Gunny
02-28-2022, 05:53 PM
February 28, 2022
(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis right now:
HEADLINES
* Russian artillery bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Monday, killing possibly dozens of people, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow’s forces met stiff resistance on a fifth day of conflict.
* Talks on a ceasefire ended without a breakthrough. A member of the Ukrainian delegation said the discussions were difficult and the Russian side was biased.
* Ukrainian defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov appealed directly to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine on Monday, saying they would receive full amnesty and monetary compensation if they voluntarily laid down their weapons.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin told France’s Emmanuel Macron that a Ukraine settlement was only possible if Kyiv was neutral, “denazified” and “demilitarised” and Russian control over annexed Crimea was formally recognised, the Kremlin said.
* The United States expects Russian forces to try to encircle Kyiv in the coming days and could become more aggressive out of frustration with their slow advance on the Ukrainian capital, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.
* The United States has expelled 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations over national security concerns, U.S. and Russian diplomats said on Monday. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Russia would respond to the move “because it’s diplomatic practice.”
* The office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday said it will seek court approval to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
* The United States has still not seen any “muscle movements” after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s weekend announcement that he was putting his nuclear forces on high alert, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday. Earlier in the day, Russia’s defense ministry said its nuclear missile forces and Northern and Pacific fleets had been placed on enhanced combat duty.
* Ukraine’s Western allies increased weapons transfers in support, and Britain called for such transfers to be expanded. Finland agreed to ship 2,500 assault rifles and 1,500 anti-tank weapons.
* Russia’s foreign ministry said those supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine will bear responsibility should they be used during Russia’s military campaign there. It said the steps taken by the EU against Russia would meet a harsh response.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a letter formally requesting immediate membership of the European Union for Ukraine – a request unlikely to shorten the admission process, but an emphatic statement of commitment to Western inclusion. Several EU countries came out in support of Zelenskiy’s petition.]
* The African Union (AU) said on Monday that it was disturbed by reports that African citizens in Ukraine are being refused the right to cross borders to safety as they try to flee the conflict in Ukraine.
* The United Nations said on Monday that more than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since the start of Russia’s invasion.
* The websites of several Russian media outlets were hacked on Monday, Reuters checks showed, with their regular sites replaced by an anti-war message and calls to stop President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Later on Monday, Ukrainian government websites were temporarily taken down in the aftermath of a wave of digital attacks, a Kyiv government official said.
SANCTIONS AND ECONOMIC FALL-OUT
* The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Russia’s central bank and other sources of wealth, dealing a crushing blow to the country’s economy and further punishing Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
* Europe’s financial market on Monday began severing Russia’s ties to its critical plumbing for trading, clearing and settling securities as sanctions on Moscow started to bite.
* The Russian rouble fell to fresh record lows on Monday while world stocks slid and oil prices jumped, as the West ramped up sanctions against Russia over its Ukraine invasion, with steps including blocking banks from the SWIFT global payments system.
* Russia’s central bank more than doubled its key policy rate on Monday and introduced some capital controls as the country faced deepening economic isolation, but its governor said sanctions had stopped it selling foreign currency to prop up the rouble.
* Airlines on Monday braced for a potentially lengthy dispute after the European Union banned Russian airlines from its airspace and Moscow responded in kind, barring carriers from 36 countries including all 27 members of the EU.
* Britain on Monday ordered its ports to block any vessels that are Russian-flagged or believed to be registered, owned or controlled by any person connected with Russia.
* Energy giant BP, global bank HSBC and the world’s biggest aircraft leasing firm AerCap joined a growing list of companies looking to exit Russia on Monday, as Western sanctions tightened the screws on Moscow.
* Sporting bodies acted to bar Russian athletes from competing in international events, with FIFA and UEFA suspending Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football. The move makes it likely that Russia will be excluded from this year’s World Cup and the women’s Euro 2020 tournament.
QUOTES
* “I took a train from Kyiv to Lviv to a point where the taxi put us. I walked the last 50 kilometres,” a Ukrainian woman said on arrival at a border crossing with Poland in snowy freezing weather.
* “There are bombings, sirens, we have to go (downstairs). We also receive treatment here, medications we have, but we need more food…basic stuff,” said a tearful Maryna, a mother at a Kyiv children’s hospital where her nine-year-old son is suffering from blood cancer.
https://www.oann.com/ukraine-and-russia-what-you-need-to-know-right-now/
(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the Ukraine crisis right now:
HEADLINES
* Russian artillery bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Monday, killing possibly dozens of people, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow’s forces met stiff resistance on a fifth day of conflict.
* Talks on a ceasefire ended without a breakthrough. A member of the Ukrainian delegation said the discussions were difficult and the Russian side was biased.
* Ukrainian defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov appealed directly to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine on Monday, saying they would receive full amnesty and monetary compensation if they voluntarily laid down their weapons.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin told France’s Emmanuel Macron that a Ukraine settlement was only possible if Kyiv was neutral, “denazified” and “demilitarised” and Russian control over annexed Crimea was formally recognised, the Kremlin said.
* The United States expects Russian forces to try to encircle Kyiv in the coming days and could become more aggressive out of frustration with their slow advance on the Ukrainian capital, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.
* The United States has expelled 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations over national security concerns, U.S. and Russian diplomats said on Monday. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Russia would respond to the move “because it’s diplomatic practice.”
* The office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday said it will seek court approval to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
* The United States has still not seen any “muscle movements” after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s weekend announcement that he was putting his nuclear forces on high alert, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday. Earlier in the day, Russia’s defense ministry said its nuclear missile forces and Northern and Pacific fleets had been placed on enhanced combat duty.
* Ukraine’s Western allies increased weapons transfers in support, and Britain called for such transfers to be expanded. Finland agreed to ship 2,500 assault rifles and 1,500 anti-tank weapons.
* Russia’s foreign ministry said those supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine will bear responsibility should they be used during Russia’s military campaign there. It said the steps taken by the EU against Russia would meet a harsh response.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a letter formally requesting immediate membership of the European Union for Ukraine – a request unlikely to shorten the admission process, but an emphatic statement of commitment to Western inclusion. Several EU countries came out in support of Zelenskiy’s petition.]
* The African Union (AU) said on Monday that it was disturbed by reports that African citizens in Ukraine are being refused the right to cross borders to safety as they try to flee the conflict in Ukraine.
* The United Nations said on Monday that more than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since the start of Russia’s invasion.
* The websites of several Russian media outlets were hacked on Monday, Reuters checks showed, with their regular sites replaced by an anti-war message and calls to stop President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Later on Monday, Ukrainian government websites were temporarily taken down in the aftermath of a wave of digital attacks, a Kyiv government official said.
SANCTIONS AND ECONOMIC FALL-OUT
* The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Russia’s central bank and other sources of wealth, dealing a crushing blow to the country’s economy and further punishing Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
* Europe’s financial market on Monday began severing Russia’s ties to its critical plumbing for trading, clearing and settling securities as sanctions on Moscow started to bite.
* The Russian rouble fell to fresh record lows on Monday while world stocks slid and oil prices jumped, as the West ramped up sanctions against Russia over its Ukraine invasion, with steps including blocking banks from the SWIFT global payments system.
* Russia’s central bank more than doubled its key policy rate on Monday and introduced some capital controls as the country faced deepening economic isolation, but its governor said sanctions had stopped it selling foreign currency to prop up the rouble.
* Airlines on Monday braced for a potentially lengthy dispute after the European Union banned Russian airlines from its airspace and Moscow responded in kind, barring carriers from 36 countries including all 27 members of the EU.
* Britain on Monday ordered its ports to block any vessels that are Russian-flagged or believed to be registered, owned or controlled by any person connected with Russia.
* Energy giant BP, global bank HSBC and the world’s biggest aircraft leasing firm AerCap joined a growing list of companies looking to exit Russia on Monday, as Western sanctions tightened the screws on Moscow.
* Sporting bodies acted to bar Russian athletes from competing in international events, with FIFA and UEFA suspending Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football. The move makes it likely that Russia will be excluded from this year’s World Cup and the women’s Euro 2020 tournament.
QUOTES
* “I took a train from Kyiv to Lviv to a point where the taxi put us. I walked the last 50 kilometres,” a Ukrainian woman said on arrival at a border crossing with Poland in snowy freezing weather.
* “There are bombings, sirens, we have to go (downstairs). We also receive treatment here, medications we have, but we need more food…basic stuff,” said a tearful Maryna, a mother at a Kyiv children’s hospital where her nine-year-old son is suffering from blood cancer.
https://www.oann.com/ukraine-and-russia-what-you-need-to-know-right-now/