Russia-Ukraine war: top stories today

Moscow has yet to capture any of Ukraine’s biggest cities despite the largest assault on a European state since World War Two. More than 3 million Ukrainians have fled and thousands have died till date.

Here are top stories from across publications on the war and its effects. 

➡️ Russian yacht stuck in Norway: As sanctions against Russian oligarchs kicked into place, several superyachts were seized by European governments in the past few days. The latest making the news is Ragnar, a superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, reported American news organisation NPR. The report said that Strzhalkovsky is a former KGB agent with links to Putin. However, the yacht is stuck not because of sanctions, but because it cannot find anyone who will sell it fuel even though Strzhalkovsky is not on any sanction list.

➡️ Shells hit theatre sheltering Ukraine civilians: Ukrainian authorities struggled to determine the fate of hundreds of civilians who had been sheltering in a theatre smashed by a Russian airstrike in the besieged city of Mariupol as officials said Russian artillery Thursday destroyed more civilian buildings in another frontline city. A photo released by Mariupol’s city council showed an entire section of the large, 3-story theatre had collapsed after the strike Wednesday evening.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Mariupol Drama Theater in Mariupol, Ukraine on Monday, March 14, 2022. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Several hundred people had taken refuge in the building, seeking safety amid Russia’s strangulating siege of the strategic Azov Sea port city. At least as recently as Monday, the pavement in front of and behind the once-elegant theatre was marked with huge white letters spelling out “CHILDREN” in Russian, according to images released by the Maxar space technology company.

➡️ Watch Zelenskyy on Netflix: Netflix India is airing the comedy satire starring Zelenskyy as the comedian-turned-leader grabbed eyeballs with his decisive leadership in the face of the Russian invasion. The TV series ‘Servant of the People’ stars Zelenskyy as a high school teacher propelled to the presidency after a student’s video of him denouncing official corruption in Ukraine goes viral. Goloborodko sets about running the country while eschewing the perks of being leader by keeping hold of his normal life. Though the series stretches across three seasons, only the first one, with 23 episodes, is currently available. Watch here.

You asked and it’s back!

Servant of the People is once again available on Netflix in The US. The 2015 satirical comedy series stars Volodymyr Zelenskyy playing a teacher who unexpectedly becomes President after a video of him complaining about corruption suddenly goes viral. pic.twitter.com/Pp9f48jutF

— Netflix (@netflix) March 16, 2022

➡️ WHO delays review of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine: The World Health Organisation has delayed its ongoing assessment of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for emergency use because of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, an official from the health agency said. The Sputnik V shot, widely used in Russia and approved in more than 60 countries, is also being reviewed by the European Medicines Agency. As per a Reuters report, the WHO officials were supposed to go do inspections in Russia on March 7, but the inspections were postponed to a later date.

➡️ Biden calls Putin “war criminal”: US President Joe Biden called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a war criminal in comments the Kremlin said were “unforgivable” as it insisted the war in Ukraine was “going to plan” amid talk of compromise at peace talks. “More will be coming as we source additional stocks of equipment that … we are ready to transfer,” Biden said, later condemning Putin. “He is a war criminal,” he told reporters.

➡️ Russia-Ukraine talks: Talks between Russian and Ukraine continue via video link, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. The main subject under discussion is whether Russian troops would remain in separatist regions in eastern Ukraine after the war and where the borders would be, as per an Associated Press report. Ukraine is reportedly insisting on the inclusion of one or more Western nuclear powers in the negotiations and on the signing of a legally binding document with security guarantees for Ukraine. In exchange, Ukraine was ready to discuss a neutral status.

Express’ Nirupama Subramanian writes a daily update on the top 3 significant updates of the Ukraine-Russia war. Read today’s update here.