Russia-Ukraine War: Russia blocks access to Facebook, Twitter citing 'discrimination'

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak to Russian President Putin and ask him to stop the war. 

The head of Ukraine’s security council called on Russia to create humanitarian corridors to allow children, women and the elderly to escape the fighting.

Oleksiy Danilov said Friday more than 840 children have been wounded in the war. A day earlier, the Ukrainian government put the death toll among children at 28.

He spoke ahead of the latest talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, planned for this weekend.

“The question of humanitarian corridors is question No. 1.,” Danilov said on Ukrainian television. “Children, women, elderly people – what are they doing here?”

Russian troops have encircled and blockaded several large cities in the south of the country, including Mariupol, trying to cut Ukraine off from the Black and Azov seas.

Amid the ongoing Russian military operations in Ukraine, over 11,000 Indian nationals evacuated from the conflict-torn country, informed Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Saturday. The minister received 170 Indian citizens at Indira Gandhi International Airport who were evacuated from Ukraine.

France will propose to its partner-specific steps to safeguard five main Ukrainian nuclear facilities based on the criteria by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Elysee Palace said on Friday. Ukraine has four active nuclear power plants -- Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne and South Ukraine. The fifth one in Chernobyl is currently sealed. "In the coming hours, France will propose to its main partner's concrete measures to provide safety of Ukraine's five main nuclear objects based on IAEA technical criteria," the palace said in a statement, noting that French President Emmanuel Macron has met with the IAEA director-general and supported the latter's efforts for constant security control of nuclear installations in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will talk to U.S. senators on a video conference call Saturday morning, according to a person familiar with the invitation from the Ukrainian embassy.

All senators are invited to the call, according to the person, who requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation. The meeting will be the first time lawmakers have talked to the Ukrainian president since Russia invaded his country.

The call will come as Congress is considering a request for $10 billion in emergency funding, with money going toward humanitarian aid and security needs in the war-torn country. Approval could come as soon as next week.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is currently in Slovakia as a part of Operation Ganga, on Friday called on the prime minister of the Slovak Republic and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message of gratitude for the help extended in evacuating of Indian nationals from Ukraine. "Called on Prime Minister of Slovak Republic HE @eduardheger and conveyed Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji's message, and expressed gratitude for the critical help extended in evacuating back to India the Indian nationals who have come from Ukraine," Kiren Rijiju tweeted. On Thursday, Rijiju had interacted with Indian students there and assured them that the government is ensuring their safe return to India.

The White House announced Friday that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Poland and Romania next week to meet with officials to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the impact the war is having on the region.

Harris’ agenda for the March 9 to 11 visit to Warsaw and Bucharest is expected to centre on economic, security and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.

In a bitter and emotional speech, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized NATO for refusing to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it will fully untie Russia’s hands as it escalates its attack from the air.

“All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity,” he said in a nighttime address. “The alliance has given the green light to the bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages by refusing to create a no-fly zone.”

On Friday, NATO refused to impose a no-fly zone, warning that to do so could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia.

“All that the alliance was able to do today was to pass through its procurement system 50 tons of diesel fuel for Ukraine. Perhaps so we could burn the Budapest Memorandum,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the 1994 security guarantees given to Ukraine in exchange for the withdrawal of its Soviet-era nuclear weapons.

After blocking Facebook, Russia’s state communications watchdog has quickly followed up by declaring a block on Twitter amid the tensions over the war in Ukraine.

The agency, Roskomnadzor, said Friday it cut access to Twitter in line with the Russian Prosecutor General’s office decision. The watchdog has previously accused Twitter of failing to delete the content banned by the Russian authorities and slowed down access to it.

Microsoft said on Friday it is suspending all new sales of products and services in Russia due to the Ukraine conflict. "We are announcing today that we will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia," the statement read. "In addition, we are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions," it said.

Russia’s defence minister has spoken to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about humanitarian corridors in Ukraine.

Sergei Shoigu told Guterres in Friday’s call that the Russian military has created safe corridors for civilians to exit areas blocked by the Russian troops but charged that Ukrainian “nationalists” have prevented them from leaving, according to the Defense Ministry readout. Shoigu alleged that “nationalist and neo-Nazi forces, which also include foreign mercenaries, have used civilians as shields,” a claim that couldn’t be independently verified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the European nations to support his country’s fight against the invading Russian military.

Zelenskyy appeared on video as he addressed thousands of people protesting the war in several European cities, naming among them Paris, Prague, Lyon, Frankfurt and others. He asked the big crowds not to be silent about what was going on in his country. 

“Don’t turn a blind eye on this,” he said. “Come out and support Ukraine as much as you can,” he said through a translator.

“If we fall, you will fall,” he said.

“And if we win, and I’m sure we’ll win, this will be the victory of the whole democratic world, this will be the victory of our freedom, this will be the victory of light over darkness, of freedom over slavery. And if we win we will become as blossoming as Europe. And Europe will be flourishing more than ever,” he said.

“All of you are Ukrainians today, thank you for this.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill introducing a prison sentence of up to 15 years for spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s position on the war in Ukraine.

The bill criminalizing the intentional spreading of what Russia deems to be “fake” reports about the war was quickly rubber-stamped by both houses of the Kremlin-controlled parliament earlier Friday.

Russian authorities have repeatedly decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as “fake” reports. State media outlets refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation” rather than a “war” or “invasion.”

 The United Nations has welcomed Russia-Ukraine talks and expressed the hope that all agreements will be implemented without delay. "We welcome the reported agreement between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiators during their second round of talks in Belarus yesterday," the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said in a statement on Friday. She said the UN understands that the two sides focused on the establishment of humanitarian corridors to allow safe passage for civilians and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. "We hope that this reported agreement is implemented without delay and that a full and unconditional ceasefire is quickly agreed and enacted," DiCarlo noted, adding that the UN urges both sides to continue negotiations and make urgent progress on security, humanitarian and other issues.

Russia’s state communications watchdog has ordered to completely block access to Facebook in Russia amid the tensions over the war in Ukraine.

The agency, Roskomnadzor, said Friday it decided to cut access to Facebook over its alleged “discrimination” of the Russian media and state information resources. It said the restrictions introduced by Facebook owner Meta on the RT and other state-controlled media violate the Russian law.

A week ago, the watchdog announced “partial restrictions” on access to Facebook that sharply slowed it down, citing the platform’s moves to limit the accounts of several state-controlled Russian media. Facebook and Twitter have played a major role in amplifying dissent in Russia in recent years.

The move against Facebook follows the blocks imposed Friday on the BBC, the U.S. government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and Latvia-based website Meduza as the government seeks to uproot independent sources of information about the invasion of Ukraine.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to several European capitals next week where he will discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and disinformation coming from the Kremlin.

Trudeau says he will have meetings in London, Berlin, Riga, Latvia and Warsaw, Poland. He says he is joining partners to stand against Moscow’s attack on Ukraine. Trudeau says Russia is reeling from strong and aligned sanctions that democracies around the world have employed.

The United States, while speaking at the UN Security Council on Friday, condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant and said "it must be stopped right now" in order to avert any humanitarian crisis. During the meeting, the US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield demanded Moscow to avoid any further deployment of troops or any attack on the nuclear power plant. Reacting to multiple media reports and the Ukrainian government's allegation that the Russian forces were not letting the factories workers change their shift, Linda raised grave concern and demanded Russia to ensure a normal working environment at the nuclear power plant. "Russian forces are now 20 miles and closing from Ukraine’s second-largest nuclear facility, so this imminent danger continues. We narrowly avoided a disaster last night," she said at the emergency UNSC meeting. "The international community must be unanimous in demanding Russia’s forces stop their dangerous assault. As I have said before, the people of Ukraine are counting on us, and we must not let them down," she added. 

Indian Air Force's (IAF) C-17 aircraft carrying 210 Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine reached the Hindon airbase on Friday. The IAF flight departed from the Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday under Operation Ganga.

A top Russian diplomat insisted Friday that his country will not occupy Ukraine. “The goal is very clear: Denazification and demilitarization,” Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador in Geneva, said of the invasion — which he called a “special military operation.” “We are not going to stay in Ukraine militarily. We are not going to occupy this country,” he told the U.N. Geneva press association ACANU. “I don’t now all the details of the military plan, but the political goal is as I described it.”  He said the definition of “demilitarization” was being discussed in diplomatic talks between Ukrainian and Russian envoys. “We want to secure — or to have guarantees — that the threat is not coming from Ukraine against the Russian Federation.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held separate calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Erdogan told Johnson that Turkey would continue to strive for an immediate cease-fire as well an immediate end to Russia’s actions on Ukraine, according to a brief statement released from his office.

Erdogan and Zelenskyy discussed “Russia’s attacks and the latest developments” in Ukraine, his office said in a separate statement but did not elaborate.

Turkey, which has close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, has been calling for a cease-fire to end the fighting.

Brazil’s government said on Friday it will issue temporary humanitarian visas and residency permits for Ukrainian nationals and other individuals who have been affected or displaced by the conflict with Russia.

The visas will be valid for 180 days and arriving Ukrainians can apply for residency permits lasting two years, according to the text published in the nation’s official gazette. Brazil will require, among other documents, a certificate attesting to the person’s clean criminal record.

Brazilian media have reported that the country has Latin America’s biggest population of Ukrainians and their descendants, ranging between 500,000 and 600,000, according to an estimate from Ukraine’s embassy.

Expressing concern over Russia's attack on Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant, India on Friday said that New Delhi accords the highest priority to the discharge by the IAEA of its safeguards and monitoring activities, in accordance with its Statute in an effective, non-discriminatory and efficient manner. "We continue to carefully follow developments regarding the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power reactors and facilities. India attaches the highest importance to ensuring the safety and security of nuclear facilities as any accident involving the nuclear facilities may have severe consequences," said India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti at the UNSC meeting.

The BBC says it is temporarily suspending the work of all its journalists in Russia after the country’s lawmakers approved legislation criminalizing reporting of the war in Ukraine that differs from the government line.

Tim Davie, director-general of the British broadcaster, said the legislation “appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism.” He said the corporation was halting newsgathering work by its journalists and support staff in Russia “while we assess the full implications of this unwelcome development.”

“The safety of our staff is paramount and we are not prepared to expose them to the risk of criminal prosecution simply for doing their jobs,” he said.

UN Security Council urgent meeting called following seizing of Ukraine Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (local time) spoke to Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and discussed the actions of the Russian Federation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which he called "nuclear terrorism".

Zelenskyy also thanked Kishida for the diverse assistance to Ukraine as well as for the pressure on Russian Federation through sanctions.

"Continued dialogue with Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Informed about Russia's nuclear terrorism at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We both agree on the gravity of threats to global security. Thanked Japan for the diverse assistance to Ukraine the sanctions pressure on Russian Federation.  Together we oppose the aggressor," Zelenskyy said in a tweet.

Russian troops have occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, where a fire that had threatened potential disaster was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, said Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi on Friday.

International Atomic Energy Agency has said that two people were injured after a fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following heavy shelling from Russian forces.

The plant is the largest of its kind in Ukraine and contains six of the country's 15 nuclear energy reactors, according to IAEA.
Director-General of IAEA Rafael Grossi said that the safety systems of the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) were not affected by the fire, adding that adding there was no radiation release.

Earlier, IAEA had put its Incident and Emergency Centre (IAEAIEC) in full 24/7 response mode due to the serious situation.
Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that the site of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) had been shelled overnight and Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi immediately spoke with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as well as the country's national nuclear regulator and operator about the serious situation.

Meanwhile, the fighting has stopped near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Friday and the radiation levels are currently normal.

(ANI)
 

As part of the ongoing 'Operation Ganga' to evacuate the stranded Indian citizens from Ukraine, 18 students hailing from Kerala reached Thiruvananthapuram via an Indigo flight on Friday.

Speaking to ANI, Manu Ajai who returned today said that they were supported by the officials of the Romanian and Indian governments.

"They started the attack on February 25 from the Army bases. We evacuated as soon as possible and reached the border on February 27. It was very difficult and it was with the support of so many other people also. Romanian government volunteers, the Indian government, Norka officials everyone helped us. With their help, we have reached here and I am so happy that we reached here. There are still students in Kharkiv," he said.

Another student Anusree also credited the government officials for her return to India.

"We started our journey on February 25, and on March 4, we reached here with the help of the  Indian government and especially I want to thank the Romanian government," she said.

Meanwhile, a total of 5,245 Indian nationals were airlifted from Romania to the country till March 3 amid Russia's military operations in Ukraine, informed the Government of India on Friday.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

(ANI)
 

Budget carrier AirAsia India on Friday said it is operating an evacuation flight from Suceava city in Romania to fly back stranded Indians from the war-hit Ukraine.

AirAsia India's maiden rescue flight under Operation Ganga, has departed from Suceava to Delhi carrying over 170 guests safely, the airline said on Friday.

"The flight departed to Delhi from Suceava at 6.30 pm (local time) and it is being operated via Dubai. it is expected to arrive in Delhi at 4.30 am (on Saturday), subject to OCC approval, an AirAsia India spokesperson said.

The Bengaluru-headquartered carrier, in which Tata Group owns  83.6 per cent stake, and Malaysian airliner group AirAsia the rest 16.33 per cent, also said it is looking to operate few more evacuation flights. 

"While there are other flights that are being planned, they are all subject to requirement of the External Affairs Ministry and can only be chartered a day in advance," he said.                 

India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to a Russian military offensive.              

Apart from civilian flights, which have so far been operated by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Go First and SpiceJet, Indian Air Force helping the government in bringing back the stranded Indians from Ukraine.

According to the MEA, 15 flights landed in India during the past 24 hours, flying back 3,000 Indian nationals while 16 flights are scheduled for the next 24 hours.

(PTI)

Outraged by the invasion of Ukraine, lawmakers in New Jersey's largest city lashed out at one of the closest symbols of Russia they could find  a pair of Lukoil gas stations.

The Newark City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ask the city's business administrator to suspend the service stations' operating licenses, citing Lukoil's base in Moscow.

In doing so, however, they may have predominantly been hurting Americans.

The stations are franchises owned by locals, not Russians. They employ mostly New Jersey residents. And the gasoline sold at the stations comes from a local Phillips 66 refinery.

The campaign targeting the gas stations is one example of collateral damage from the backlash against Russia, as government officials and customers race to show their support for Ukraine by boycotting products and companies  or things they perceive to be Russian.

Roger Verma, a New Jersey resident who immigrated from India 45 years ago, has owned the franchise for one of the Lukoil stations in Newark since 2005. He said the decision to yank his license left him baffled and concerned that he could be put out of business, which would affect his 16 employees.

Let me be clear that I stand with Ukraine and I'm fully in support of Russian sanctions, Verma said Wednesday in front of Newark's City Hall. But I'm baffled and confused how people sitting in these positions without having any of their facts together and without having full knowledge of how things are done can introduce and change laws and change people's lives just like that.

In some places, people have been pouring out Smirnoff vodka, not realizing that the beverage is owned by an English company and the bottles consumed in the U.S. are distilled in Illinois.

Charlie Tgibedes, owner of Box Seats, a restaurant and sports bar in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, told The Sun Chronicle newspaper he's not ordering more vodka from Russian companies but questioned the wisdom of tossing what he already has.

It looks good doing it, but the stuff is already in the building and paid for. You're just hurting yourself dumping it down the drain, he said.

On social media, people have called for boycotts of Lukoil stations, which operate in 11 states, mainly in the northeastern U.S.

Newark officials said going after the Lukoil stations was the moral thing to do, even if they are locally owned.

All of us are horrified by the images we're seeing from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Council Member Anibal Ramos said Wednesday. Today Newark is standing in solidarity with a number of countries around the world who are supporting democracy and taking sanctions against the Russian federation.

A phone message couldn't be left at a listing for Lukoil Americas Corp. in New York.

In a statement posted on its website Thursday, Lukoil's board of directors expressed its deepest concerns about the tragic events in Ukraine and called for the soonest termination of the armed conflict.

We express our sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy. We strongly support a lasting ceasefire and a settlement of problems through serious negotiations and diplomacy, it said.

It wasn't immediately clear Thursday when the Newark stations' licenses would be revoked, or if the city administrator might halt the suspension. Ramos, who introduced the resolution, said he anticipated it would still happen.

Sal Risalvato, executive director of New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience Store and Automotive Association, called the crackdown on the stations nothing more than political theater.

All of the station owners condemn what Russia is doing in Ukraine, but do not deserve to lose their businesses and their investments because of Russia's bad behavior, Risalvato wrote in an email.

Ramos said the license suspension in Newark is meant to be temporary and his office had received calls from employers offering to give jobs to any affected gas station workers.

(AP) 

The third round of peace negotiations between the Russian and Ukraine delegations is likely to take place this weekend. 

Odia students returning home from war-torn Ukraine on Friday narrated their ordeal of having to walk miles in sub-zero temperatures waiving the Indian Tricolour and being heckled by Ukrainian soldiers before crossing the border to safety.

The Odisha government said that 65 students from the state were rescued from war-ravaged Kharkiv during the day, and efforts are underway to evacuate all Odia students from Ukraine within the next 24 hours. It said at least 199 Odia students have returned to the state from the eastern European nation so far.

Aritri Angelina Behera, a medical student from Cuttack who was among the 11 students who returned to Odisha from Ukraine during the day, thanked both the Centre and the state government for making arrangements for their evacuation.

"Once we crossed Ukraine, representatives of the Indian Embassy and the Odisha government made all arrangements for our safe return. But the real challenge was crossing the country.

"We lived in a bunker since February 24 and exited it only three days later. Every second was challenging while crossing Ukraine. However, we held the Indian Tricolour high and walked miles to reach the border," she said.

Eureka Choudhury, another student who returned to Odisha, alleged that Indians faced discrimination in Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian soldiers were cordial to Nigerians and others but were harsh on Indians. I was heckled by them before crossing the international border to enter Romania. We walked 12 km in minus six degrees Celsius, which was really painful," she said.

Asish Bisi and Dinesh Sahu, who returned from Kharkiv, said that more students are still trapped in Ukraine, and they need to be evacuated immediately as the situation was worsening by the day.

The Odisha government, which has nominated special representatives to coordinate the safe evacuation of people from the state, arranged special buses for the transportation of 65 students from Kharkiv to Ukraine's international borders, from where they would return to India.

The administration said that several people from Odisha have crossed over to Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia from where they were being evacuated by the Ministry of External Affairs on special flights.

The state government has deputed Vikramaditya, vice-president of KIIT and KISS universities, to look after overall coordination for evacuation of students from Poland, while Arushi Ray of UNHCR has been assigned to coordinate the safe passage of students who have reached Hungary.

Similarly, Baishali Mohanty, a UN policy officer in Rome, will look after the evacuation from Romania and Anurag Pattnaik, who is based in Hungary, will coordinate in Slovakia.

(PTI)

German Chancellor Scholz and President Putin have discussed the current crisis in Ukraine by phone on Friday, German Cabinet reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fled Ukraine for Poland. Russian state-owned media Sputnik said quoting Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

"Took part in the extraordinary meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. My message: act now before it’s too late. Don’t let Putin turn Ukraine into Syria. We are ready to fight. We will continue fighting. But we need partners to help us with concrete, resolute and swift actions, now," Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

We have evacuated one Bangladeshi national and received a request from a Nepalese national for evacuation: MEA

Govt of India will be bearing expenses for Harjot Singh's medical treatment (in Kyiv, Ukraine.) We are trying to ascertain his medical status... Our embassy is trying to get an update on his health status...trying to reach out but facing trouble as it's a conflict zone: MEA

Putin has failed to divide us; NATO has come out stronger. NATO allies have trained and equipped Ukraine's armed forces for many years & they are now on the frontline; this support has been crucial for Ukraine and we are now stepping up our support, said Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO.

Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, on Friday said that they want to find a dip;lomatic solution of the war. However, he afded that NATO is not seeking war with Russia.

From Budapest, 3000 people evacuated till yesterday, another 1100 expected to leave today. We've asked for 7 more flights, which will make it another 1400 people being evacuated tomorrow: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri from the Hungary-Zahony border

Two Air India Express flights on Friday brought 369 Indian nationals who were stranded in war-hit Ukraine to Mumbai from Romania's capital Bucharest and the Hungarian capital Budapest, the airline's spokesperson said.

So far, a total of 951 Indians stuck in Ukraine, most of them students, have landed in Mumbai by five evacuation flights operated by Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express since February 26.

Thousands of Indians got stuck in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country.

An Air India Express flight from Budapest with 184 Indian evacuees landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here at 12.20 pm.

Earlier in the day, Air India Express flight from Bucharest IX 1204 with 185 evacuees arrived at 2.13 am at the city airport where Union minister Raosaheb Danve welcomed the passengers.

He assured them that the evacuation operation will continue till all those stranded in Ukraine are brought back.

Ukraine's airspace is shut since February 24, and India has been evacuating its citizens by special flights from that country's western neighbours including Romania, Hungary and Poland.

Air India, which is now owned by the Tata Group, operated the first evacuation flight from Bucharest which brought back 219  Indian nationals to Mumbai on February 26.

It was followed by two Air India Express flights, both from Bucharest, bringing 182 and 181 Indians on March 1 and March 3.

Air India Express has been operating evacuation flights via Kuwait to facilitate refueling. PTI 

US embassy in Ukraine says it is a 'war crime to attack a nuclear power plant' and says Putin's 'reign of terror' has been taken one step further.

Russian airline Aeroflot has been removed from the global electronic ticket booking system, crippling the majority of government-owned carrier's ability to sell seats.

A total of 5,245 Indians airlifted from Romania to India till 3rd March, says the Government of India.

Amid heavy fighting with Ukrainian forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that nationalist "neo-Nazis" units of Ukraine are preventing foreigners, including Indians from leaving the war zone and are using them as human shields.

In a video address, Putin on Thursday said, "The fact that we are fighting neo-Nazis is proved by how the hostilities are going, nationalist neo-Nazi's units are using foreign mercenaries from the Middle East. Also, they use civilians as human shields, hiding behind their backs and we have facts, pictures of how they deploy heavy weapons in residential areas."

He alleged that Ukrainian forces are taking them hostage. Putin said, "That's how gangsters act, from the kindergartens, from hospitals, they put their guns, tanks, cannons and they are taking foreign citizens as hostages from thousands of students studying in Ukraine colleges."

He also alleged that around 3000 Indian students were taken as hostages by Ukrainian "neo-Nazis" units.

"They kept more than 3,000 Indian citizens as hostages, including 576 people in Sumy. Neo-Nazis opened fire at Chinese students who wanted to leave Kharkiv, two of them were wounded," said Putin.

Meanwhile, the Indian Government on Thursday said that the Indian embassy in Ukraine is in continuous touch with its stranded citizens, adding that it has not received any reports of students being held hostage in the war-hit country.

The government's remarks came in response to media queries after the claims of the Russian embassy in India on Wednesday that the Indian students have been taken hostage by Ukrainian security forces to use them as a human shield.

Refuting the reports of Indian students being held hostage, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed that many students left Kharkiv yesterday with the cooperation of Ukrainian authorities.

"We have not received any reports of any hostage situation regarding any student. We have requested for the support of the Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for evacuating students from Kharkiv and neighbouring areas to the western part of the country," he added.

Bagchi further said that the MEA has been coordinating effectively with the countries in the region, including Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, and expressed gratitude towards Ukrainian authorities for their help in the evacuation of Indians.

(ANI)

India abstained from voting in United Nations Human Rights Council vote on establishing independent commision of inquiry on Russia-Ukraine crisis.

"No support from the Indian embassy yet. I have been trying to get in touch with them, every day they say we will do something but no help yet," says Harjot Singh, an Indian who sustained multiple bullet injuries in war-torn Ukraine, receiving treatment at a Kyiv hospital.

Informing about the attack, he said, "This is Feb 27 incident. We were 3 people in a cab on our way to the third checkpoint where we were told to return due to security reasons. While coming back, multiple bullets were fired at our car due to which I sustained multiple bullet injuries."

Lots of foreign nationals including Indians are here and special tents are built for them. Last night there were around 815 Indians while today there are 300: A Red Cross volunteer at Siret border, Romania

The Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission are exploring the possibility of relaxing provisions of the NMC (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 or finding alternatives to enable Ukraine-returned medical students complete their courses in private colleges in India or abroad.

Officials from NMC, Health Ministry, MEA and NITI Aayog will soon hold important meeting and the issue will be reviewed on humanitarian grounds and looked at sympathetically, sources said.

According to the provisions of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 the entire course, training and internship or clerkship shall be done outside India in the same foreign medical institution throughout the course of study.

The provisions also state that no part of medical training and internship shall be done in India or in any country other than the one from where the primary medical qualification is obtained.

An official source said presently there are no norms and regulations under the National Medical Commission Regulations to accommodate medical students, who were studying abroad and had to return to India midway, in Indian medical colleges in between an academic session.

"However, keeping in view such extraordinary situations, the issue will be reviewed on humanitarian grounds and looked at sympathetically," the source said.

"Discussions in the Health Ministry and the NMC have to begun to explore the possibility of relaxation in the provisions of the NMC (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021 or find alternatives to allow such students complete their courses in private medical colleges or enable their transfer to colleges abroad," official source said.

Finding out a way requires brainstorming and exhaustive deliberations, according to the source.

Ukraine has a six-year MBBS course and two year internship programme and it is much affordable in comparison to that in private medical colleges in India.

With thousands of students fleeing the war-torn country, their future is in jeopardy. 

(PTI)

Ukrainian state nuclear company says 3 Ukrainian troops killed, 2 wounded in Russian attack on nuclear plant, reports AP.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Medical Association said that it is concerned about the fate and future of all these medical students admitted to various medical schools/colleges in Ukraine and out of the compulsion of the situation have turned out to be the hapless victim thereto. 

It recommended, “All the evacuated medical education learners who are Indian Citizens and have procured admissions there upon seeking eligibility certificate from the statutory authorities in India and at various stages of progression there be adjusted as a onetime measure in existing medical schools in the country through an appropriate disbursed distribution keeping in mind the geographic locational interest of the said learner directing that the said incorporation in the concerned medical college being one time should not be taken as an increase in the annual intake capacity and should be permitted to go in for progression in the respective Indian Medical Schools for the remainder of their MBBS Course. This will also need the validation of certification which has been made by the competent academic authorities of the medical schools where they were originally admitted in medical schools in Ukraine whereby the progression of theirs’ would be permissible in Indian Medical Schools. Resultantly, on passing out they will be as good as Indian Medical Graduates and not Foreign Medical Graduates. This will not only be a great sucker to saving all of them from their uncertain fate and future but would also go a long way in catering to a larger human cause in a most befitting manner.”

The Russian-Ukraine war can hit the global supply chains that are already constrained due to the pandemic and the worst impact will be on ongoing chip shortage because the warring nations brutally control supplies of key raw materials that go into making semiconductors, warns a report.

Since Russia controls as much as 44 per cent of global palladium suppplies, Ukraine produces a significant 70 per cent of the global supply of neon -- the two key raw materials that go into making chips.

The markets can expect the global chip shortage, that began with the pandemic, to worsen if the military conflict lingers on, says a Moody's Analytics report on Friday.

Palladium and neon are the two resources that are key to the production of semiconductor chips and these chips are necessary in almost all other industries like automobiles, mobile phones and consumer electronics and many others.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine will also lead to higher oil (oil is already at nine-year high and hovering around USD 111 a barrel) and natural gas prices worldwide, even if additional supply outside of Russia comes on line, impacting every oil importing countries, the report notes.

According to the agency, Russia controls 12 per cent of the global crude oil production, 17 per cent of natural gas, 5.2 per cent of coal, 4.3 per cent of copper, 6.1 per cent each of aluminium and nickel, 15 per cent of zinc, 9.5 per cent of gold, 5.4 per cent of silver, 14 per cent of platinum, 44 per cent of palladium and 11 per cent of wheat.

On the other hand, Ukraine meets as much as 70 per cent of the global neon demand.

During the 2014-15 Russia-Ukraine war, neon prices went up by several times, indicating how serious this can be for the semiconductor industry .

Though chip-making companies have stockpiled resources since the 2015 shortage and due to the elevated demand during the pandemic, if a deal is not brokered soon, the chip shortage will get worse impacting almost all industries, like automakers, electronic device manufacturers, phone makers, and many other sectors that are increasingly reliant on chips for their products to work, the report warns.

On the energy front, the worst adverse impact will be felt in Europe, which was mired in an energy crisis even before the Russia-Ukraine war began last week, as they depend heavily on Russian oil and natural gas supplies, the report said.

The global supply chains have been in a fragile state since the start of the pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine military conflict will only exacerbate the situation for companies in many industries, particularly those heavily reliant on energy resources.

Energy prices in Europe significantly diverged from oil prices in the rest of the world last year partly due to the distribution network in Europe and overreliance on a few key suppliers.

The problem with rising crude prices is that it will have serious impct on inflation which will get passed through to energy-intensive goods and services, affecting the whole world.

Though the US does not directly rely on Russia or Ukraine for energy, it has significant indirect energy exposure through goods and services imports from Europe and Asia that are produced using Russian energy.

On the other hand, India and China have more direct exposure to Russian energy, but given the sanctions placed on Russian exports around the world, the countries that continue to contract with Russia will have a better bargaining power and are unlikely to suffer from prices rising too much as a result.

Transportation is another industry that will suffer from the war since transportation has the highest energy intensity of all major industries.

Even before the war, the pandemic has caused shipping costs to skyrocket over 300 per cent in 2021 as border and port closures caused containers to be stuck at different ports around the world, and global shipping focused on the most profitable routes between the East and West.

While shipping costs have come down from their highs at the end of last year, they still remain elevated and will continue to be high due to the scarcity of new containers.

What is certain is that this conflict will feed into the increasingly inflationary environment most countries find themselves in, which in turn is likely to lead to central banks tightening, higher interest rates, and slower growth, adversely impacting companies and consumers with no direct links to the situation via higher prices and interest rates, concludes the report.

(PTI)

The head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog says there has been no release of radiation at the Ukrainian nuclear plant that was targeted.

International Atomic Energy Agency director-general said that the agency has been in contact with the Ukrainian nuclear regulator and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after a building on the site was hit.

That caused a fire that was extinguished. Rafael Mariano Grossi said two people on the site were injured in the fire.

He said that the operator and the regulator say the situation continues to be extremely tense and challenging.

He said that only one reactor is operating at about 60%. 

(AP)

Continued dialogue with Japanese PM. Informed about Russia's nuclear terrorism at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. We both agree on the gravity of threats to global security, tweets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The physical integrity of the (nuclear) plant (in Ukraine) has been compromised...It's time for action...Ukraine sent a request to us. I have indicated to both Russia & Ukraine my availability and position to travel as soon as possible: IAEA DG Rafael Mariano  Grossi

As per reports, The number of casualties from the occupier's airstrikes on Chernihiv has risen to 47

Ahead of kickstarting NATO's Foreign Minister's meet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us, we are ready for it”. He also said, "in the wake of Russia's unprovoked, premeditated aggression, this alliance came together with speed, launched rapid response task force."

He added, "Every ally helping to strengthen NATO will defend every inch of NATO territory".

Unidentified men in uniform search two offices of Memorial in Moscow. Human rights activists say they do not know from which agency and for what purpose they came.

Image: nexta_tv/Twitter

Russian Defence Ministry has said that Russian troops Knocked out tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Gnutovo, abandoned positions in Sartan and abandoned ATGMs "Javelin" on the highway near Lebedinsky. Distribution of food and water to the population in the Berdyansk. 

German Galushchenko, Ukraine's Minister of Energy has said, 'We are at risk of the largest man-made disaster in the history of mankind'.

Russian plane shot down near Zatoka, the pilot ejected and is being searched for.

American Semiconductor company Intel has suspended deliveries to Russia and Belarus.

Lithuania's Ministry of Defence has said NATO Allies are committed to defend every inch of the Alliance territory. The Baltic skies are safeguarded by NATO fighter jets for 18 years already, and, in reaction to Russia's war in Ukraine, the air posture has been enhanced by additional Allied forces. 

Russian Foreign Ministry says that there were five consecutive waves of NATO expansion. Moreover, each time the rhetoric, military planning and exercises of this alliance became increasingly directed against the Russian Federation.

Australia has frozen $33 million in Russian funds in an Australian financial institution under new sanctions as it ramps up response against Russia over military aggression in Ukraine.

Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy has said Hundreds of innocent victims, the total destruction of churches, cathedrals and museums - is the price of the still opened sky over Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that a puppy named Bayraktar, is now working at the Kyiv Region Police Dog Training Center. He senses the approach of the enemy and starts to bark, warning of the danger of the explosions.

Image: @MFA_Ukraine/Twitter

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski has said, "I am shocked by the senseless, irresponsible and dangerous attack on Zaporizhzhya NPP. A radiation leak from a power plant could put the whole of Europe at risk. Russian aggression must end immediately." 

Ukraine's update on Russian troops' advancement:

1. The convoy of armoured vehicles of Russian armed forces have stalled on the outskirts of Kyiv. They have slowed down. 

2. Two battalion tactical groups of the Russian army have moved to two defensive operations in the areas of Poliske and Kukhari. RUSSIA IS TRYING TO INVOLVE ARMED FORCES OF BELARUS. UKRAINE EXPECTS ARMED PROVOCATIONS IN THE BORDER AREAS. 

3. Russian military units from Eastern Military District with 15 BTGs are conducting an offensive operation on Kozarovychi, Vyshhord, Fastiv, Obukhiv 

4. Ukraine has stopped Russian advancement in Makarov area. Russia has withdrawn from Bucha and Gostomel airfield. 

5. Russian Central Military District is using 14 BTGs in the northern direction.

The Czech Republic imposes a 30-day state of emergency due to an influx of refugees from Ukraine.

Lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, State Duma, has unanimously approved a law to punish the dissemination of "fakes" about the actions of the #Russian army. It will come into force tomorrow.

The city authorities have confirmed that the situation in Energodar is calm. Locals are allowed to leave their shelters. The city has been left without heating.

The head of the #US Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, Andy Hunder, has called on US companies to stop all operations in Russia.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said on Friday that the total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 04.03 included 9,166 military personnel. 

Minister of Education of Ukraine has said, "More than 160 educational institutions in Ukraine have been partially or completely destroyed by the shelling of Russian troops”.

While the Russian Embassy demands that the US explain and condemn Senator Graham's statement on President Putin, it also called his remark criminal.

Major construction and engineering software developer Autodesk suspends operations in Russia because of Putin's war.

Follow live coverage here -

Adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, "The logic of this war is the build-up of missile and air strikes on civilian infrastructure, large cities and civilians. Only a “closed sky” will sharply stop the escalation. It's time for Western partners to take responsibility for ending the war..."

Polish Foreign Ministry urges its citizens to leave the territory of Belarus and Russia. The press service said "We recommend Polish citizens staying on the territory of the Republic of Belarus to leave its territory by commercial and private means".

Ukraine's source has stated G7 countries are set to convene a meeting on Ukraine. They will also discuss Russian aggression and retaliatory steps.

Radiation background in Zaporizhzhya region remains normal after nuclear power plant fire, civil-military administration has said.

Russian news agency TASS has reported that 130 Russian buses are ready to evacuate Indian students and other foreigners from Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy to Russia’s Belgorod Region, Russian National Defense Control Center head Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev announced Thursday.

Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Zaporizhzhia Inspectorate has said that power units at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain intact. SNRIU added, unit 1 reactor compartment auxiliary buildings have been damaged, which does not affect the safety of the unit. The systems and components important to the safety of the NPP are operational. At present, no changes in the radiation situation have been registered. Currently, the site of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is occupied by the military forces of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said, "We warn everyone that not a single nation ever shelled nuclear power stations. For the first time in the history of humankind, the terrorist state commits nuclear terrorism. Russian propagandists threatened to cover the world with nuclear ashes. "

"We must stop Russian troops. Tell your politicians: Ukraine is 15 nuclear units. If there will be an explosion, it will the end to all of us, the end of Europe, the evacuation of Europe. Only immediate action of Europe can stop Russian troops and prevent the death of Europe from the disaster at a nuclear station," he added.

As per reports, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud wants to mediate between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has reduced the commission on currency purchase transactions at the stock exchange. From March 4, it is set at 12% for individuals and legal entities. Previously it was at 30%.

The Japanese National Security Service has decided to provide  Ukraine with bullet-proof waistcoats, reports the journal Jiji.

U.S. citizens wishing to depart Ukraine by land have several options. Note that conditions at each border can change very quickly and wait times can increase at any time without warning.  Find specific info on entering neighboring countries, said US Embassy in Kyiv.

The Russian military seized a TV broadcasting tower in the southern city of Kherson.  As a result, there are concerns that it will be used to disseminate misinformation across this city," tweeted The Kyiv Independent. Meanwhile, an air raids alert was issued in Zhytomyr

South Korea seeks exemption from US sanctions against Russia. In return, the country will impose its own export controls at the same level, the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.

Ukrainian emergency services have confirmed that the fire at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant fire has been extinguished. An update published to the State Emergency Services official Telegram account stated, "At 06:20 the fire in the training building of Zaporizhzhya NPP in Energodar was extinguished. There are no victims.”

Airbnb Inc chief executive officer Brian Chesky has announced that the company is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.

As per reports, at Zaporizhzhia NPP, one power unit out of six is still operating. The fire condition of the plant itself is currently normal. Additionally, one of the buildings of the training complex continues to burn as a result of shelling on the territory of the NPP. Three floors of the five-storey building are engulfed by fire. Meanwhile, the Russian military continues to prevent firefighters from starting firefighting operations.

Mayor of Energodar Dmytro Orlov has said that there are injured as Zaporizhzhya NPP caught fire due to Russian shelling.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said, "Deeply concerned about reports of shelling & fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The recklessness & dangers of Putin’s war are demonstrated by the direct threat & risks Russia is posing to critical infrastructure in Ukraine, including nuclear power facilities."

Indian Air Force aircraft took off for Romania at 4:05 am from Hindon Airbase, with approximately 6 tons of humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. 
 

UK Prime Minister Johnson spoke to Ukraine President Zelenskyy tonight; UK to seek an emergency UN Security Council meeting in the coming hours.

The head of the regional administration, Aleksandr Starukh has said that Energodar residents will not be evacuated right now because of the situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which came under fire overnight.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi raises concerns over fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant and said agency is monitoring the situation closely. 

Mayor of Energodar Dmytro Orlov has said that shelling at Zaporizhzhya NPP has now stopped. Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine has said 40 people and 10 vehicles are involved in extinguishing the fire at Zaporizhzhya NPP.

Ukrainian state emergency services, said in an update published to its official Telegram account at 4am local time, "The occupiers are not allow the SES units [Ukrainian public rescue teams] to start eliminating the consequences of the fire.” The agency reportedly said that one of the buildings of the plant’s training complex “continues to burn”, adding that “the fire covered 3, 4, 5 floors of a five-storey building.”

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm has said that the US has activated its Nuclear Incident Response Team, and is monitoring the situation along with the Department of Defense, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the White House.

Reports have stated fighting is still going on in Energodar, where the nuclear power plant is located.

US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm just spoke to Ukraine’s energy minister. She called Russia’s attacks “reckless.” She added, “The plant’s reactors are protected by robust containment structures and reactors are being safely shut down."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to US counterpart Joe Biden after the nuclear power plant caught fire. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba had discussions with US Secretary of state Antony Blinken. 

Zaporizhzhia's reagional state adminsitration has warned that "Situation remains extremely difficult" as Russian shelling continues. The state emergency service said that one unit of the Zaporizhzhia plant has been switched off. 

As per reports, US President Joe Biden has called on russia to allow emergency responders to Ukraine's nuclear power plant, on fire after Russian shelling. 

Ukraine's war-time President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an emergency address on Friday as blazes came out of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and said, "Russia is the first country in world history to fire on a nuclear power plant." Zelenskyy called for an immediate ceasefire and called on allies to stop Russia’s attacks.

Google has suspended the sale of contextual advertising in Russia, including on YouTube, in connection with the war in Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant head Igor Murashov has said, "Nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhya NPP has been broken. We are doing everything possible, but the fire is going on, firefighters are not allowed. There are great risks. Fightings are going on at the plant. The #reactors are in danger."

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant spokesperson Andrey Tuz said, "They bombed everything they could, including the reactor units and everything else. [...] A white car with representatives of Russian military arrived to the plant. [...] It is now being decided whether we will negotiate with them".

The head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration has said, that the Nuclear safety of the plant is ensured.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday has warned that if Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl". calling for an immediate ceasefire, Kuleba said that Russian forces were shelling on Europe's largest nuclear power plant from "all sides". After the facility caught fire as a result of Russian forces' attacks, IAEA also raised concerns over the grim developments on day 9 of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Union MoS General VK Singh has confirmed that another Indian student shot in Ukraine's capital city Kyiv, hospitalised.

Follow live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war here -

MoS Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) VK Singh, in Poland, said I received info today that a student coming from Kyiv got shot and was taken back midway. We're trying for maximum evacuation in minimum loss.

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant caught fire after continues Russian shelling on Friday, according to the mayor of the nearby town Energodar, Dmytro Orlov. He posted on Facebook, “A threat to world security!!! As a result of relentless shelling by the enemy of the buildings and blocks of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire!!!" 

Energodar mayor even stated that the firefighters were unable to reach the fire at the nuclear power plant. Russia shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during the battle for control of a crucial energy-producing city. According to The Associated Press, the nuclear power plant’s spokesperson Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television that shells were falling directly on the Zaporizhzhia and had set fire to one of the six reactors in the facility. 

Tuz said that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was under renovation and not operating but there is nuclear fuel inside. He said that firefighters cannot get near the fire coming out from the facility because Russian shelling continued in the area. 

A government official told AP that elevated levels of radiation were detected near the site of the plant. Zaporizhzhia provides around 25% of Ukraine’s power generation. Meanwhile, Tuz called for the fighting to stop so that the fire can be put out. 
 

 Russian troops are shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power station in Ukraine.

“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Andriy Tuz, spokesperson for the plant in Enerhodar, said in a video posted on Telegram. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.”

The plant accounts for about one quarter of Ukraine’s power generation.

The fighting at Enerhodar, a city on the Dnieper River that accounts for one-quarter of the country’s power generation, came as another round of talks between the two sides yielded a tentative agreement to set up safe corridors inside Ukraine to evacuate citizens and deliver humanitarian aid.

A special flight from Romania carrying 219 Indian nationals stranded in conflict-torn Ukraine reached Delhi on Friday. The special IndiGo flight under Operation Ganga departed from the Romanian capital Bucharest on Thursday. Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Kailash Choudhary received the Indian citizens on their arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport. He also interacted with the students.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday had a "constructive conversation" with Quad leaders which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the rapidly evolving Russia-Ukraine conflict. On a question whether India-Russia military ties were discussed during the Quad meet, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "US President Joe Biden felt it was a constructive conversation." Psaki added that Biden suggested that members of their national security team should follow up going forward. The Quad leaders convened a virtual meeting on Wednesday where they discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications also reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

 The Department of Homeland Security will grant temporary legal status to Ukrainians living in the U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that Temporary Protected Status would be extended for 18 months.

“Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” Mayorkas said in a statement.

Temporary Protected Status is given to citizens of countries devastated by war or natural disasters.

It comes as pressure was mounting on the Biden administration from members of Congress, including the Senate’s top Democrat, to grant the status to Ukrainians following Russia’s invasion of their country.

Amid the escalating war in Ukraine, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she supports banning Russian oil imports to the U.S., a hefty nod that could strengthen President Joe Biden’s hand as global allies seek to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Biden has been reluctant to curb Russian oil shipments to the U.S. or slap on energy sanctions in ways that would reduce supply as gas prices at the pump are already climbing for Americans. But Pelosi’s support gives fresh currency for an idea in Congress already backed by wide swaths of Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats. The White House has said all tools remain on the table.

A special flight from Romania carrying Indian nationals stranded in conflict-torn Ukraine reached Mumbai on Friday. The special Air India flight under Operation Ganga departed Romanian capital Bucharest on Thursday.

The Pentagon has established a channel of direct communication with the Russian ministry of defence to avoid unintended conflict related to the war in Ukraine.

A U.S. defence official said the “de-confliction line” was established March 1 “for the purpose of preventing miscalculation, military incidents, and escalation.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the communication line has not been announced.

More than 4 million refugees may end up fleeing Ukraine due to Russia’s ongoing invasion, the United Nations said. On Wednesday, the United Nations said that 1 million people have already fled since Russia began invading last week, an exodus without precedent in this century for its speed.  The United Nations says that “while the scale and scope of displacement is not yet clear, we do expect that more than 10 million people may flee their homes if violence continues, including 4 million people who may cross borders to neighbouring countries,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday.

In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, two former Soviet republics-- Georgia and Moldova-- have applied for European Union (EU) membership. This come two days after Ukraine said it was seeking fast-track membership to the bloc. Georgia Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that the former Soviet republic of Georgia has formally signed an application for membership into the EU. "It is a historic day for Georgia -- we are signing an Application for EU Membership on behalf of the country. Application for EU Membership is yet another milestone on the path of European integration of Georgia -- it is a stage, which turns a new page in our history and continues the effort of our ancestors, which is aimed at the accession of Georgia into a common European family," he said. Aside from Georgia, Moldova has also officially applied for membership in the EU. On Thursday, Moldova's President Maia Sandu said that the country had signed "a request to join the European Union".

ANI

 U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russian oligarchs and others in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle as Russian forces continue to pummel Ukraine.

Those targeted by the new sanctions include Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, and Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov, one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals and a close ally of Putin. The U.S. State Department also announced it was imposing visa bans on 19 Russian oligarchs and dozens of their family members and close associates.

“These individuals and their family members will be cut off from the U.S. financial system; their assets in the United States will be frozen and their property will be blocked from use,” the White House said in a statement announcing the new penalties.

The White House described Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, as a “top purveyor of Putin’s propaganda.”

The property of Usmanov and the others will be blocked from use in the U.S. and by Americans. His assets include his superyacht, one of the world’s largest. Usmanov’s private jet, one of Russia’s largest privately-owned aircraft, is also covered by the sanctions.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that he has again asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on Ukraine, but that Putin won’t do it. “At this point, he refuses,” Macron wrote in Twitter post. He confirmed that he had spoken to Putin on the phone earlier on Thursday and said he will continue the dialogue to prevent “more human tragedy.” “We must prevent the worst from happening,” Macron also said in his post. Dialogue has to continue to “protect the (civilian) population, to obtain good will gestures ... to put an end to this war,” Macron said.

Ukraine’s state emergencies agency now says at least 33 civilians have been killed and another 18 wounded in a Russian strike on a residential area in the city of Chernihiv, a city of 280,000 in Ukraine’s north.

The agency said Thursday night that it was forced to suspend the search for more casualties in the rubble because of new shelling.

Earlier Thursday, the agency had said at least 22 civilians had been killed, and had warned that the death toll could rise.

Britain has slapped sanctions on two more Russians it says are linked to the Kremlin, cutting them off from properties and interests in the U.K. The government says Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov face immediate asset freezes and travel bans.

The U.K. says the two men are worth a combined $19 billion.

Mining and telecoms tycoon Usmanov, who has held major stakes in Premier League soccer teams Arsenal and Everton, owns two English mansions and other assets. Britain called Shuvalov, a former Russian government chief of staff who headed up Russia’s bid for the 2018 Football World Cup, a core member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

U.S. officials say Russia has fired 480 missiles at Ukraine as Russian troops make more progress in the south, but are largely stalled in the north.

The official says about 90% of the Russian combat power that had been arrayed around Ukraine is now in the country.

Specifically, the official said that the majority of the Russian missile launches since the war began – or more than 230 of them – are coming from mobile systems within Ukraine. More than 150 missiles have been fired from within Russia, more than 70 from Belarus and only a very small number from ships in the Black Sea. Ukrainian air defences are still intact and have been effective against the missiles, the official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments, said Russian progress in the south has been aided by the country’s eight-year presence in Crimea, where Russia has built infrastructure and systems to sustain troops. As a result, the supply lines to troops in the south are much shorter and more effective.

While speaking with the media, Ukraine President Zelensky called on NATO to close the sky over Ukraine. He asked how many more Ukrainians have to be injured for this decision to be made. If it can't be made, "give us planes,” he said.

Russian negotiators in talks with Ukraine say another round of talks will likely be held shortly. Vladimir Medinsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adviser who led the Russian delegation in the talks Thursday in Belarus near the Polish border, said the parties’ “positions are absolutely clear, they are written down point by point,” including issues related to a political settlement of the conflict. He added without elaboration that “mutual understanding was found on part of them.” He confirmed that Russia and Ukraine reached a tentative agreement to create safe corridors for civilians to exit besieged cities and observe local cease-fires in areas where they will be created.

Leonid Slutsky, a senior Russian lawmaker who was part of the Russian delegation in talks, said that the details of safe corridors will need to be worked out quickly. He said that the next round of talks could lead to agreements, some of which would need to be ratified by Russian and Ukrainian parliaments.

The Quad leaders convened a virtual meeting on Wednesday where they discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications walso reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Quad leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is respected and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion, the White House said in a statement. A White House said that the Quad leaders reaffirmed their dedication to the Quad as a mechanism to promote regional stability and prosperity. "They agreed to stand up a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine," said White House.

As the Russian offensive on Ukraine entered its seventh day, delegations of both countries met for peace talks on the Ukraine-Belarus border on Thursday, March 3. According to a report by The Kyiv Independent, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv was dissatisfied with the outcome of the second round of talks with Russia. He said that the delegations will meet for the third round “probably in the nearest time".

Defence Ministry has issued an advisory for Indian nationals in Ukraine's Kharkiv and asked them to remain mentally strong as the Russian aggression has been expected to soar. The Ministry has issued a fresh advisory in which it has listed out the Dos and Don'ts for those stranded in Ukraine:

• Potentially dangerous/difficult situations to be expected
• Aerial Raids, Attacks by Aircraft/Drones
• Missile attacks
• Artillery Shelling
• Small Arms/Gunfire
• Grenade Explosions
• Molotov Cocktails (including by local people/militia)
• Building Collapse
• Falling Debris
• Internet Jamming
• Lack of Electricity/Food/Water
• Exposure to freezing temperature
• Psychological Trauma/feeling of Panic
• Injuries/Lack of medical support
• Lack of Transportation
• Face-to-face situation with armed fighters/military personnel

Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft carrying 210 Indian citizens from Ukraine, has landed at Hindan airbase near Delhi from Bucharest in Romania. MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt received the students.

 Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Russian military has offered safe corridors to civilians to allow them to leave areas of fighting in Ukraine.

Putin, speaking in a video call with members of his Security Council, has charged that Ukrainian nationalist groups are preventing civilians from leaving.

The Russian leader said the groups were also using civilians as shields, taking up firing positions to provoke the Russian retaliatory fire. Putin’s claim couldn’t be independently verified.

The Russian military says it has only struck military facilities and haven’t targeted residential areas, a claim that has been contradicted by the abundant evidence of massive casualties and damage to residential areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and other cities in Ukraine documented by The Associated Press.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him, salting the proposal with sarcasm.

“Sit down with me to negotiate, just not at 30 meters,” he said Thursday, apparently referring to recent photos of Putin sitting at one end of an extremely long table when he met with French President Emmanuel Macron. 

“I don’t bite. What are you afraid of?” Zelenskyy said at a Thursday news conference.

Zelenskyy said it was sensible to have talks: “Any words are more important than shots.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with US President Joe Biden, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, participated in a Quad leaders' virtual meeting on Thursday. During the meeting, the Indian PM emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy in order to prevent further escalation of the war.

Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division, was killed in fighting in Ukraine earlier this week.

His death was confirmed by a local officers’ organization in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

Sukhovetsky, who was 47, began his military service as a platoon commander after graduating from a military academy and steadily rose through the ranks to take a series of leadership positions. He took part in Russia’s military campaign in Syria.

He was also a deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.

A funeral ceremony will be held in Novorossiisk, but further details weren’t immediately announced

In a key development, Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged that a group of Indian students were taken hostage by the Ukrainian security forces in order to use them as a human shield. "They're (Ukraine is) putting their mortars, tanks and cannons in residential areas & are taking foreign citizens captive. They kept more than 3000 Indian citizens at a station. They're taking prisoners," said Putin. "All the family members of those who died in the Ukraine operation will get the compensation as prescribed by law, but apart from that we will have compensation to martyrs' families and to the wounded from the MoD," added Putin.

The mayor of Enerhodar, site of Europe's largest nuclear plant, says Ukrainian forces are battling Russian troops on the edges of the city.

Enerhodar is a major energy hub on the left bank of the Dnieper River and the Khakhovka Reservoir that accounts for about one-quarter of the country's power generation due to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is Europe's largest.

Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, said on Thursday that a big Russian convoy was approaching the city and urged residents not to leave homes.

22 civilians have been killed after Russian forces strike the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Thursday, the Ukrainian government said. Rescue operations are underway.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said that eight flights will arrive here in Bucharest (local time) to evacuate around 1800 Indian nationals.

"Today 8 flights will arrive in Bucharest and will take around 1800 citizens to India. Yesterday 6 flights carrying around 1300 citizens left from Bucharest.  Now I am going to border point Siret. There are 1000 students in Siret," said Scindia in Romania.

The Union Minister said on Friday four flights will reach Suceava and will evacuate around 1000 students back to India.

"Suceava is a nearby airport to Siret. So two IndiGo flights are coming to Suceava and will take around 450 students back to India. Tomorrow four flights will come to Suceava and will carry 900- 1000 students," he added.

Earlier in the day, Scindia in a tweet said that 3,726 Indians will be brought back home on Thursday by 19 flights from Bucharest, Suceava, Kosice, Budapest, and Rzeszow.

"Under Operation Ganga, 3726 Indians will be brought back home today on eight flights from Bucharest, two flights from Suceava, one flight from Kosice, five flights from Budapest, and three flights from Rzeszow," tweeted Scindia.

Meanwhile, the students who were evacuated from Ukraine and arrived at Delhi airport on Thursday thanked the Indian government for rescuing them.

Notably, the American C-17 Globemasters and IL-76 transport aircraft are the most capable of flying to long distances with around 400 passengers. The C-17 transport aircraft had helped in a big way to evacuate citizens and officials from Kabul when the Taliban captured Afghanistan and forced Americans to exit from there.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said nine flights took off on Thursday from Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland.

A total of 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine since the advisories were issued and flights under Operation Ganga have been increased to facilitate the evacuation of remaining students stranded in Ukraine.

For the past few days, the Prime Minister has been chairing crucial meetings on the issue.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

(ANI)
 

Russian companies in the aviation or space industry will be prevented from making use of UK-based insurance or reinsurance services directly or indirectly, the UK government announced on Thursday as further sanctions in response to the attacks on Ukraine.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the latest measures will limit the benefits Russian entities receive from their access to the global insurance and reinsurance market.

Russian companies in the aviation or space industry will now be prevented from making use of UK-based insurance or reinsurance services directly or indirectly. This measure will severely limit their access to the global insurance and reinsurance market, he said.

Through Lloyd's and the London market, the UK describes itself as a world leader in these sectors of the global insurance market. In taking such action, the UK is demonstrating its commitment to apply severe economic sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK Treasury department said.

The UK government said it will bring in legislation to prohibit UK based insurance and reinsurance providers from undertaking financial transactions connected with a Russian entity or for use in Russia. 

"Coupled with similar actions by the EU, this move further isolates Russia's economy from the international financial system," the Treasury statement notes.

The move came as the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) suspended 28 companies linked to Russia from trading as a result of a series of sanctions being imposed by the UK over the past few days.

"London Stock Exchange Group has suspended trading in 28 Russian-listed securities," said LSEG Chief Executive David Schwimmer.

This has been based on sanctions and the ability to run an orderly market. Suspensions are driven by those decisions, so if we see any other securities affected by sanctions then similar actions will take place," he said.

Companies affected include the state-owned oil titan Gazprom and the country's largest lender, Sberbank, according to a notice posted by LSEG. 

Some of Russia's largest miners, oil companies, and metals giants have also been suspended, including Lukoil, Norilsk Nickel, Polyus, and Rosneft.

(PTI)

Peace negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives are underway on Belarusian territory. Here are the first visuals from the site.

Republic the only global channel inside a Ukraine Military training centre as civilians are being trained under simulation

Direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives are underway on Belarusian territory. We hope that they bring about an end to this situation, restore peace in Donbas and enable all people in Ukraine to return to peaceful life: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia

The Ukrainian delegation of negotiators has arrived by helicopter for talks with the Russian side in Belarus.

More than 7,400 Indians are expected to be brought back to India from Ukraine's neighbouring countries on special flights in the next two days, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Thursday.

Indian carriers -- Air India Express, Air India, SpiceJet, IndiGo, Vistara and Go First -- are expected to operate a total of 17 flights on Friday, the ministry's statement noted.

India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive.

"The number of civilian flights is being scaled up further, and more than 7,400 people are expected to be brought through special flights in next two days," the ministry's statement mentioned.

It stated that 3,500 people are expected to be brought back to India on Friday and over 3,900 on Saturday.

The ministry said India has till now brought back 6,998 people on special flights -- including the ones operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) -- since February 22.

It noted that 13 evacuation flights -- 10 by Indian carriers and three by the IAF -- are scheduled to return to India on Thursday.

Four Union ministers have gone to Ukraine's western neighbours to facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals.

Hardeep Singh Puri is in Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia is in Romania, Kiren Rijiju is in Slovakia and V K Singh is in Poland. (PTI)

Ukraine Parliament approves law to allow the seizure of assets owned by Russia or Russian citizens in Ukraine, according to reports.

US markets were essentially flat in premarket trading while oil prices continued to climb as Russian forces bombarded Ukraine's second-largest city and besieged two ports.

The economic fallout from the Russian invasion expanded, with Fitch Ratings and Moody's Ratings cutting Russia's credit rating. 

They said the invasion and Western sanctions have hurt Moscow's ability to repay debts and raised risks for the economy and stability. 

On Wall Street, futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average wavered between slight gains and losses a couple of hours before the market opens in New York.

In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London and Frankfurt's DAX each lost 0.6 per cent while the CAC in Paris slipped 0.2 per cent.

The London Stock Exchange said it had suspended trading in shares of 27 companies with links to Russia, including some of the biggest in energy and steel, such as Lukoil, Gazprom, Sberbank, Rosneft and Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works. 

In a notice, the exchange said the suspensions reflected recent financial sanctions and were made in light of market conditions and in order to maintain orderly markets. Shares in those companies plunged with the start of Russia's invasion last week. 

Global stock benchmark provider MSCI said it was removing Russian stocks from indexes widely tracked by fund managers, describing the Russian equity market is uninvestable. 

Trading on the Moscow exchange remained closed Thursday apart from a limited variety of trades rubles and in derivatives and commodities. 

In currency markets, Russia's ruble lost another 15 per cent against the US dollar and worth less than 1 cent. 

It has plunged since Western governments imposed sanctions that cut off much of Russia's access to the global financial system.

In Asian trading, the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo rose 0.7 per cent to 26,577.27 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 0.6 per cent to 22,467.34. The Shanghai Composite Index lost less than 0.1 per cent to 3,481.11.

The Kospi in Seoul added 1.6 per cent to 2,747.08 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 was 0.5 per cent higher at 7,151.40.

India's Sensex shed 0.3 per cent to 55,311.33. New Zealand and Southeast Asian markets also advanced.

Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index rose Wednesday after Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed is set to raise its key interest rate. He said he supports a traditional hike of 0.25 percentage points instead of the bigger rise recommended by some policymakers.

Powell said the impact on the US economy of Russia's attack is highly uncertain. Markets have reacted positively to the remarks, which is a debatable interpretation of Powell's nuanced comments, ING economists said in a report. 

Volatility is the key here, and uncertainty. This isn't going to go away any time soon. 

Share prices have swung widely as investors try to figure out how the Russian attack  will affect supplies of oil, wheat and other commodities and the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Traders already were uneasy about plans by the Fed and other central banks to fight inflation by withdrawing ultra-low interest rates that boosted stock markets.

In energy markets, benchmark US crude rose USD 2.79 to USD 113.39 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude, the price basis for international oils, added USD 2.64 to USD 115.57 per barrel in London.

Both gains were smaller than Wednesday's surge of more than USD 7 per barrel but still unusually wide margins for a daily change.

Leaders of OPEC and other major oil exporters decided Wednesday to stick to plans to gradually increase production. The coalition, made up of OPEC members led by Saudi Arabia and non-cartel members led by Russia, chose to increase production by 400,000 barrels per day in April.

The United States and other major oil consumers in the International Energy Agency agreed this week to release 60 million barrels from strategic reserves to boost supplies. But that has had little impact on market prices.

The dollar gained to 115.71 yen from Wednesday's 115.58 yen. The euro declined to USD 1.1088 from USD 1.1126. (AP)
 

The pace of India's evacuation operation continues to accelerate. We are scheduling more flights and a large number of Indians will be back home in the next 2-3 days. I would like to appreciate the Ukrainian government and the neighbouring countries for hosting our people and providing support in evacuating them: MEA on bringing back stranded Indians from Ukraine

The Ukrainian delegation has left the second session of peace negotiations with Russian envoys as the war enters the eighth day. 

Republic Team reports live from a military training centre in Ukraine where civilians are being trained for the war against Russia.

One hundred and thirty buses are ready to evacuate stranded Indian students and other foreigners from war-torn Ukraine's Kharkiv and Sumy cities to Russia's Belgorod Region, a top Russian military general said on Thursday.

The remarks by Russian National Defence Control Center head Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed the safe evacuation of Indians from the conflict areas in Ukraine.

Approximately 8,000 Indians, mainly students, are stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said on Tuesday.

"A total of 130 comfortable buses are ready to depart to Kharkiv and Sumy from the Nekhoteyevka and Sudzha checkpoints in the Belgorod Region since 6 AM today in order to Rescue Indian students and citizens of other foreign states, Russian National Defence Control Center head Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev was quoted as saying by the state-owned TASS news agency.

Mizintsev said that places for temporary accommodation and rest have been set up at the checkpoints.

The refugees will be provided with hot meals; mobile clinics have also been set up there with a stockpile of medicine, he said.

"The evacuees will be then transported to the city of Belgorod for subsequent departure to their homeland by air, including via Russian military airplanes, the General said.

On Thursday, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in New Delhi said India has been coordinating effectively with the countries in the region including Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova for evacuation of Indians from Ukraine.

India has been evacuating its citizens through special flights from Ukraine's western neighbours such as Romania, Hungary and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut down since February 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in Ukraine. 

India had asked Russia to facilitate the safe passage of Indians from various conflict zones after the killing of an Indian student in shelling in Kharkiv (Kharkov) on Tuesday.

(PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with students who returned from Ukraine in Varanasi today. These students shared their experiences with him. The students were from Varanasi as well as other parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Google services down in Ukraine. It's reported Gmail isn't functioning and YouTube is impossible to access, TR reported quoting local media reports.

A missile strike has been caught on camera in which a residential building is seen being targeted by Russia. Russian forces also shell oil depot in Chernihiv's "Kombinat Aystra," causing a massive fire in a 5,000 cu m diesel fuel tank.

European Union member Malta says it is suspending the processing of applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals for its so-called golden passport program in the wake of EU sanctions on Russia. 

The much-criticized program, which grants citizenship or official residence in Malta, was begun as a lucrative source of income for the tiny island nation in 2014. A government statement on Wednesday also noted that nobody who gained citizenship that way has been found to be on the list of sanctioned individuals. 

It said sanctions now make it impossible to perform due diligence on applicants from Russia and Belarus. Under the program, Maltese passports can be obtained with 600,000 euros ($660,000) and three years of residency or 750,000 euros and 12 months of residency, plus a 700,000-euro purchase of the property. But investigative reporting in recent years found that the residency requirement wasn't always fully enforced.

(AP)

China on Thursday denounced a report that it asked Russia to delay invading Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics as fake news and a very despicable" attempt to divert attention and shift blame over the conflict.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also repeated China's accusations that Washington provoked the war by not ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine.

We hope the culprit of the crisis would reflect on their role in the Ukraine crisis, take up their responsibilities, and take practical actions to ease the situation and solve the problem instead of blaming others, Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.

The New York Times report is purely fake news, and such behaviors of diverting attentions and shifting blames are very despicable," Wang said.

The Times article cited a Western intelligence report considered credible by officials.

The report indicates that senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia's war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week," the Times wrote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on February 4, hours before the Games' opening ceremony. Following that, the sides issued a joint statement in which they declared friendship between the two states has no limits, there are no forbidden' areas of cooperation.

In that statement, China also endorsed Russia's opposition to further NATO expansion and demand that it respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries." Russia, for its part, reaffirmed its support for China's claim over Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing threatens to annex by force if necessary.

Russia had launched an attack on Georgia during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, angering some in the Chinese leadership and among the public.

The Times said it wasn't clear whether the communication about an invasion took place between Xi and Putin or at a lower level, but that the intelligence report indicated that senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia's war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week." China is the only major government that hasn't criticized Moscow's attack on Ukraine and has also ruled out joining the United States and European governments in imposing financial sanctions on Russia.

Instead, Beijing has endorsed the Russian argument that Moscow's security was threatened by NATO's eastern expansion. 

China abstained in Wednesday's U.N. General Assembly emergency session vote to demand an immediate halt to Moscow's attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops. 

Regrettably, the draft resolution submitted to the General Assembly emergency special session for vote had not undergone full consultations with the whole membership, nor does it take into consideration the history and the complexity of the current crisis," Wang said. 

It did not highlight the importance of the principle of indivisible security or the urgency of promoting political settlement and stepping up diplomatic efforts," he said. These are not in line with China's consistent position. Therefore, we had no choice but to abstain in the voting."

(AP) 

India and Pakistan on Thursday abstained from IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) resolution against Russia. China voted against it.

Israel's prime minister is calling on world leaders to get Russia and Ukraine out of the battlefield and to the negotiating table after a week of fighting.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke in English on Thursday at a cyber tech conference in Tel Aviv, less than a day after he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Israel maintains good relations with both countries. It has condemned Russia's invasion and sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but the same time has avoided taking a stance that might anger Moscow. Russia and Israel cooperate on military operations in Syria.

Bennett said of the situation in Ukraine that things are looking bad on the ground right now, but it's important to understand that if world leaders don't act quickly it can get much worse.

(AP) 
 

The second round of Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations will start at 5:30 pm. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday said that Russia is ready for talks with Ukraine but Kyiv is delaying it.

Russia's foreign minister says that Moscow is ready for talks to end the fighting in Ukraine but will continue to press its effort to destroy Ukraine's military infrastructure. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian delegation submitted its demands to Ukrainian negotiators earlier this week and is now waiting for Kyiv's response in talks set for Thursday. 

Lavrov said that the West has continuously armed Ukraine, trained its troops and built up bases there to turn Ukraine into a bulwark against Russia. 

Russia says that made Ukraine a threat to its security.

(AP)

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Thursday said that 3,726 Indians will be brought back home on Thursday by 19 flights from Bucharest, Suceava, Kosice, Budapest, and Rzeszow. 

"Under Operation Ganga, 3726 Indians will be brought back home today on eight flights from Bucharest, two flights from Suceava, one flight from Kosice, five flights from Budapest, and three flights from Rzeszow," tweeted Scindia. 

Meanwhile, the students who were evacuated from Ukraine and arrived at Delhi airport on Thursday thanked the Indian government for rescuing them. 

"Indian govt took prompt action to evacuate the stranded Indian students in Ukraine. Proud to be an Indian. Indian students stranded in Kyiv and Kharkiv need to be evacuated as soon as possible," said the Indian student. 

An Indian student Ujjala Gupta who received a warm welcome from her parents and relatives upon her safe return to the country from war-torn Ukraine told ANI, "I request the government to bring back the students stuck in Kyiv and Kharkiv as the situation there is serious. I appreciate the efforts of our government to evacuate all Indians from Ukraine."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had issued orders to the Air Force to pitch in the rescue operations to augment the 'Operation Ganga'.

Notably, the American C-17 Globemasters and IL-76 transport aircraft are the most capable of flying to long distances with around 400 passengers. The C-17 transport aircraft had helped in a big way to evacuate citizens and officials from Kabul when the Taliban captured Afghanistan and forced Americans to exit from there.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said nine flights took off on Thursday from Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland.

"Nine flights have taken off today from Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland, including IAF aircraft. 6 flights more are expected to depart shortly. Altogether, will bring back more than 3,000 Indian nationals," tweeted Jaishankar.

A total of 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine since the advisories were issued and flights under Operation Ganga have been increased to facilitate the evacuation of remaining students stranded in Ukraine.

The students who left Ukraine also included some Indians who had not registered with the Embassy of India in Kyiv previously.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting on the issue. The meeting was attended by Union Ministers S Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and other officials.

For the past few days, the Prime Minister has been chairing crucial meetings on the issue.Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised Ukraine to help with military aid to fight Russia.

The US, Canada and European allies agreed to remove key Russian banks from the interbank messaging system, SWIFT which means Russian banks won't be able to communicate securely with banks beyond Russia's borders. President Putin has also signed a decree on special economic measures against the US and its allies.

(ANI)

Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday said that Russia is ready for talks with Ukraine but Kyiv is delaying it.

Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov has reportedly said border guards of the 5th border guard detachment have reached the Ukrainian state borderline in Sumy Region together with units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Zelenskyy on Thursday said, "We have been wanted to destroy so many times. Couldn't be able to. We have been through so much! And if someone thinks that, after overcoming all this, Ukrainians are afraid, broken or surrender - he knows nothing about Ukraine. And he has nothing to do in Ukraine."

"Go to your home. Protect the Russian speaking people. Not all over the world, but in our own country," he added

According to reports, UK Defence intelligence has said the Russian convoy advancing on Kyiv is 30 kilometres from the city, has made little progress over the past three days and is delayed by Ukrainian resistance, congestions and mechanical breakdown.

Ukrainian Foreign ministry Dmytro Kuleba posted an image showing civilians blocking Russian invaders in Energodar on Wednesday. He said, "This is a true People’s War for Ukraine. Putin has no chance of winning it. "

Union minister Kiren Rijiju sees off a group of Indian students evacuated from Ukraine before their departure to India from Kosice, Slovakia.

Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Valerii Zaluzhnyi on Facebook said that Ukraine crashed a Russian plane SU-30 over Irpen. 

France has reportedly called its citizens to leave Russia.

The dollar has hit an all-time high of over 110 roubles.

The Russian Defense Ministry has announced the liberation of Balakliya from Ukrainian nationalists. The Russian armed forces took control of a number of settlements.

In the most recent national address on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Every invader should know: they will face a fierce rebuff of Ukrainians and forever remember that we will not give up what’s ours!"

UK’s security minister Damian Hinds told Sky News "How concerned am I? We are all desperately concerned. This is a ruthless invading force. When it comes to tactics and military strategy, I’m not going to second guess Vladimir Putin and what he might be thinking, what might be in his head."

"But we do know that this is a ruthless force, an extremely dangerous (force) obviously imminently right now for Ukraine, but actually dangerous for wider Europe and the world," he also said.

Maria Mezentseva, Ukrainian MP, speaks to Republic on the prevailing situation arising out of the Russia-Ukraine war. She said, 'Kharkiv has suffered a lot but there is enough supplies and restaurants are preparing food and delivering it for free; this war has united us all'. Follow live coverage here -

Dr. Manoj Rajan, Commissioner KSDMA has said that Through Operation Ganga, 149 students of Karnataka origin have returned to the state. 24 batches from Delhi & Mumbai have reached. A contingent of 34 people will reach Bengaluru in the evening. 16 flights will be reaching Bengaluru tomorrow.

According to Ukrainian military's first radio, "A column of Russian occupiers was destroyed in the village of Moskovsky Bobrik, Sumy region".

Images: @Armia_fm/Twitter

Ukrainian defence said, "Total combat losses 🇷🇺 from 24.02 to 03.03 were approximate: personnel, about 9,000 people, tanks ‒ 217 units, BBM ‒ 900 units, artillery systems – 90, MLRS - 42, means of air defence-11, aircraft – 30 units (information to be specified) of helicopters – 31 units (the information is specified)."

In the Maternity Hospital shelter in Mykolaiv, a woman gave birth in a bomb shelter during air raid by Russian forces. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on social media, "Life goes on. According to available information, more than a hundred children have already been born in Ukraine during the war."

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned Russian and Belarus athletes from Winter Paralympics. 

Even though Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not targeting any civilian areas, a captured Russian occupant has now confirmed that he had received the task to shoot at civilians.  

UK Defence Ministry said, "The Russian defence ministry has been forced to admit that 498 Russian soldiers have already been killed and 1,597 wounded in Putin’s war. The actual number of those killed and wounded will almost certainly be considerably higher and will continue to rise."

UK’s ministry of defence, in a latest intelligence report, has said, "The main body of the large Russian column advancing on Kyiv remains over 30km from the centre of the city having been delayed by staunch Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion. The column has made little discernible progress in over three days."

"Despite heavy Russian shelling, the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol remain in Ukrainian hands. Some Russian forces have entered the city of Kherson but the military situation remains unclear," it added.

While Belarus has been helping Russia in its war into Ukraine. A 'No to war!' poster was spotted in the Minsk metro.

Image: @nexta_tv/Twitter

Ukrainian Defence Minister said, "The Ukrainian army and Ukrainian people are real heroes! The Russian terrorists who came to our land felt it!  The truth with us, the whole world with us, the victory with us!"

Amid Russia's military offensive, the Kyiv administration said 'It's calm in Kyiv.  Infrastructure works normally: heat, water, electricity, communication is available in all areas.' Mykola Povoroznyk, the first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration said, "Air defence forces worked at night.  And the explosions that were heard were triggered by enemy missiles". 

Germany has approved plans to provide Ukraine with 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles, reported DW citing government sources.

Russia has started S-400 training exercises. The servicemen of the S-400 "Triumf" anti-aircraft missile systems have started practising combat training tasks to detect and destroy a simulated enemy within the framework of the exercises in the Novosibirsk region.

Ukrainian Defence Ministry said on Thursday, "The eighth age of heroic confrontation of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military invasion lasts. The occupation troops, unsuccessful in almost all directions in which they were advancing, have again resorted to the tactics of night shelling residential neighborhoods of major cities."

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to firmly defend defined borders and counterattack and block the forces of occupiers in different directions," it added.

Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said, "14-year-old Arsen died from 🇷🇺 shrapnel. Ambulance couldn’t get to him due to shelling. His aunt, а kids doctor, went to take his body. When she was driving back to Kyiv, her car was attacked. She died instantly. Relatives can’t pick up the bodies – the area is blocked by Russians."

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said that nobody, even himself believed that "we would last a week." In a statement shared on Facebook, he said, "I didn't even think about how many hours a week before? It turned out to be 168.168 hours. For a whole week, Ukraine has been giving away to Russian occupiers."

"No one. Be aware of this. No one. Neither in Russia nor in the West I did not believe that we would last a week.
The only ones who believed are us with you. Two-thirds of Ukrainians until February 24 were sure that in the case of a full-scale invasion of Russia we will stand. Today there are almost 90% of these."

Sharing a video showing Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said, "Ukrainian people, this is to you from the Military Music Administration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Fight - and you will win! Glory to Ukraine!"

In the operational update on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence Ukraine cautioned bloggers and internet influencers against sharing real-time information of Russian shelling as they can be reused by the enemy. In a statement shared on social media, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said, "we address bloggers, experts and ordinary participants of the internet community: your operational information may be the subject of interest of Russian artillery and visitors to further adjust the next shot of the thief ha! Be vigilant when sharing real-time shelling information. The enemy has been demoralized, he continues to suffer losses! Together we will win!!!"

As Russia's onslaught on Ukraine continues for eight days, reports stated that  Air sirens could heard in many major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv on Thursday.

Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Defense Sultan Kamaletdinov has said, "The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has nothing to do with Kazakhstan. We do not support either side".

In a surprising remark, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly said, "Russia was ready for sanctions, but Moscow did not expect them to be imposed on athletes, journalists, representatives of the cultural sphere."

Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation has launched an app with air alert notifications. The app is already available in Google Play Store and AppStore.

A Forbes report based on three sources in the yacht industry stated that German authorities seized Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov's $600 million superyatch in a Hamburg shipyard on Wednesday. 

indicating another delay in Ukraine-Russia peace talks, the Ukrainian delegation has said that peace negotiations with Russia would not take place in Belovezhskaya Pushcha but in another place. David Arakhamia reportedly noted that all the details will be revealed later. Meanwhile, Vladimir Medinsky, said that representatives of the Russian Federation were waiting for the Ukrainian delegation on March 3.  

David Arakhamia wrote on Facebook, "The information about the talks in Belovezhskaya Pushcha is not true. There will indeed be talks, but the place is different. All the details will come later". But, the Russian delegation has already arrived in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

At least 29 students from Meghalaya studying in Ukraine have reached safely in India; 2 are en route to the border and 11 have reached neighbouring countries and will be flown back to India soon. "Thank and appreciate @PMOIndia, MEA & GOI for all their efforts," tweeted Chief Minister, Government of Meghalaya.

Ukraine has established an emergency hotline for African, Asian, and other students wishing to leave because of Russia’s invasion.+380934185684 is the number shared by Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"We are working intensively to ensure their safety & speed up their passage. Russia must stop its aggression which affects us all," he tweeted. 

US Department of State has accused Russia of "a full assault on media freedom and the truth" after the Echo of Moscow radio broadcaster and the Dozhd TV channel were restricted in Russia. 

German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday announced that it would be suspending its vehicle exports to Russia and domestic production in the nation. With its move, Mercedes became the latest carmaker to respond to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, the German firm stated that it will halt the export of passenger cars and vans to Russia as well as local manufacturing in the country “until further notice”. 

Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi & Virendra Kumar welcome Indians on their return from war-torn #Ukraine via Budapest in Hungary.

Indian Air Force spokesperson has said that today, IAF is operating three more flights to various locations in the neighbourhood of #Ukraine to evacuate Indian citizens.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro criticised sanctions on Russia and backed their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, Maduro said, "What they are doing against the Russian people is a crime, an economic war".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate along with President of USA Joseph R. Biden, Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida in a Quad Leaders' virtual meeting on 3 March 2022, said Ministry of External Affairs.

In a show of solidarity, the "Europe" metro station in Paris has been renamed "Europe-Ukraine".

'The Indian government took prompt action to evacuate the stranded Indian students in Ukraine. Proud to be an Indian. Indian students stranded in Kyiv & Kharkiv need to be evacuated as soon as possible,' said the Indian students stranded in Ukraine reached Delhi airport earlier today.

According to New York Times, a Western intelligence report suggested that in early February, China had requested that senior Russian officials wait until after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics had finished before invading Ukraine. But, refuting the reports, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington had said, "The claims mentioned in the relevant reports are speculations without any basis, and are intended to blame-shift and smear China."

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the state government has arranged three flights to bring back students arriving at Delhi from Ukraine today. Bus services will be arranged from Kochi Airport to Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod. NORKA teams deployed in all four airports in the state to help Ukraine returnees.

Amid the gruesome reality of the Russia-Ukraine war, the media posted images of a marriage registration that took place at a bomb shelter in Ukraine's Odesa. 

Image credits: @nexta_tv/Twitter

Non-NATO members, Finland and Sweden receive letters from Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding to provide security guarantees for Russia.

Australian police are reportedly probing a suspicious package delivered to the Russian embassy in Canberra. According to the Australian Associated Press, Police and Hazmat crews were called to the embassy just after 10 am on Thursday. An Australian police spokesperson told AAP the contents of the package were being assessed.

Almost a week after Russian troops invaded the Ukrainian territory and launched a brazen attack on the country, the Russian Defence Ministry has finally revealed a figure of its casualties in the ongoing military operation. In a statement issued by the Russian Defence Ministry on Wednesday, it said that around 498 Russian soldiers have been killed in the ongoing attack, while other 1,597 have been injured since the beginning of the military operation last week. 

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Ministry of External Affairs has said Our Embassy in Ukraine is in continuous touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine. We note that with the cooperation of the Ukrainian authorities, many students have left Kharkiv yesterday. We have not received any reports of any hostage situation regarding any student.

In the handout of the telephonic conversation between PM Modi and Vladimir Putin, the Russian side levelled a sensational claim that Indian students have been held hostage by the Ukrainian security forces. This comes at a juncture when students are desperately trying to flee Kharkiv, which is under the intense attack of the Russian forces. Moscow asserted that Putin had given necessary instructions to ensure the safe removal of Indian citizens from the war zone. It alleged that the Ukrainian forces were using Indian students as human shields and trying to prevent them from leaving for Russian territory. 

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Russian officials have said that they would allow  Kyiv residents to leave the city in the direction of the central town of Vasylkiv. Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the defence ministry, made the remark while delivering an update on the ongoing operation in Ukraine on state TV. He said, "There will not be any obstacles from Russian military personnel for the exit of the civilian population" on channel Rossiya 24.

MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt interacted with the Indian nationals repatriated to the country from Ukraine with the help of the Indian Air Force. Watch -

Tom Littledyke, a former Royal Marine and a British pub landlord arrived in Ukraine with a minibus of aid after a 1,000-mile (1,600km) journey from Britain. 

Spain on 4 March will send a shipment of offensive weapons to Poland for Ukraine. The package would include 1 370 grenade launchers, 700 thousand cartridges for rifles and machine guns, as well as light machine guns, said the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom, Margarita Robles.

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Third Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft carrying 208 Indian citizens from #Ukraine, lands at Hindan airbase near Delhi from Rzeszow in Poland. MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt interacted with the Indian nationals, after their arrival.

Canada has announced new sanctions Wednesday against 10 individuals from two Russian energy companies, Rosneft and Gazprom. Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said in the release, "Canada’s support for Ukraine and its people is unwavering...We will continue to meet every act of aggression by Russia’s leadership with measures designed to weaken its ability to wage war. As the horrific events in Ukraine continue to unfold before our eyes, it is clear more must be done. Those who aid and abet Russian aggression will be held accountable. Canada stands with Ukraine.” 

Japan, which has already said it will accept Ukrainian refugees forced to flee their homes by the Russian invasion, announced that it will freeze the assets of four Russian banks, including VTB, over the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The other three banks in the list were not revealed by the Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki. 

Zelenskyy, who is now the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said, "Russia lost almost nine thousand soldiers in a week"

A day after Russia claimed control of Kherson, Ukrainian officials confirmed that country's southern city is now captured by the 'enemy' forces. 

As of Thursday, the Brent crude oil has reached $117.

While Disney, Sony and Warner Bros suspended the release of their films in Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, Netflix on Thursday also announced that it would halt its projects scheduled in Russia. The company said it was assessing the impact of the current invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's top aid has revealed that the Ukrainian delegation is on their way to Belarus for talks that have been scheduled for Thursday. As per reports, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, told reporters Wednesday evening, "As far as I know, the Ukrainian delegation has already departed from Kyiv, is en route ... We're expecting them tomorrow". He also revealed that both sides agreed on Brest region, bordering Poland, to be the site of the second round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks. 

In the latest video posted by Zelenskyy on the seventh day of the Russian invasion, the President of a war-ravaged nation on Wednesday said that his country had blocked Russia’s “sneaky” plans. Zelenskyy also said that he was proud of the “heroic” resistance showcased by the nation in the face of Russia’s military aggression.

"We are a nation that broke the enemy's plans in a week. Plans written for years: sneaky, full of hatred for our country, our people," Zelensky said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging service.

Zelenskyy added that he “sincerely admired the heroic residents" of cities who have resisted the advance of Russian forces. He further added that almost 9,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began on 24 February. However, Zelenksyy’s claims about Russian troop casualties were not variable because Moscow is choosing not to report its losses. 

Sweden’s Armed Forces said in a statement, "On 2 March, four Russian fighter aircraft violated Swedish airspace. The Swedish air force conducted an operation with JAS 39 Gripen aircraft of the rapid readiness unit, which documented and photographed the incident." As per the statement, the four Russian jets which entered the Swedish airspace east of the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea included SU27 and two SU24 fighter jets, two each.