. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelinskyy on Wednesday accused Russia of carrying out genocide after officials informed that Russian aircraft bombed a children’s hospital, despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration on Wednesday claimed that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as the White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded, reported AP. Without providing any evidence, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had earlier claimed that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with the support of US. White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia’s claim “preposterous” and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for itself using such weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine, as per AP.
“This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” Psaki tweeted Wednesday, further adding, “Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them.”
On the other hand, the Ukrainian government and Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company Energoatom warned that radioactive substances could be released from Ukraine’s infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant because it cannot cool spent nuclear fuel after the power connection was knocked out by Russian attackers.
Here are the latest updates from Russia-Ukraine War:
Grzegorz Patyk and nearly two dozen friends started driving Ukrainian refugees between the Polish border and temporary housing a day after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24.
A translator from the southern Polish city of Krakow, he is one of the thousands of Poles who have jumped in to help the swelling wave of people fleeing war, by offering places to stay, transportation, food or even laundry or babysitting services.
But Patyk, 40, is worried that volunteers are becoming overwhelmed, after nearly 1.5 million people have crossed into Poland as Russia continues to shell cities across Ukraine.
"The scale is huge ... and it's not a question of whether the Polish people want to help or not, it's a question of whether they still can. Resources are running out," Patyk said.
The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned Europe's success in absorbing the more than 2 million people who have left Ukraine so far stems largely from the fact that many have found shelter with the big Ukrainian diaspora around the continent.
But the diaspora's capacity to take in new arrivals could run out, leaving many stuck at crowded reception centres that have cropped up along Ukraine's border with central Europe.
Speaking at the crowded main hall of Warsaw central train station, where he had just brought a family trying to get to northern Poland, Patyk said he believed his hometown of Krakow had run out of accommodation.
"There is no space there anymore," he said, as volunteers handed out sandwiches wrapped in wax paper nearby.
Krakow authorities have said the city still had temporary beds available but more permanent spaces were gone, according to RMF24 radio station.
In Warsaw, which has seen a quarter of a million refugees come through in the last two weeks, the biggest temporary reception centre was about 70% full. People usually stay there a night or two before heading on.
Waiting for the family he brought from the border to buy train tickets for their onward journey and fill paperwork, Patyk spoke about seeing his wife only during the day, while he spent nights helping refugees, and about a growing sense of chaos.
"In the beginning everything was running very smoothly, people took in refugees, they volunteered ... but now (private) accommodation is running out ... and we are looking for spaces and the (local authority) coordinators switch off their phones at night."
The Polish government proposed a law this week allowing people who house refugees to claim 8.3 euros per day per person. (Reuters)
More than 12,000 civilians were evacuated from Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region on Thursday by car or bus, state emergencies service said in a statement. (Reuters)
Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a choice to "specifically target civilians" and any further targeting of civilians in Ukraine is going to be met with the "severest of responses."
"Putin's callous disregard for human life is absolutely unacceptable. It is very clear that he has made the choice to specifically target civilians now," Trudeau told reporters in Warsaw.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of carrying out genocide after Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft bombed a children's hospital on Wednesday, killing three people including a child.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" and has said its forces do not fire on civilian targets. On Thursday, it shifted its stance over the bombing of the hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, with a mix of statements that veered between aggressive denials and a call by the Kremlin to establish clear facts.
"Putin needs to know that the consequences for his actions already will be severe, and further escalations by him, further targeting of civilians, further use of problematic ways to kill civilians is going to be met with the severest of responses both globally and individually on him," Trudeau said. (Reuters)
Some social media users suggest that soaring fuel prices in the U.S. aren't the result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, increased consumption or supply chain issues as daily life resumes after two years of stagnation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the flurry of Facebook and Twitter posts offer, without evidence, that a nefarious scheme is underway: President Joe Biden's administration is intentionally driving up the price of gas to get more American drivers behind the wheel of an electric car.
“$6.00 a gallon gas is how you get people to buy electric cars,” claims one popular meme, shared thousands of times across Facebook and Instagram since Tuesday.
The newest internet fabrication shows that Americans' obsession with conspiracy theories continues to play an outsize role in how they interpret political decision-making, even during times of war.
“At this point, conspiracy theories have become so ingrained in people's psyche and because of social media, they spread like wildfire,” said Mia Bloom, a Georgia State University professor who recently authored a book examining the QAnon conspiracy theory. “If it's not this conspiracy theory this week, it'll be another one next week." The conspiracy theory-laden memes, Twitter posts and videos began swirling as the average price of regular gas broke $4 a gallon for the first time in nearly 14 years. The output of posts increased Tuesday after Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports, a move he warned would almost certainly drive up U.S. gas prices further but would deal a “blow” to Russian President Vladimir Putin's offensive in Ukraine. (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin warns sanctions on Russia could send global food prices soaring, reports AFP News Agency
President Zelenskyy signs law allowing seizure of Russian property in Ukraine. It allows Ukraine to confiscate property that belongs to Russian Federation or its residents without any compensation. The parliament passed it on March 3: Ukraine's The Kyiv Independent
It is unfortunate that even when thousands of Indian students, Indian citizens were stranded in Ukraine, there was talk of breaking the morale of the country. These people also tried to malign Operation Ganga. This is a big concern for the future of India: PM Modi (ANI)
Bank for International Settlements suspends Russian central bank, reports AFP News Agency
The Russian government has banned exports of telecom, medical, auto, agricultural, electrical and tech equipment, as well as some forestry products, until the end of 2022, in retaliation for Western sanctions on Moscow, it said on Thursday.
In total, over 200 items were included on the export suspension list, which also covered railway cars, containers, turbines and other goods.
The economy ministry said exports of certain types of forestry and wood products had been banned but did not specify which products exactly.
"These measures are a logical response to those imposed against Russia and are aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy," the ministry said.
Carmaker Stellantis, which produces and sells the Peugeot, Citroёn, Opel, Jeep and Fiat brands in Russia, was looking to start exporting locally made light commercial vehicles to Western Europe before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Interfax news agency also cited a source familiar with legislation being prepared as saying Russia may temporarily ban grain exports to a group of ex-Soviet countries forming part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) from March 15 to August 31, as well as sugar exports outside the EEU area.
The EEU is made up of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia itself.
(Reuters)
Russian shelling of Mariupol on Thursday prevented a humanitarian convoy reaching the besieged Ukrainian city, local officials said, and dented hopes of evacuating trapped civilians who are increasingly desperate for supplies.
Residents have been cowering under fire, and without power or water, in the Black Sea port city of over 400,000 people for more than a week and attempts to arrange a local ceasefire and safe passage out have failed repeatedly.
Another "humanitarian corridor" appeared to have failed on Thursday, a day after the bombing of a hospital in the city which President Volodoymr Zelenskiy said had killed two adults and a child.
"Bombs are hitting houses," the Mariupol city council said in an online post released as the top Ukrainian and Russian diplomats held talks in Turkey. The council said a university and a theatre had also been hit but gave no casualty figures.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, denies targeting civilians.
Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, told Reuters that Russian aircraft were targeting the routes that humanitarian aid was trying to use to enter the city, and along which buses were being prepared to evacuate people.
"We try and try and try, but I'm not sure if it'll be possible today - or other days," he said by phone.
"Airstrikes started from the early morning. Airstrike after airstrike. All the historic centre is under bombardment."
The bombardment, he said, had continued "without any gaps, without any pause", hitting houses and buildings along the evacuation routes.
"They want to absolutely delete our city, delete our people. They want to stop any evacuation," he said. (Reuters)
The arrival of Russian troops at two gas compressor stations in eastern Ukraine poses a risk to European supplies, Ukraine's gas pipeline operator warned on Thursday, although there were no signs of an immediate impact on flows.
Russia said compressor stations at Novopskov in the Luhansk region and Kupiansk near Kharkiv were under its control, and it guaranteed the safety of all operations and equipment.
Russia is the European Union's top gas supplier and its invasion of Ukraine has sharpened concerns about supply disruptions, sending gas prices soaring.
Some 41.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Russian gas was transported through Ukraine to Europe in 2021, making it a key supply route, although that was down 25% on the year before as Moscow looks for alternatives.
Gas supplies into Slovakia from Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were stable at the time of writing, according to transmission system operator data.
Ukraine's gas pipeline operator OGTSU said attempts by Russian forces to enter the two stations created significant risks for the safety of personnel and continuity of gas transportation.
"There is a real danger to (gas) transit," OGTSU chief Sergiy Makogon told Reuters.
"Our intention is to continue gas flows, as we have proven over the last 2 weeks," OGTSU said on Twitter. "If there are any interruptions/shortages of gas in Europe, please explain to your constituents who is at fault."
Russian deputy energy minister Pavel Sorokin said on Wednesday Moscow intended to meet all of its gas obligations and continue supplies in full.
"Full safety of operations and protection of the equipment is guaranteed," he said on Thursday, referring to the Novopskov and Kupiansk compressor stations.
At the first high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow invaded on Feb. 24, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia must immediately pull back its troops from occupied gas and nuclear energy facilities.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. (Reuters)
US vice president calls for international war crimes investigation of Russia over Ukraine invasion, bombing of civilians, reports AP
U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday ahead of consumer price data that will likely cement the case for an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve, while shares in Amazon.com climbed on a stock-split and share buyback plan.
The Labor Department’s report due at 08:30 a.m. ET is expected to show U.S. consumer prices surged in February, and are poised to accelerate further in the months ahead as Russia’s war against Ukraine drives up the costs of oil and other commodities. | READ MORE
Russia bans export of some foreign products, equipment after sanctions (AFP)
Russia-Ukraine conflict will have exceptional consequences for the global order including in West Asia.
“As the world order changes the Gulf countries would like to keep their options open and not be simply dictated by any super power”, Ambassador Anil Trigunayat tells Financial Express Online. | READ MORE
Hotel chain Marriott International Inc said on Thursday it has decided to pause the opening of upcoming hotels and all future hotel development and investment in Russia, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
Russian troops must leave the territory of Ukraine's gas and nuclear facilities, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday, after the first high-level talks between the Russia and Ukraine since Moscow invaded its neighbour. At a news conference in Turkey, Kuleba said he had told Lavrov that Ukraine had no issues with nuclear security before Russia invaded, after the latter raised the question at the talks. (Reuters)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said no progress was made on achieving a ceasefire in talks on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the first high-level talks between the two countries since Moscow invaded its neighbour. Speaking after the talks in southern Turkey, Kuleba told a news conference that the most difficult situation was in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, and that Lavrov did not commit to a humanitarian corridor there. (Reuters)
Italy's and China's foreign ministers agreed that coordination of international community is the only way to reach a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, the Italian foreign minister said in a statement on Thursday. "I have strongly condemned Russia's aggression and reiterated our support to the Ukrainian people," Italy's Luigi Di Maio said in a statement following talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. (Reuters)
Talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine are underway on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Turkey. An official photograph showed Russia's Sergey Lavrov flanked by two advisers sitting across from his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and his officials on Thursday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sat at the head of a U-shaped table in a wood-paneled hotel conference room near the Mediterranean city of Antalya. (AP)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss issues with Poland that will force Russia to pay a price for its invasion of Ukraine, she said on Thursday during a visit to Warsaw, as Moscow continues its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Harris also said Poland was doing "extraordinary work" with the refugees who have fled Ukraine. (Reuters)
The operator of Ukraine's gas pipelines warned on Thursday that Russian forces were on the territory of more than one gas compressor station in Ukraine, posing a potential threat to smooth gas transit to Europe. The operator (OGTSU) did not say how many stations were affected or where they were. "The OGTSU demands that the military and armed groups immediately leave the territory of the compressor stations and stop trying to influence the operation of the GTS (gas transmission system)," it said. "Interference in the technological processes of GTS operations creates significant risks for the safety of continuous gas transportation to consumers in Ukraine and Europe," it said. (Reuters)
Britain said on Thursday it had imposed asset freezes on seven Russian businessmen including Roman Abramovich, Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska and Dmitri Lebedev after they were added to the country's sanctions list. "There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Abramovich is the owner of Chelsea soccer club, Deripaska has stakes in En+ Group, Sechin is the Chief Executive of Rosneft and Lebedev is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Rossiya. (Reuters)
Alphabet Inc's YouTube and Google Play store are suspending all payment-based services in Russia, including subscriptions, as Western sanctions start to pose banking challenges in the country. Google and YouTube had recently stopped selling online advertising in Russia following similar pauses by Twitter Inc and Snap Inc after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
Alphabet Inc's YouTube and Google Play store are suspending all payment-based services in Russia, including subscriptions, as Western sanctions start to pose banking challenges in the country. Google and YouTube had recently stopped selling online advertising in Russia following similar pauses by Twitter Inc and Snap Inc after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
City council of besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol says 3 dead, including 1 child, in Russian attack on hospital, reports AP. (PTI)
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed Belarusian specialists to ensure power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the BelTA news agency reported on Thursday. Ukraine said on Wednesday there was a danger of a radiation leak at Chernobyl after electricity was cut off, but the U.N. nuclear watchdog saw "no critical impact on security". Russia accused Ukrainian forces of attacking power lines and a substation feeding the power plant. (Reuters)
The topic of Ukraine entering into the European Union is "not for tomorrow", said French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune, as EU leaders gathered in France to discuss the crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "It will take time," added Beaune, referring to debates in international political circles over whether or not to give Ukraine a fast-track entry into the EU as a gesture of solidarity for Ukraine in light of the Russian invasion. European Union leaders will phase out buying Russian oil, gas and coal as Moscow's war on Ukraine makes them realise they have to be less dependent on Russia, a draft declaration showed, but they are unlikely to offer Ukraine the fast EU membership it seeks. (Reuters)
Russian troops have destroyed 2,911 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities in Ukraine so far, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday. He also said that the Russian army had taken control of a number of neighbourhoods in besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Reuters was not immediately able to verify his statement. (Reuters)
Britain is looking at easing its visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees, a minister said on Thursday, after the government faced widespread condemnation for prioritising bureaucracy over the welfare of those fleeing war. While households across Europe have taken in Ukrainian families forced to leave their homes, Britain has demanded they secure a visa first, meaning the country has accepted far fewer Ukrainians than the likes of France and Germany, or Ukraine's nearest neighbours. Armed forces minister James Heappey said he believed the interior ministry, or Home Office, was looking at ways to ease the system, after some refugees in the French port city of Calais were ordered to go to Paris or Brussels to fill out forms. (Reuters)