As the war entered the fourth week, the United States voiced concern that China might assist Moscow with military equipment. US President Joe Biden is scheduled to call Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday evening and is expected to tell Beijing that it will pay a price if it supports Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, India told UNSC that it is deeply concerned over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine. This comes as several Indian-American lawmakers urged India to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The lawmakers, led by Congressman Joe Wilson and Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, had a call with India's top envoy to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu where they discussed the matter.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invoked 9/11 during an urgent appeal to the US Congress for more weapons to stem the Russian assault. US President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million for Ukraine's military.
Meanwhile, the United States remains in touch with Indian leaders and continues to encourage them to work closely with it to stand up against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Wednesday. Observing that India walks a difficult middle ground on the Ukraine crisis, two Democratic lawmakers urged India to condemn Russian military operations against Ukraine which they said have no place in the 21st century.
The White House said that India taking up Russia's offer of discounted crude oil would not be a violation of American sanctions. However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that we should "think about where you want to stand when history books are written at this moment in time." India has not supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi has consistently asked all stakeholders to resolve differences through dialogue. It has, however, abstained in all United Nations resolutions against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will virtually address the US Congress at 9 am (1300 GMT) on Wednesday, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a joint letter to US lawmakers.
“The Congress remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting Ukraine as they face Putin’s cruel and diabolical aggression, and to passing legislation to cripple and isolate the Russian economy as well as deliver humanitarian, security and economic assistance to Ukraine,” they wrote on Monday.
Aleksander, 41, presses his palms against the window as he says goodbye to his daughter Anna, 5, on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station. (AP)
Meanwhile, the United Nations chief has warned that Russia's war on Ukraine is holding "a sword of Damocles" over the global economy, especially poor developing countries that face skyrocketing food, fuel and fertiliser prices and are now seeing their breadbasket "being bombed".
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that 45 African and least developed countries import at least one-third of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia, and 18 of them import at least 50 per cent.
Ukraine War Update, March 14: A reporter is killed, and foreigners join the fighting
In other news, the Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin had another call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to talk about Ukraine. Bennett told Putin about his contacts with other heads of states, and Putin shared his assessments of talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives via video calls, the Kremlin said in a statement.
A senior Israeli official said Bennett's conversation with Putin lasted 90 minutes, with discussions focusing on cease-fire talks and humanitarian issues. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters.
General view of the remains of the drama theatre which was hit by a bomb when hundreds of people were sheltering inside, amid ongoing Russia's invasion, in Mariupol, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 18, 2022. (Photo: Azov Handout/ via REUTERS)
This live blog is closed. Follow the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict here.
A Russian strike on a theatre sheltering civilians in Mariupol badly wounded one person but did not kill anyone, AFP reported quoting authorities. Hundreds of people were trapped inside the theatre that was hit by a Russian airstrike on Wednesday.
Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday denied reports about sending fighters and experts to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV reported.
"No one from Hezbollah, neither a fighter nor an expert, went to this arena or any of the arenas of these wars," Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV quoted him as saying.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the green light for up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East to be deployed alongside Russian-backed rebels to fight in Ukraine. (Reuters)
UN migration agency estimates nearly 6.5 million people displaced inside Ukraine because of Russia's invasion, reports AP.
US President Joe Biden's campaign to unite the globe against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is being challenged not only by adversaries such as China but also by the world's most populous democracy, India. An Indian government official said on Friday that the country will increase its imports of Russian oil, allowing it to boost energy supplies at a discount as its economy struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The official, who was not authorised to talk to reporters and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the latest purchase was 3 million barrels. --AP
At UNSC, India expressed concerns about "progressively deteriorating situation in Ukraine". "We welcome latest round of diplomatic talks b/w Russia & Ukraine. We believe immediate cessation of hostilities & diligently pursuing path of dialogue & diplomacy is the only way forward," India added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said rescue work was ongoing to save hundreds of people still believed to be trapped under the rubble of a bombed theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Earlier, human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova reported 130 survivors had been rescued from the rubble, but said there was still no information on more than 1,000 other people official figures suggest were sheltering there when the bomb fell.
Ukraine accuses Russia of carrying out the powerful air strike that destroyed the theatre on Wednesday. Russia has denied bombing the theatre or attacking civilians. --Reuters
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that the mortal remains of Naveen SG, a medical student who died in Ukraine, will reach Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday.
Addressing the press meet on Friday, Bommai said that Naveen's mortal remains will reach Bengaluru at 3 am. The sources said that his body will be taken directly to his native Chalageri village in Haveri district, 300km away from Bengaluru.
Naveen S G, a fourth-year medical student at Kharkiv National Medical University in Ukraine, was killed in an explosion when he stepped out of a bunker to bring groceries for his juniors. Naveen was the first Indian to die in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
The family members who previously demanded the government to bring the mortal remains on Friday said that they were relieved that atleast his mortal remains are brought to Bengaluru. Speaking to Indian Express, Naveen's elder brother Harsha SG said that they had received a call from the Indian Embassy and also from aviation authorities over the same. "They informed me about bringing my brother's body on Friday afternoon. They also said that his body will be airlifted on Saturday evening," he said.
Two key figures in determining the course of a war half a world away, President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping spoke Friday as the White House looks to deter Beijing from providing military or economic assistance for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Planning for the call has been in the works since Biden and Xi held a virtual summit in November, but differences between Washington and Beijing over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prosecution of his three-week-old war against Ukraine are expected to be at the centre of the call.
The two leaders began their call at 9:03 am EDT. Read more
Russia's request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week's World Cup qualifying playoffs was denied Friday.
FIFA said the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the Russian soccer federation's bid for an urgent interim ruling to freeze the ban pending a full appeal, which could come within weeks.
The CAS decision means Russia will not be able to play Poland in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.
The latest ruling follows a similar CAS refusal on Tuesday to freeze UEFA's ban on Russian national and club teams in European soccer. --AP
With new Russian strikes on Kyiv, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine released a new advisory for the Indian nationals living there informing them that its office continues to function and it can be contacted for any help 24x7.
Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova on Friday said 130 people had been rescued so far from the rubble of a theatre hit by an air strike on Wednesday in the besieged eastern city of Mariupol.In a televised address, Denisova said rescue work was ongoing at the site, where many people were sheltering underground before the building was hit, according to the Ukrainian authorities. --Reuters
Russia has lost any illusions about ever relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a world order dominated by the United States, which is acting like a sheriff seeking to call all the shots in a saloon bar, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Western nations have imposed sweeping sanctions across Russia's financial and corporate sectors in response to Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, plunging Russia's economy into its gravest crisis since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. --Reuters
Russian forces Friday launched new missile strikes and shelling on the capital city of Kyiv and the outskirts of the western city of Lviv, as world leaders pushed for an probe of the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on civilian targets, including schools, hospitals and residential areas. --Reuters
Ukraine human rights ombudsman says 173,500 people in total have evacuated from front line towns, reported Reuters.
India's legitimate energy transactions shouldn't be politicised, say govt sources on country's crude oil imports, energy ties with Russia. Countries with oil self-sufficiency or those themselves importing from Russia cannot credibly advocate restrictive trading, say govt sources. --PTI
Facing global sanction over its invasion of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country will adjust its economy to the sanctions. He also stated that Russia has lost all illusions about relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a view of the world dominated by a United States that wants to act like a global sheriff. (Reuters)
Britain's media regulator said Friday it has revoked Russian-backed television channel RT's licence to broadcast in the UK with immediate effect after a probe into the impartiality of its coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The regulator, Ofcom, said in a statement it was not satisfied that RT could be a responsible broadcaster.
RT responded by saying the regulator had shown itself to be nothing more than a tool of the British government. (Reuters)
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said Friday on Telegram that several missiles hit a facility used to repair military aircraft and damaged a bus repair facility, though no casualties were immediately reported.
The plant had suspended work ahead of the attack, the mayor said.
The missiles that hit Lviv were launched from the Black Sea, but two of the six that were launched were shot down, Ukrainian air force's western command said on Facebook. (AP)
Bread is a staple food in the Middle East, eaten with most meals. Researchers suggest that, depending on the country, bread and grains make up to half of the average local’s diet there, compared to up to a quarter of the average European’s.
“In these countries, affordable bread for the working masses is a social contract,” Michaël Tanchum, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, who specialises in political economics of the Middle East and Africa, explained. Many Middle Eastern countries subsidise bread for low-income families.
In the past, rising bread prices have been a catalyst for political change in the region. (Read more)
Russia's defence ministry said on Friday that separatists in eastern Ukraine with help from Russia's armed forces were "tightening the noose" around the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The defence ministry added that fighting was ongoing in the centre of Mariupol. (Reuters)
One person was killed and 4 wounded after parts of a Russian missile fell on a residential building in the northern part of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday morning, emergencies services said.
The services said in a statement that 12 people were rescued and 98 were evacuated from the 5-storey building. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s government is “openly neo-Nazi” and “pro-Nazi,” controlled by “little Nazis,” President Vladimir Putin of Russia says.
US officials led by President Joe Biden are responsible for the “nazification” of Ukraine, one of Russia’s top lawmakers says, and should be tried before a court. In fact, another lawmaker says, it is time to create a “modern analogy to the Nuremberg tribunal” as Russia prepares to “denazify” Ukraine. (Read more)
US President Joe Biden took office with the idea that this century’s struggle would be between the world’s democracies and autocracies.
But in waging war on Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has been driven by a different concept, ethno-nationalism. It is an idea of nationhood and identity based on language, culture and blood — a collectivist ideology with deep roots in Russian history and thought.
Underlying the war is a clash of political systems, “a war against liberal democracy” and Ukraine’s right to self-determination, said Nathalie Tocci, the director of Italy’s International Affairs Institute. But that is just part of a larger conflict, she said, as Putin tries to change the meaning of what it is to be sovereign. (Read more)
Russian missiles struck an area near the airport of Ukraine's western city of Lviv Friday, its mayor Andriy Sadovy said, though he added that the airport itself had not been attacked.
Authorities are assessing the situation and will issue updates, he said. Earlier, television station Ukraine 24 said at least three exposions had been heard in the city. (Reuters)
To an independent filmmaker in Hanoi, Vietnam, President Vladimir Putin of Russia is a “wise leader.” In Rio de Janeiro, a former restaurant owner said he was convinced that Ukraine had hired actors to fake war injuries. And a 27-year-old doctor living near Nairobi in Kenya questioned how Americans could be outraged over the Russian invasion when “for so long, they had a monopoly over anarchy.”
Most of the world has loudly and unequivocally condemned Putin for sparking a war with Ukraine. But in countries where governments have remained neutral, tacitly supported Russia or encouraged the dissemination of false or sanitized accounts of the war, citizens are voicing a much more complicated and forgiving narrative of Putin’s invasion. (Read more)
US President Joe Biden is expected to tell Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday that Beijing will pay a price if it supports Russia's military operations in Ukraine, a warning that comes at a time of deepening conflict between the nations.
Biden and Xi will speak by phone, scheduled for 9 am Eastern time (6.30 pm IST), and Washington has already threatened lower-level Chinese government officials privately and publicly that greater support for Russia risks isolation for Beijing.
The conversation between Biden and Xi, their first since November, will be loaded with tension.Biden "will make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia's aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
"We're concerned that they're considering directly assisting Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine," he said. China has denied such plans. (Reuters)
At least three blasts were heard in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday morning, Ukraine 24 television station reported through the Telegram messenger.
It published a short video in which a mushroom-shaped plume of smoke could be seen rising on the horizon. (Reuters)
India, which ensured the safe return of about 22,500 of its citizens from Ukraine, also assisted in the evacuation of nationals from 18 other countries, India's top envoy at the UN has said, as he voiced concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.
Speaking at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine on Thursday, Tirumurti said there was an "urgent need" to address the humanitarian needs of the affected population.
He underscored that it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. "These measures should not be politicised" he asserted. (PTI)
The West in its continuous support to Ukraine has been supplying the besieged country with military aid in the form of arms as well as anti-aircraft and anti-tank defence systems.
MANPADS are “short-range surface-to-air missiles used to intercept fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft in flight.” They are designed to be fired while mounted on a person’s shoulder or a tripod. Among such weapons, Stingers – made by the US – have an infrared seeker which detects the target through its radiation emissions. They can be used to shoot down aircraft and drones. Another example of such missiles is the Russian Igla-S. (Read more)
A US citizen who had been caring for his partner in a Ukrainian hospital was killed by Russian fire as he waited in a bread line after briefly stepping out to buy food, his family said on Thursday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the death of an American, identified by his sisters as Jimmy Hill and mourned as 'the helper that people could find in a crisis'.
?? Who is he? Hill's Facebook profile identified him as a teacher at universities in Kyiv and Warsaw. He was a native of Minnesota.
?? Why did he remain in Ukraine? One of his sisters, Katya Hill, told CNN he had stayed in the hospital in Chernihiv, the site of heavy Russian bombardment during its invasion, to be alongside his Ukrainian partner as she battled multiple sclerosis.
?? What else do we know? Another of his sisters, Cheryl Hill Gordon, wrote on Facebook that her brother was waiting in a bread line with several others on Wednesday when they were gunned down by Russian forces.
Hill's own Facebook posts gave a glimpse of the situation on the frontline as he repeatedly wrote about explosions, food shortages and intense bombing during the Russian assault. 'Intense bombing! still alive. Limited food. Room very cold,' Hill said in his last Facebook post on Tuesday. In another post on the same day, he wrote that 'bombing has intensified'. (Read more)
Russia announced it will not ask the UN Security Council to vote Friday on its draft resolution on humanitarian relief for Ukraine, which has been criticised for making no mention of Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.
It will instead use the scheduled council session to again raise allegations that the United States has biological warfare laboratories in Ukraine, claims that Washington says are disinformation and part of a potential "false-flag operation" by Moscow.
Russia's UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, made the announcement at a Security Council meeting Thursday afternoon that was called by six Western countries, including the United States, to get an update on the three-week-old war. (Read more)
As Russian troops appeared to stall in their advance on Ukrainian cities, the United States voiced concern that China might assist Moscow with military equipment as the war entered its fourth week.
?? Over 350,000 people are sheltering in the besieged southern port of Mariupol, officials said.
?? Rescuers are combing the rubble of a theatre in Mariupol bombed on Wednesday for survivors. Russia denies striking it. Italy said it will rebuild it.
?? The governor of the northern Chernihiv region said 53 civilians had been in killed in the past 24 hours. The dead included a US citizen as he waited in a bread line, his family said. Russia denies targeting civilians.
?? The UN said it had recorded 780 confirmed civilian deaths since the invasion began, and 3.2 million have fled.
?? Russia's invasion has largely stalled on all fronts in recent days amid heavy losses, British military intelligence and the Ukrainian armed forces said.
?? A "very, very big gap" remains between Ukraine and Russia, Western officials said after another day of peace talks.
?? Russian President Vladimir Putin shows little desire to compromise, they said, while Ukraine wants to retain sovereignty over areas occupied since 2014 by Russia and pro-Russian forces.
?? US President Joe Biden will hold a call on Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Washington said it was concerned China was considering military support for Russia.
?? Russia accused the United States of stoking "Russophobia" and said it had the power to put its "brash enemies into place".
?? The UN Security Council pulled a vote on Friday on a Russian-drafted call for aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine. Diplomats said the measure was set to fail because it does not push for an end to the fighting or withdrawal of Russian troops.
Rescue workers searched for survivors Thursday in the ruins of a theater blown apart by a Russian airstrike in the besieged city of Mariupol, while scores of Ukrainians across the country were killed in ferocious urban attacks on a school, a hostel and other sites.
Hundreds of civilians had been taking shelter in the grand, columned theater in central Mariupol after their homes were destroyed in three weeks of fighting in the southern port city of 430,000.
More than a day after the airstrike, there were no reports of deaths. With communications disrupted across the city and movement difficult because of shelling and other fighting, there were conflicting reports on whether anyone had emerged from the rubble. (AP)
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at 6.30 pm IST Friday, reports news agency Reuters.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Thursday urged India to speak out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The lawmakers, led by Congressman Joe Wilson and Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, had a call with India's top envoy to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu where they discussed the matter.
Appreciated the opportunity to join Wilson in a bipartisan call with Ambassador Sandhu, urging India to speak out against Putin's targeting of civilians in Ukraine, Khanna said. This is for the second time in two days that US lawmakers have urged India to condemn Russia over its military offensive against Ukraine. (PTI)
There are drones that fire missiles and then there are ones which are missiles themselves. Called the Kamikaze or suicide drones, these are unmanned aircraft that are part of the tranche of weapons that are being sent by the US to Ukraine to assist their fight against Russia.
Also called Switchblade drones, these are small unmanned aircraft that are packed with explosives that can be flown directly at a tank or a group of troops that are destroyed when it hits the target and explodes.
The single-use weapons are cheaper than most US drones, and come in two sizes, according to AeroVironment, the manufacturer. The Switchblade 300 weighs about five pounds, flies up to 15 minutes at a time, and is designed to be carried in a backpack, assisting small infantry units tracking the Russians’ movements. The Switchblade 600, by comparison, weighs about 50 pounds, flies up to 40 minutes, and is known as a “loitering missile” that can target armoured vehicles. (Read more)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was thankful to US President Joe Biden for the additional military aid but said he would not say specifically what the new package included because he didn't want to tip off Russia.
"This is our defense," he said in his nighttime video address to the nation. "When the enemy doesn't know what to expect from us. As they didn't know what awaited them after February 24," the day Russia invaded. "They didn't know what we had for defense or how we prepared to meet the blow."
Zelenskyy said Russia expected to find Ukraine much as it did in 2014, when it seized Crimea without a fight and backed separatists as they took control of the eastern Donbas region. But Ukraine is now a different country, with much stronger defenses, he said.
He said it also was not the time to reveal Ukraine's tactics in the ongoing negotiations with Russia. "Working more in silence than on television, radio or on Facebook," Zelenskyy said. "I consider it the right way." (AP)
In a voice that was decisive but also carried a thin hint of nervousness, he tried to end the conversation with “Okay, I’ve listened to you”. But she persisted. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” He had a menacing Kalashnikov in his hands. She had only a packet of sunflower seeds. She was wearing her regular black coat, the sort you wear when you go to the farmer’s market in winter. He was in his army fatigues, the modern kind that has pockets everywhere to carry munitions. He spoke with the certainty of military orders. She with the certainty that comes from moral outrage. The video of their conversation in Kyiv has gone viral. (Read more)
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading economies are calling on Russia to comply with the International Court of Justice's order to stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw its military forces.
In a joint statement, the G-7's top diplomats condemned what they described as "indiscriminate attacks on civilians" by Russian forces including the siege of Mariupol and other cities.
They accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of conducting an "unprovoked and shameful war" that has forced millions to flee their homes and resulted in the destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, theatres and schools. (AP)
"Those in power in the Kremlin started this war. This is not the Russian people's war," Arnold Schwarzenegger says in a recently-released video.
There are 15-20 Indians in war-hit Ukraine who want to leave and are being provided all help, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, asserting that "Operation Ganga" is still on. At a media briefing here, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it is a war situation but "we will keep doing what we can to evacuate those who want to come". "Till about three days ago, there were about 50 Indians who were there. Our assessment is that there are 15-20 people who want to leave that country, the others who are there do not want to leave right now. We are providing as much help as possible to them," Bagchi said. Noting that over 22,500 Indians have been brought back from the east European country, he said there are people in isolated pockets and "this is an evolving situation". "We are in contact with all the Indians who are there," he added. --PTI
Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe will no longer be attempting this year to send its first rover to Mars, which was to have probed whether the planet ever hosted life.
The European Space Agency confirmed Thursday that it's indefinitely suspending its ExoMars rover mission with partner Roscosmos, Russia's state space corporation. The ESA had previously said that the mission was ``very unlikely`` because of Russia's war against Ukraine. (AP)
The Bank of England raised its key interest rate on Thursday for the third time since December as it pushes ahead faster than other central banks in combating a global wave of inflation that is set to accelerate following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The bank boosted its key rate to 0.75 per cent after the war pushed oil prices to a 13-year high earlier this month. It comes a day after the US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark short-term rate to 0.25 per cent to tame the worst inflation since the early 1980s. (AP)
Britain's defense secretary says his country will deploy a missile defense system to NATO ally Poland in reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
During a visit to the Polish capital, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the United Kingdom is sending the Sky Sabre medium-range anti-air missile system to Poland with about 100 personnel. He said the move is "to make sure that we stand alongside Poland in protecting her airspace from any further aggression from Russia.''
The decision comes days after Russian missiles struck a military base in Yavoriv, Ukraine, just a few miles from the border with Poland. (AP)
Referencing Reagan's Berlin Wall speech in his address to the Bundestag, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged Chancellor Scholz to "tear down" the new wall Russia is trying to erect in central Europe.
Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days and they continue to suffer heavy losses, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Thursday. In its latest Defence Intelligence Update posted on social media, the MoD said that while the Russian invasion had largely stalled, the Ukrainian resistance remained well-coordinated. "The Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely stalled on all fronts," the MoD intelligence update reads. "Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days and they continue to suffer heavy losses. Ukrainian resistance remains staunch and well-coordinated. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands," it adds. --PTI
With the Russia-Ukraine crisis intensifying, United States President Joe Biden has announced a ban on all crude oil and natural gas imports from Russia into the US, while the UK announced that it would phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of this year. Read Quixplained
Ukrainian authorities struggled to determine the fate of hundreds of civilians who had been sheltering in a theater 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 theater had collapsed after the strike Wednesday evening. Several hundred people had taken refuge in the building, seeking safety amid Russia's 3-week, strangulating siege of the strategic Azov Sea port city. --AP
The United States remains in touch with Indian leaders and continues to encourage them to work closely with it to stand up against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House has said. At her daily news conference on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked how the world's largest and oldest democracies are working together to bring peace in the region amidst the war in Ukraine. "As you know, we remain in touch through a range of channels from our national security team with leaders in India and continue to encourage leaders to work closely with us -- to stand up against President Putin's invasion of Ukraine," Psaki told reporters. --PTI
Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, has decided to establish a legal framework through which cryptocurrencies can be operated in the country in a regulated ecosystem. The country’s parliament had in February passed the law to legalise cryptocurrencies, and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed it into a law Wednesday.
According to CoinDesk, the new Ukrainian law on cryptocurrencies determines the legal status, classification, ownership and regulators of virtual assets, in addition to establishing registration requirements for cryptocurrency service providers. In a tweet, Ukraine’s digital ministry said: “From now on, foreign and Ukrainian cryptocurrencies exchanges will operate legally and banks will open accounts for crypto companies. It is an important step towards the development of the VA (virtual assets) market in Ukraine”. (Read more)
The doors of the museum in the western city of Lviv have been closed since Russia’s war on Ukraine began on February 24, and heritage sites across the country face danger as the fighting continues. Browse through our gallery for more photos.
President Joe Biden Wednesday flatly called Russia’s Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the unfolding onslaught in Ukraine, where hospitals and maternity wards have been bombed. But declaring someone a war criminal is not as simple as just saying the words. There are set definitions and processes for determining who’s a war criminal and how they should be punished.
The White House had been avoiding applying the designation to Putin, saying it requires investigation and an international determination. After Biden used the term, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president was “speaking from his heart” and renewed her statements that there is a process for making a formal determination. (Read more)
Ukraine hopes to evacuate civilians through nine "humanitarian corridors" Thursday from cities including the encircled port city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Russia's armed forces hit a military depot in the Rivne region in western Ukraine Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, citing the defence ministry.
High-precision missiles hit a depot in Sarny, Rivne region, destroying storage facilities for missiles and ammunition, the ministry said. (Reuters)
Losses are mounting in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, with 53 people killed by Russian forces on Wednesday alone, the regional governor said Thursday.
"We are suffering heavy losses — 53 citizens were killed yesterday," Governor Viacheslav Chaus said. (Reuters)
A poorly edited video purporting to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly capitulating to Russian demands drew widespread ridicule Wednesday, but experts said it could be a harbinger of more sophisticated deceptions to come.
The video appeared to show an ashen-faced Zelenskyy speaking from the presidential lectern and urging his countrymen to down their weapons in the face of Russian invaders. It is not clear whether anyone was convinced.
Internet users immediately flagged the discrepancies between the skin tone on Zelenskyy’s neck and face, the odd accent in the video, and the pixelation around his head. A Facebook official later said the company was removing the footage from its platform. (Read more)
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said Thursday it was not routing flights through Russia's airspace, joining a growing number of Asian airlines avoiding the area after the invasion of Ukraine despite longer flight times.
"We regularly review our flight routings internally and also with information provided by external parties," Cathay said in a statement to Reuters. "We are currently not flying through Russian airspace."
Flight paths on tracking website FlightRadar24 show, for example, that flight CX289 from Hong Kong to Frankfurt was avoiding Russian airspace on Thursday, taking a longer and more southerly route than the last flight on March 13. Cathay declined to comment on when it stopped flying over Russia. (Reuters)
Facebook Wednesday removed official Russian posts that falsely claimed reports of Russia bombing a children’s hospital in Ukraine were a hoax, a company spokesperson said, even as similar messages appeared on other social media platforms.
The misinformation, on Russian Embassy Twitter, Facebook and Telegram accounts, circulated even after Twitter Inc and Meta Platform’s Facebook took down posts from the Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom for breaking their rules against denying violent events, an Israeli watchdog found. (Read more)