Russia Ukraine War: Pope Francis renews calls to end war in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French President Emmanuel Macron and sought help for the release of the Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov. 

Earlier, Melitopol mayor was seen on video being led away from a government building in the city by armed men.
Taking to Twitter, Zelenskyy wrote, "I spoke with @OlafScholz, @EmmanuelMacron. We discussed countering the aggressor, RF crimes against civilians. I ask my partners to help in releasing the captive mayor of Melitopol. Prospects for peace talks were also discussed. We must stop the aggressor together."

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said that a total of 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers are killed by Russia. This is the first time President mentioned Ukraine's estimated military casualties, reported The Kyiv Independent.

Notably, Ukraine's Armed Forces estimate Russian casualties to be over 12,000.

Zelesnkyy, followed by the indications of Russian actions near the Ukrainian capital, said that in order to seize Kyiv, they will have to destroy the city.

"If there are hundreds of thousands of people, who are now being mobilized by Russia, and they come with hundreds or thousands of tanks, they will take Kyiv. We understand that," said Zelenskyy.

On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine.

(ANI)

A Russian cargo ship caught fire after Ukrainian shelling in the Sea of Azov, Russian state-owned media Sputnik reported quoting investigative committee.

Pope Francis is renewing calls for an end to the war in Ukraine, emphasizing the impact on children.

In a tweet on Saturday he wrote: “Never war! Think first about the children, about those who are deprived of the hope for a dignified life: dead or wounded children, orphans, children who play with the remnants of war."

Francis added: “In the name of God, stop!”

Ukrainian officials and the U.N. human rights office say dozens of children have been killed since the start of the war.

A 21-year-old aerospace engineering student, who joined the Ukrainian paramilitary force as a volunteer, has expressed his willingness to return home to Coimbatore, according to family sources.

R Sainikhesh joined the Georgian National Legion last month and was fighting against Russian troops after a war broke out last month.

The Georgian National Legion is a paramilitary unit formed by mostly ethnic Georgian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine in the ongoing war.

His parents came to know only after central intelligence officials met them and sought the details of Sainikhesh some days ago.

The sources said the youth's father Ravichandran had spoken to his son three days ago, during which he had expressed his willingness to return home.

Since Indian officials are closely following the matter, Ravichandran was expecting his son to rejoin them soon, they said.

(PTI) 

As millions of refugees flee Ukraine, a Massachusetts has man has gone to the country to help his daughter and grandson escape.

William Hubbard recently flew to Poland and crossed the border to Ukraine on foot before joining his daughter, Aislinn, and her 8-month-old son, Seraphim, at their home near Kyiv, WCVB-TV reports.

Aislinn moved to Ukraine in 2018 at age 16 to study ballet at the prestigious Kyiv Choreographic College. She tried to leave before Russia began its invasion, but her son does not have a birth certificate or passport because he was born in a home during the coronavirus pandemic.

William previously flew to Ukraine to help arrange a DNA test to prove Seraphim's U.S. citizenship, but it was unsuccessful.

Hubbard and his wife, Deborah, spent weeks trying to help from their home in Fitchburg. But as Russian forces advanced, William decided to make his way to Aislinn and Seraphim and help them flee.

“I did what any dad would do, I guess, in this situation,” Hubbard told WCVB-TV.

Once he was in Ukraine, Hubbard took a train to Kyiv and reunited with his daughter and grandson. They packed their belongings and four cats and said goodbye to Aislinn’s boyfriend, the father of Seraphim, who was not able to leave the country.

The three fled west, joining other refugees heading for neighboring countries. On Friday, the three were waiting at the border with Slovakia. Even without a passport for his grandson, Hubbard said he was confident they will be allowed to cross the border.

“That’s what dads do,” he said. “They take care of their family.”

(AP)

U.S. President Joe Biden is authorizing the State Department to provide additional aid to Ukraine of up to $200 million.

The funds would cover weapons as well as military services, education and training as Ukrainians seek to repel a Russian invasion.

The aid is part of broader U.S. support in the form of aid and sanctions. When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that $1 billion in aid had been provided to Ukraine.

The ongoing warfare has led to additional support with Congress this week approving $13.6 billion in additional aid, a sum that includes $6.5 billion for the costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and $6.8 billion for refugees and economic aid.

Biden plans to sign the spending bill with the additional aid when he receives it next week.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron says his three-way call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin was “very frank and also difficult.”

French officials said the Russian leader gave no indication during the call Saturday lasting more than an hour that he intends to stop the fighting in Ukraine.

European leaders are working on what they describe as a punishing new set of “massive” economic sanctions against Moscow in the hope of getting Putin to change his mind.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy proposes meeting Russian President Putin in Jerusalem. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to act as an intermediary, Russian state-owned media RT reported.

The immediate beneficiaries are the middle-eastern countries, but the long term beneficiary will be China: Gary Clyde Hufbauer - Non-Resident Senior Fellow, The Peterson Institute for International Economics

The UN human rights office says at least 579 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and more than 1,000 have been injured.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Saturday that 42 of those killed were children, while 54 were injured.

The Geneva-based office had documented 564 civilian deaths and 982 injured a day earlier.

It said most recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, such as shelling from heavy artillery and missile strikes.

U.N. officials said they believe the actual number of casualties is considerably higher than so far recorded because the receipt of information has been delayed and many reports still need to be corroborated.

(AP) 

Our students who returned from war-torn Ukraine have said that it was during the war that they realised the importance and the respect our Tiranga carries: PM Narendra Modi at the inauguration of 11th Khel Mahakumbh.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of kidnapping the mayor of Melitopol on Saturday and praised residents for demanding his release after surveillance video showed him being marched out of city hall apparently surrounded by Russian soldiers.

Speaking during a video address Zelenskyy also talked about Russian army losses, calling them "enormous." 
The president further accused Russia of using "terror" as a military strategy against Ukrainians, adding: "I'm sure they won't succeed."

The invading Russian forces have struggled far more than expected against determined Ukrainian fighters. 
But Russia's stronger military threatens to grind down the defending forces, despite an ongoing flow of weapons and other assistance from the West for Ukraine's westward-looking, democratically elected government.

The U.N.'s crisis coordinator for Ukraine says the global body is seeking agreement with both sides in the conflict to establish corridors for delivering much-needed aid.

Amin Awad told The Associated Press on Saturday that progress is being made on the corridors and accompanying cease-fires but expressed frustration over resistance to quickly implement them.

He says the most pressing humanitarian needs are in Mariupol, a besieged city on the eastern edge of Ukraine near the Russian border that would be one of the most difficult for aid convoys to reach. Several attempts to establish evacuation routes from Mariupol have failed.

Awad says overall as many as many as 12 million Ukrainians may need aid.

(AP)

The Premier League banned Roman Abramovich from running Chelsea on Saturday after the club owner was sanctioned by the British government over Russia's war on Ukraine.

The league board's decision to disqualify the Russian oligarch from being a director ends his 19 years in control of the west London club but does not directly impact the players.

The board's decision does not impact on the club's ability to train and play its fixtures, the Premier League said in a statement.

The team is able to continue operating under a  license issued by the British government  when it froze Abramovich's assets on Thursday while imposing sanctions against him over ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including restrictions on spending. Chelsea had company credit cards from Barclaycard frozen as a result of the sanctions.
 

Residents on the Ukrainian city of Melitopol are demanding the release of their mayor after surveillance video showed him being marched out of city hall apparently surrounded by Russian soldiers.

Ukrainian President Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russia of kidnapping the mayor, calling the abduction a new stage of terror. The Biden administration had warned before the invasion of Russian plans to detain and kill targeted people in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy himself likely top target.

An aide to Zelenskyy posted the surveillance footage as well as video of a protest Saturday demanding the mayor's release which he said drew 2,000 people.

Melitopol is located in the southeast of Ukraine.

Russia is preparing a referendum on the creation of the Kherson People's Republic. This was announced by the deputy of the Kherson Regional Council Serhiy Khlan. According to him, the occupiers are already calling local deputies, in order to persuade them to their side, and help in organizing a "referendum".

A Ukrainian official says that another Russian general has been killed in fighting. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, said Saturday that Russian Maj. Gen. Andrei Kolesnikov was killed in action during the fighting over Mariupol. He would be the third Russian general to die in the war, according to Ukrainian officials.

Kolesnikov’s death wasn’t confirmed by the Russian military, which has kept a tight lid on information about its losses. Previously, unofficial Russian sources confirmed the death of one Russian general.

The death of Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division, was confirmed by his colleague and the officers’ association in southern Russia. The death of another general, Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, wasn’t confirmed by any Russian sources.
 

Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday expressed gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for evacuating four Nepalese nationals stranded in Ukraine amidst the military offensive by Russia.

The evacuation of the Nepalese students was done as part of India's 'Operation Ganga' that was launched to bring back the Indians stuck in Ukraine after Russia launched a military attack on February 24.

"Four Nepali nationals have just arrived in Nepal from Ukraine via India. Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi and the Government of India for the assistance in repatriating Nepali nationals through the #OperationGanga," Deuba said in a tweet on Saturday.

Last week, the Indian government evacuated two Nepalese citizens from Ukraine.

Earlier, the Nepalese government reached out to the Indian government for the evacuation of its stranded nationals.

India has brought back around 18,000 Indians under 'Operation Ganga' which was launched on February 26, two days after Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine.

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

(PTI)

A European Union delegation on Saturday met Ukraine Parliamentarians as Russia's invasion enters day 17.

Ukraine's government says the Russian military shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people in the city of Mariupol, reports AP

Russia's Deputy FM says his country had informed Washington that weapons supply convoys into Ukraine are 'legitimate targets' for the Russian military.

Convoys with weapons for Ukraine can become targets for the Russian Armed Forces, Ryabkov said, The Spectator reported.

After Lukashenko's meeting with Putin yesterday, Belarus expresses willingness to participate in peace talks with Russia and Ukraine as the war continues unabated for the 17th consecutive day.

Amid the ongoing war, Ukraine has sought S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems from Western countries. As per NEXTA, talks are underway about the possibility of their deliveries. Meanwhile, the United States is mulling supplying more 'more sophisticated' air-defence systems to Ukraine to counter the Russian attack. 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov claimed that Moscow's sanctions lists against the United States and Western countries are ready. "As we know from the past, Russia suffers more damage not from sanctions, but from so-called counter-sanctions," he remarked, as per NEXTA.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy's adviser has said, "The funds of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, frozen in the west, have already been reserved for Ukraine, it is more than $ 300 billion", according to ТРУХА.

As per reports, Swedish cosmetics company Oriflame says it will stay in Russia to support its store employees.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister says Finland and Sweden joining NATO could have both political and military repercussions, as per reports. 

Citing Prosecutor General’s Office, the Kyiv Independent has reported that almost 100 children have been injured since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Russia is ready to start a security dialogue with the united states if Washington is ready, said Russia's Deputy FM, according Sputnik. 

Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that the Russian armed forces have disabled the main radio intelligence center of the Ukrainian military with a precision strike.  According to Sputnik, he said, "On the morning of 12 March, a strike with a long-range precision weapon hit Ukraine's military infrastructure facilities. The military airfield in Vasylkiv and the main center of radio and radio engineering intelligence of the Ukrainian armed forces in Brovary were put out of action".

According to The Spectre Index, Ukrainian authorities have said that a mosque in Mariupol has been shelled. 

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said on Saturday "This is not an "operation" - this is invasive warfare. Which Russia is losing. Already losing."

"You know that the Ukrainian army has already destroyed thousands of Russian soldiers. Hundreds have surrendered themselves to captivity. We do not hide this information, it is accessible," he added. 

Ukrainian Ministry of Affairs has said "Stop the spread of Russian propaganda! While Russia blocks it's own independent media sources, the democratic world should restrict Russia’s propagandist media which continues to broadcast fake information & the ‘Russian version’ of the Russian war on Ukraine."

According to ТРУХА, the speed of the internet will drop sharply in Russia.

Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the MOU GUR, stated on Ukraine 24, that 'Russia is working on two versions of nuclear blackmail adding 'The aggressor state is trying to intimidate the world with nuclear explosions, and in any case to blame Ukraine'.

Russian army hit the village Bilohorodka in the Kyiv region with "Grad" missiles.

Republic reporting LIVE near Mazyr in Belarus with Russian troops being spotted in Belarusian territories, while Russian Army advances towards Kyiv.

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Tobacco companies are suspending shipments of products to Russia and reducing production. These are the brands Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans and Glo. Philip Morris (Marlboro, Parliament, Bond, Chesterfield, L&M, Next, HEETS) also announced production cuts.

Belarus' Ministry of Defence has said that Ukrainian leadership appear to have completely lost control over the situation in the country, according to Sputnik. 

Ukraine's armed forces on Saturday said that since the Russian invasion began on 24 February, the Russian army has lost over 12,000 personnel and destroyed 362 tanks among other targets.

Several thousand residents of Melitopol marched to the administration building to demand the release of Mayor Ivan Fedorov, who was kidnapped by the occupiers. 

Vyacheslav Chaus, head of the regional administration said that Chernihiv was left without electricity, gas, water and heating. Additionally, according to Nexta Tv, on Friday, the occupiers shelled the city centre and hit the building of the Hotel Ukraina.
 

Russian Ministry of Defence has said that country's forces have destroyed at least 3,491 targets of the Ukrainian military infrastructure.

Nepali PM Sher Bahadur Deuba thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi after four Nepali nationals arrived in their home country from war-torn Ukraine through India. Deuba expressed gratitude towards the Indian government for "asssitance in repatriating Nepali nationals through thr Operation Ganga.

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UK Ministry of Defense intelligence states that the bulk of Russian ground forces is now 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the centre of Kyiv.

As per reports, Azerbaijan will send 380 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine today, including food, medicines and medical supplies.

In operational information as of Saturday, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said, "According to the results of combat, most of the armed forces units of the Russian Federation, which had direct fiery contact with the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been demoralized, the moral and psychological condition of the personnel squad continues to decline, fixture thsâ cases of surrender to separate groups."

"During the last three dibs, there is a movement of small groups of deserters of the opponent towards the state border.
The enemy is experiencing a major problem with the backup composition...Ukraine's defence forces are repelling and holding back the offensive of the Russian armed forces in all directions," the ministry added. 

Nexta TV stated that at least eight explosions were heard in Vasylkiv.  Presumably, Russian aviation bombed the local airport.

Ukraine's state emergency services have stated that as a result of shelling by Russian troops, a frozen food storage warehouse caught fire in the Brovary district. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties.

The bank accounts of Chelsea Football Club have been "temporarily suspended" with Barclays after the UK imposed sanctions on its Russian owner Roman Abramovich in the wake of Moscow's war on Ukraine. Owing to the measures on Abramovich, all his assets have also been frozen in London. However, the team has been allowed to continue operations under specific measures, Sky Sports reported.

The action comes as Barclays needs time to assess the range of football-related activities the club will be allowed to pursue amid the prevailing sanctions on the Russian billionaire. In addition, it will also evaluate the license offered to the club by the UK government. Meanwhile, the west London club is currently operating under a government-approved license that allows them to function restrictively.

Read more here

according to media reports, air raids are presently going off in western Ukraine including in the capital, Kyiv Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Lviv and in the north-eastern Sumy region. 

According to Kyiv Independent, experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have said that Russia's new media law has put citizens in 'total information blackout'. The experts also said that Russia’s implementation of a “punitive ‘fake war news’ law is an alarming move by the government to gag and blindfold an entire population.”

While interacting with subscribers in a live broadcast, Jared Leto ran into a resident of Ukraine's Odesa. When the musician learned about the location of the interlocutor, he immediately sang a cult song by Vyacheslav Dobrynin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed sanctions with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko and according to Russian state media RT, both leaders look ahead with 'optimism'. 

Italian authorities have seized a $578 million mega-yacht owned by Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, reported CNN citing a statement from Italy's finance police. the statement added that the vessel called "SY A"  is worth about 530 million euros and was in storage at the northeastern port of Trieste. According to mega yacht manufacturer Nobiskrug, the vessel is one of the largest superyachts in the world.

According to Nexta TV, the mayor of Lutsk specified the number of victims of the shelling of the airfield which killed 4 servicemen and wounded 6.

Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air has suspended its flights to Russia including today's flight to Novosibirsk.

United Nations' nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)  said on Friday that technicians had started repairing the damaged power lines serving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Earlier, on Wednesday, Ukraine's energy minister had said that the lines were entirely cut earlier this week, with the last one “destroyed as a result of the occupant’s shelling”.

UK Defense Intelligence says Russian tactical aircraft are using 'dumb' munitions to support the advance of ground troops.

According to RT, The United Nations has condemned the move by Meta to allow hateful remarks and calls for violence against certain Russians.

United States President Joe Biden's administration is considering a tax cut on gasoline amid rising prices.

According to Russian state media RT, the Meta-owned social network Instagram called Russia's decision to ban the platform "wrong" and averred that it would hurt millions of people. Instagram head Adam Mosseri in a statement on Friday, "On Monday, Instagram will be blocked in Russia...This decision will cut 80 million in Russia off from one another, and from the rest of the world as ~80% of people in Russia follow an Instagram account outside their country. This is wrong.”

Foreign correspondents, Ukrainian media have stated that air raid sirens, heavy shelling were heard in Kyiv. CNN reported that explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Saturday morning.

According to Nexta Tv, Russia has received more sanctions in the last eight years than North Korea, Myanmar, Chile, Cuba, China, Iran and Syria have received in 70 years.

American brand Colgate announced a withdrawal from the Russian market.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Friday of kidnapping the mayor of the city of Melitopol, equating it to the actions of “ISIS terrorists.”

“They have transitioned into a new stage of terror, in which they try to physically liquidate representatives of Ukraine’s lawful local authorities,” Zelenskyy said in a video address Friday evening.

Ukraine's banking system remains operational despite the ongoing war, according to the country's media outlet, Kyiv Independent. The national bank of Ukraine has also reported that all the systems are operating despite the war situation in Ukraine.

 Russia’s aeroplanes and artillery widened their assault on Ukraine on Friday, striking airfields in the west and a major industrial hub in the east, as Moscow’s forces tried to regroup from recent losses and their onslaught fast reduced crowded cities to rubble.

American intelligence officials offered an assessment of the Russian air campaign, estimating that invading pilots are averaging 200 sorties a day, compared with five to 10 for Ukrainian forces, which are focusing more on surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and drones to take out Russian aircraft. 

New commercial satellite images appeared to capture artillery firing on residential areas between Russian forces and the capital. The images from Maxar Technologies showed muzzle flashes and smoke from the big guns, as well as impact craters and burning homes in the town of Moschun, outside Kyiv, the company said.

AP

 Newborn Veronika curled against her mother’s side on Friday, as if to hide from the horror around them — the war that tore apart the Mariupol maternity hospital where she was meant to greet the world.

On the eve of giving birth, her mother, Mariana Vishegirskaya, had to flee the hospital when a Russian airstrike hit.

Her brow and cheek bloodied, she clutched her belongings in a plastic bag as she navigated down the hospital’s debris-strewn stairs in her polka dot pajamas on Wednesday.

Images of the desperate mothers and medical workers from the Children’s and Women’s Health hospital shocked the world, as the bombing took Russia’s war against Ukraine to a sickening new level.

AP

Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow confirmed facts revealed during the military operation that prove the Kyiv regime is destroying evidence of military biological programmes. She said that the Western states are posing a threat to the citizens of Russia, Ukraine, and all of Europe by supporting the Ukraine nuclear facilities.

U.S. soldiers are continuing to deploy to Europe, joining thousands already sent overseas to support NATO allies amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

About 130 soldiers from the 87th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade gathered Friday at Hunter Airfield in Savannah, Georgia and departed on a chartered flight.

The soldiers are in addition to the estimated 3,800 soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division who deployed recently from nearby Fort Stewart.

A division commander said that soldiers are being told to prepare for about six months overseas. The Pentagon has ordered roughly 12,000 total service members from various U.S. bases to Europe.

AP

US Department of Commerce has imposed new controls on the exports of their luxury goods to Russia and Belarus. "We have also imposed an import ban on Russian alcohol, seafood and non-industrial diamonds," Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said. Price said that the US will remain committed to Ukraine and also ensured that no relief on sanctions will be given to Russia.

Russia controls 70 per cent of Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said, adding that the entire region is under heavy fire. CNN reported that heavy shelling by Russian forces has erupted around the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Friday evening. Social media videos showed fires in the area, and Vitaliy Kim, head of Mykolaiv Region Administration, said that there were "active hostilities near Guryivka," to the north of the city. "We're trying to push them further," Kim said on his Telegram channel, according to CNN.

Reacting to the UNSC meeting called by Russia, US Dept of State Spokesperson Ned Price called it an attempt to use the platform to further spread disinformation about biological and chemical weapons. "President Putin has renewed his siege of Ukraine, expanding his attacks upon a free and sovereign State to target additional cities. We continue to see reports of intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure resulting in even more injuries and deaths," he said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya on Friday said he regrets that the Security Council is now being now manipulated by the Russian Federation to promote an insane delirium. "We know quite well that the manic obsession with which Putin fantasises about non-existent biological or chemical weapons or hazards in Ukraine is very dangerous. It may actually point at Russia preparing another horrific false flag operation," he said. "So what else are you going to use against Ukraine? Ammonia or phosphorus? What will be your next target?... Russian troops have already destroyed all sites including schools, colleges, hospitals, and heritage sites in Ukraine," he stressed.

Ukraine's border guard service has said that Poland's Warsaw and Krakow can no longer accept refugees from Ukraine. Since Russia's military operation began in Ukraine, thousands and thousands of people of Ukraine are fleeing to different countries. Most of the border-sharing countries have warmly accepted refugees from Ukraine. Over the course of two weeks, about 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Krakow, and 200,000 in Warsaw. But now, both of the cities are not able to accept refugees.

ANI

Amid escalating war between Russia and Ukraine that entered sixteenth day, US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the US, along with the G7 and European Union, will call for revoking "most favoured nation" status for Russia. The move would hold Russian President Vladimir Putin "even more accountable for his aggression against Ukraine," said Biden. "Each of our nations will take steps to deny 'most favoured nation' status to Russia," added US President.

Heavy shelling by Russian forces has erupted around the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Friday evening, according to a CNN report. Social media videos showed fires in the area, and Vitaliy Kim, head of Mykolaiv Region Administration, said that there were "active hostilities near Guryivka," to the north of the city. "We're trying to push them further," Kim said on his Telegram channel, according to CNN. In a series of messages, Kim said the bombardment amounted to "indiscriminate shooting at civilian targets," including a cafe and apartment block.

After facing huge criticism globally, Deutsche Bank, on Friday, in a surprise move announced to wind down its business in Russia for its illegal action against its neighbouring country, Ukraine. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concern that the conflict in Ukraine would affect the food supply in Europe and Africa. He was speaking at a news conference in Versailles on Friday, American broadcaster CNN reported on Friday [local time]. Macron said that the war has already destabilized Europe and it could be worse in 12 to 18 months.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday that Ukrainian authorities have reported that the technicians have started repairing the damaged power lines in an attempt to restore the electricity supply in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) that was entirely cut earlier in the week. Earlier, Ukrainian authorities have reported that the repairing work began on the evening of March 10 and they had also repaired one section but off-site electrical power was still down, indicating there was still damage in other places. The repair efforts would continue despite the difficult situation outside the NPP site.

 Europe will ban the export of luxury goods from the European Union to Russia, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. The European Union detailed on Friday afternoon some of the new sanctions it will impose on Russia in coming days, following an agreement by the Group of Seven industrialized nations to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin, The Wall Street Journal reported. The European Commission President said that in addition to revoking Russia's benefits as a World Trade Organization member and fresh measures against Russian elites close to the Kremlin, the EU will ban the export of luxury goods to Russia

In a move similar to that of Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment has also announced that it will suspend all of its business operations in Russia, following the country's military operation in Ukraine. According to Deadline, this suspension by these companies will go beyond the standard theatrical releases which both studios had earlier halted.

An email was sent to staff by Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra. This boycott of Russia from Sony includes Crunchyroll stopping its anime streaming service in the country as well as home entertainment releases and future TV distribution deals.

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday had a substantive conversation on the war situation between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy gave Biden the assessment of the situation on the battlefield, informed about the crimes of Russia against the civilian population. Both leaders agreed on further steps to support the defence of Ukraine and increase sanctions against Russia.

nterpol is restricting Russia’s ability to input information directly into the global police organization’s vast network, deciding that communications must first be checked by the general secretariat in Lyon, France.

The French Foreign Ministry said Friday that the beefed-up surveillance measures follow “multiple suspicions of attempted fraudulent use” of the Interpol system in recent days, but it did not elaborate.

Interpol stressed in a statement Thursday that it is maintaining its pledge of neutrality amid war between two of its members, triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But it said that “heightened supervision and monitoring measures” of Moscow’s National Central Bureau were needed “to prevent any potential misuse of Interpol’s channels” like targeting individuals in or outside Ukraine.

AP

Russia’s baseless claims about secret American biological warfare labs in Ukraine are taking root in the U.S. too, uniting COVID-19 conspiracy theorists, QAnon adherents and some supporters of ex-President Donald Trump.

Despite rebuttals from independent scientists, Ukrainian leaders and officials at the White House and Pentagon, the online popularity of the claims suggests some Americans are willing to trust Kremlin propaganda over the U.S. media and government.

US President Joe Biden stressed that the United States and NATO allies would not fight Russia in Ukraine, describing such a scenario as "World War III". He added that, however, "we will defend every inch of NATO territory." "We're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message. We will defend every single inch of NATO territory with the full might of the united and galvanized NATO," Biden said after announcing additional sanctions on Russia. "We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct conflict between NATO and Russia is World War III, something we must strive to prevent," he added.

The UN human rights office has said that it had received "credible reports" of several cases of Russian forces using cluster bombs in Ukraine, adding that indiscriminate use of such weapons might amount to war crimes. "We have also received credible reports of several cases of Russian forces using cluster munitions, including in populated areas. On 24 February, a cluster munition exploded at the Central City Hospital in Vuhledar, in government-controlled Donetsk, killing four civilians, injuring 10 others, and damaging ambulances, civilian vehicles and the hospital itself. There were other cluster munition attacks in several districts of Kharkiv, in which nine civilians were killed and 37 injured," the UN spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement in Geneva.

Russia on Friday stated that it has documents to prove that there was a 'network of biological weapons in Ukraine. In a statement at the United Nations Security Council, the Vladimir Putin-led country said that the Russian forces had actually come across proof that there were projects going on to make biological weapons in Ukraine. The United States was funding the biological project in Ukraine, Russia added. 

Russia said, "The project mentioned was conducted at the heart of Europe. There was no international control on the practice that was done and that could have been a high risk for Europe. The analysis shows that there was a transformation of active parasites. It could give rise to bacterial infection that could spread from bird to people. By March of the same, 364 people died of swine flu, which included 20 Ukrainian soldiers." 

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 Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Facebook parent company Meta Platforms accusing the company's employees of "illegal calls for murder and violence" against Russian citizens, according to a statement the committee published on Friday. Notably, Meta, the parent company of social networks Facebook and Instagram, is planning to allow the publication of calls for violence against Russians in response to the invasion of Ukraine, media reports said on Friday.

YouTube announced Friday that it has begun blocking access globally to channels associated with Russian state-funded media. It had previously blocked them — specifically RT and Sputnik — across Europe.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, announced the move in a Twitter post and said that while the change is effective immediately, “we expect our systems to take time to ramp up.”

YouTube also said it was now removing content about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that violates its policy that “minimizes or trivializes well-documented violent events.” The Kremlin refers to the invasion as a “special military operation” and not a war.

AP

The mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped, said current official advisor and a former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Anton Gerashchenko, reported Nexta on Friday. According to him, Fyodorov refused to cooperate with the Russian military occupying the city. As per Gerashchenko, the mayor was detained at the city crisis centre, where he was in charge of the city's life support.

Herbalife Nutrition has suspended its operations and closed its stores in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. A statement released by the organisation working in Russia since 1995 said: "The Company will suspend operations in all 62 sales centres in Russia and will not ship product to the country." "Herbalife Nutrition will donate any profit from Russia to organizations supporting Ukrainian refugees. We’ve made this decision in consultation with our distributor leaders," added the statement.

The United Nations human rights office has received “credible reports” that Russian forces are using cluster munitions in Ukraine, including in populated areas which is prohibited under international humanitarian law, the U.N. political chief said Friday.

Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told a U.N. Security Council meeting that residential areas and civilian infrastructure are being shelled in Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv and “the utter devastation being visited on these cities is horrific.”

At the United Nations Security Council's briefing, India underlined the importance of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) as a key global and non-discriminatory disarmament convention, prohibiting an entire category of weapons of mass destructions. The country urged the full implementation of the BTWC in 'letter as well as spirit'. 

"We also believe that any matters relating to obligations under the BTWC should be addressed as per the provision of the Convention and through consultation and cooperation between the parties concerned," the country said. The UNSC meeting was convened amid Russia claiming that the United States was funding biological weapons labs in Ukraine. Read Full Story HERE.

Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would trigger World War III: President Joe Biden

Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States, not near Russia's border or anywhere: US representative to UN at Security Council meeting

The Russian Olympic Committee made an urgent appeal Friday to overturn a ban on its athletes competing at a European winter sports festival in Finland.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it was setting a timetable for the case ahead of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival being held from March 20-25.

The ROC appeal challenges a March 2 decision by the executive committee of the European Olympic Committees to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes because of the war in Ukraine.

In a separate Russian case at CAS, the national soccer federation has appealed against bans on national and club teams by FIFA and UEFA. Those suspensions were imposed on March 1 within hours of the International Olympic Committee urging sports bodies to act to isolate Russia after the military invasion.

(AP)
 

US-funded biological project in Ukraine, have proof of network: Russia at UNSC.

The United States will revoke Russia's 'permanent normal trade relations' status: US President Joe Biden

Addressing a press briefing, United States President  Joe Biden on Friday said, "Putin is an aggressor and he must pay the price."

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to address the Polish Assembly in the backdrop of the Ukraine-Russia war which continues unabated for the 16th consecutive day.

The sweeping economic sanctions on Russia - the second largest producer of crude oil - following its invasion of Ukraine late last month can cull global and domestic growth along with the added pains of higher inflation and currency depreciation, RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra has said.

And if the war lingers on, it can even lead to deglobalisation and even a recession, he added. 

The ongoing war has only added a whole new dimension to the outlook, and in fact, a weighty downside, Patra said in a lecture at the industry lobby IMC this evening. 

And the results are for all to see: market volatilities, bleeding currencies, runaway inflation and current account deficits, he said.

On the impact of the rising commodity prices, especially crude oil, he warned of more risks of a global recession, saying although the situation today is significantly different from the oil shocks of the 1970s, energy markets are global and price waves find their way around the world and if they sap household spending, the risk of a recession can only intensify.

While immediate implications are likely lower growth, higher inflation and disruptions to financial markets, the longer-term implications are disruptions to global supply chains. And if sanctions turn away demand, trade and investment, there can even be deglobalisation and recession. Already talks of stagflation have leapfrogged into the discourse on global economic prospects, Patra said.

Already high-frequency indicators suggest that global growth has lost steam in Q1 of 2022. While multilateral institutions expect global GDP growth may lose up to 2 percentage points this year and next in a baseline scenario, private sector estimates indicate that if crude prices jump to USD 150 a barrel, it will knock off another 1.6 per cent of global GDP and push up inflation by another 2 per cent.

The United Kingdom has sanctioned 386 members of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

After her visit to Poland, US Vice President Kamala Harris is now in Romania as a part of America's bid to isolate Russia due to the Ukraine war. In a joining briefing with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Harris said that diplomacy is the way to resolve the differences.

Amid the ever-escalating Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian diplomat and President Zelenskyy's close aide, Olexander Scherba on Friday slammed the Russian foreign ministry. The Ukrainian diplomat stated that the Russian foreign ministry and defence ministry were spreading lies regarding the ongoing attacks. One of Zelenskyy's close aides, Scherba also slammed the West for its approach to the situation and noted that the Western nations are ‘living in illusion thinking everything could be solved with diplomacy’.

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, Olexander Scherba lashed out at the Russian administration for its invasion of Ukraine. “What Russian Foreign Minister is doing is anything but diplomacy. Just imagine if someone came to India and said you are not free. This is not diplomacy; it's an insult,” Scherba told Republic TV’s Shawan Sen, who is reporting from Ukraine.

Read Full Story HERE.

The UN human rights office says it has documented 549 civilian deaths and 957 injuries so far following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying the toll and general human suffering are rising.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said Friday it has verified 29 attacks on health care facilities, workers and ambulances in the hostilities, including a high-profile one on a maternity hospital in southeastern Mariupol on Wednesday. 

In those, 12 people have been killed and 34 injured, WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris said in an email.

The figures from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which run through the Feb. 24 start of the fighting to midnight Wednesday, focus on civilians in general. 

It uses a strict methodology and counts only confirmed casualties. It acknowledges that its tally is likely to underestimate the real toll.
(AP)

The Prosecutor General of Russia has asked a court to formally designate Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, as an extremist organization, Russian's state-owned media RT reported.

"This is like a new life," said medical student Dhruv Pandita as he recounted the horror he went through in the war-torn Ukrainian city of Sumy before he and his fellow students were evacuated and brought back to India on Friday. 

"Even now that I'm back in India, the situation that I have gone through will continue to haunt me for days. Life in Sumy was terrible during the war. I never thought that I'll make it to India alive," Pandita said as he hugged his mother soon after alighting from a relief flight from Poland carrying stranded Indian students.

Pandita, who hails from Kashmir, reached Indira Gandhi International Airport in an Indigo flight from Poland's Rzeszow around 12.40 pm.

Narrating his tale, Pandita claimed that he was held hostage along with some other students in Sumy.

"We were confined in a bunker and had no water and food. We had to melt ice to get drinking water. We were not being allowed to move from there," Pandita told PTI.

The fourth-year student in Sumy State University added that it was due to the efforts of the Indian government that he was able to move out of the northeastern Ukrainian city.

"There were blasts everywhere and shelling in Sumy. It was the most challenging time for us. The Indian government made it possible for us to return home alive. It is like a new life for me," Pandita said.

His father Sanjay Pandita reached the airport along with his entire family to receive his son. They carried garlands, sweets and bouquets to welcome him.

"We have thought that we have lost him as he was held hostage. Though we were in touch with him, it looked that he is slipping from our hands. It's his rebirth as we see him alive in India," Sanjay Pandita said as he was inconsolable hugging his son Dhruv.

A similar tale of woe was narrated by students who reached Hindon Air Base through an Indian Air Force flight at 12.30 pm. 

Viradha Lakshmi, a native from Trichur in Kerala reached the air base along with her three-year-old white cat.

"I never wanted to leave my cat in Ukraine to die in bomb shelling. Our journey to Poland was halted due to security reasons and hence we reached Poland from Sumy in two days. We were not anticipating that we will survive," Lakshmi told PTI.

The IAF flight reached Hindon from Rzeszow carrying 213 evacuees.

Another student Mehtab, a native of Bihar who reached Hindon, said that they survived 13 days in the war and many days were spent without electricity, food and water. 

"All the students were depressed and terrified. We all were thinking about how we will escape and go back to India," Mehtab said. 

Hanna, a native of Kerala, was the last student to alight from the C-17 aircraft at Hindon. 

She thanked the authorities for rescuing students from Ukraine.

"We have been through a lot during past few days and I thank everybody who took the initiative to bring us back home. We have seen a lot including explosions in this short period of life," Hanna said.

The Indian government carried out the evacuation exercise under Operation Ganga to help stranded Indians leave Ukraine.

The operation to evacuate the last big group of around 600 students from Sumy began on Tuesday morning.

India has sent three flights to Poland to bring back the remaining students evacuated from Sumy.

(PTI) 

US President Joe Biden to announce actions against Russia over the war in Ukraine at 8.45 pm IST.

"Reassure all students that at present we see no security reasons for them to leave," the statement says.

As Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine, it is getting a helping hand from China in spreading inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that the US is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

The U.S. has been quick to refute Russia's conspiracy theory, and the United Nations has said it has received no information that would back up the claim, but that hasn't stopped it from proliferating.

The partnership between the two authoritarian countries, which weeks ago said their ties had no limits, appears aimed at muddying the waters of the rationale for Russia's invasion in what American officials have called an information war that some fear could lay the groundwork for a false-flag operation.

China's Foreign Ministry has helped fuel the fire this week, repeating the Russian claim several times and calling for an investigation.

This Russian military operation has uncovered the secret of the U.S. labs in Ukraine, and this is not something that can be dealt with in a perfunctory manner, ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday.

It is not something they can muddle through by saying that China's statement and Russia's finding are disinformation, and are absurd and ridiculous.

Indeed, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby called the Russian claim a bunch of malarkey, but in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, CIA Director William Burns also noted grave concern that Russia might be laying the groundwork for a chemical or biological attack of its own, which it would then blame on the U.S. or Ukraine in a false flag operation.

This is something, as all of you know very well, is very much a part of Russia's playbook, he said. They've used these weapons against their own citizens, they've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere, so it's something we take very seriously.

Russia, China and the U.S. are all signatories to international conventions against the use of chemical or biological weapons, but the international community has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against enemies of President Vladimir Putin. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

Moscow initially claimed that its invading forces had found evidence of hasty attempts to conceal biological weapons research in Ukraine.

The head of the Russian military's radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, Igor Kirillov, doubled down on Thursday, saying that U.S.-sponsored labs in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa were working on dangerous pathogens custom-designed to target Russians and other Slavs.

We can say with a high probability that one of the goals of the United States and its allies is the creation of bioagents capable to selectively infect various ethnic groups, Kirillov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a similar claim Thursday, alleging that U.S.-directed labs in Ukraine were working to develop ethnically targeted biological weapons.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a meeting Friday at Russia's request to discuss Moscow's claim. Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the U.N., said the American delegation would not let it become a venue for promoting their disinformation.

China has been actively promoting the claim, however, with headlines like Russia reveals evidence of U.S.-funded bio-program in Ukraine and China urges U.S. to disclose more details about biolabs in Ukraine on state-run China Global Television Network's website. The Communist Party's Global Times newspaper published a story Thursday with the headline US tries to refute rumors' about its biolabs in Ukraine, but can we believe it?

A nearly three-minute video of a Russian Defense Ministry news conference repeating the allegations has been viewed more than 10 million times on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform akin to Twitter, and liked more than 90,000 times. 

Following years of anti-U.S. rhetoric from Communist Party leaders and the state-controlled media, many Chinese are convinced the U.S. cannot be trusted and that the West is on the decline while seeking to contain China's rise.

The claim has also picked up traction with far-right groups and media in the U.S.

China is broadly seen as taking Russia's side in the conflict, most conspicuously in refusing to refer to it as a war or an invasion in keeping with Moscow's usage. It has also toed Russia's line on the root causes of the conflict, pointing to NATO's eastward expansion and a failure to acknowledge Russia's legitimate security concerns.

At the same time, it is also seeking to avoid fully casting its lot in with Russia as Belarus has, seeking to present itself as merely a concerned third party. 

China has abstained on U.N. votes censuring Russia and has criticized economic sanctions against it. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite having little experience in such a role and questions about its neutrality.

Chinese officials have also said Washington shouldn't be able to complain about Russia's actions because the U.S. invaded Iraq under false pretenses, maintaining it had evidence Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction though none was ever found.

China has also used the opportunity to repeat its claim that the U.S. created the virus that causes COVID-19 at a lab in Fort Detrick in Maryland, which it first floated in an apparent attempt to deflect American claims from then-U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior American officials that the coronavirus originated in a research laboratory in Wuhan, China. 

Two extensive studies released last month point to an animal market in the city as the likely origin. 

The international community has long been highly concerned about the biological military activities of the United States," Zhao said in response to a question about what evidence China had to back up Russia's claims. "What did the U.S. do at the Fort Detrick base within its territory?"

It is not the first time Russia has spread disinformation about American biological weapons research.

During the Cold War in the 1980s, Russian intelligence spread the claim that the U.S. created HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in a lab. More recently, Russian state media have promoted theories about dangerous research at labs in Ukraine and Georgia.

In this case, Russia has tried to counter the U.S. pushback by saying that it is Ukraine, not Russia, that could be preparing a false flag attack.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday that Ukrainian nationalists have stockpiled about 80 tons of ammonia in Zolochiv near Kharkiv in preparation for a possible provocation with toxic agents to accuse Russia of chemical weapons use.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the accusation itself was ominous.

That worries me very much because we have often been convinced that if you want to know Russia's plans, they are what Russia accuses others of, he said in his nightly address to the nation Thursday.

I am a reasonable person. The president of a reasonable country and reasonable people. I am the father of two children, he said. And no chemical or any other weapon of mass destruction has been developed on my land. The whole world knows this. In his testimony to the Senate panel, Burns said the U.S. strategy in the current conflict of declassifying and publicly releasing what is known about false narratives and possible Russian false-flag operations has paid dividends so far. 

I think we have had a great deal of effect in disrupting their tactics and their calculations and demonstrating to the entire world that this is a premeditated and unprovoked aggression built on a body of lies and false narratives, Burns said. 

"This is one information war that I think Putin is losing.

(AP)
 

Talks have begun between Russian President Vladamir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow. Putin reportedly told Lukashenko that peace talks are making progress. 

According to reports, talks have begun between Russian President Vladamir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.

Today we disbursed €300 million in emergency Macro-Financial Assistance to Ukraine. This is the 1st payment of a €1.2 billion package. So more will come: Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Commission

Meta, the parent company of social networks Facebook and Instagram, is planning to allow the publication of calls for violence against Russians in response to the invasion of Ukraine, media reports said on Friday.

"As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders.' We still won't allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.

The Sputnik news agency reported the US media giant is going to allow posts that call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in a number of countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Poland.

(AP)
 

The International Organization for Migration says 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded more than two weeks ago.

IOM spokesman Paul Dillon said in a text message that the figures, taken from national governments, were up to date through Friday morning.

He said that more than 1.5 million refugees have gone to neighbouring Poland and that some 116,000 of the refugees are third-country nationals, not Ukrainians.

The U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, also gave the 2.5 million total for refugees and said his agency estimates that about two million people are displaced inside Ukraine as well.

(AP) 

United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday at 8:30 over Russia's claims of US Bioweapons in Ukraine.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reportedly told Kyiv to dispose of dangerous research materials kept in laboratories around the country to prevent the pathogens from being leaked or “accidentally” released. 

The UN agency revealed the details behind its recommendation to Ukraine in statements to Reuters and Russia’s TASS news agency on Friday. 

Celebrations and tears at Delhi's IGI airport as students return from Sumy, Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin approves bringing ''volunteer'' fighters from the Middle East & elsewhere to join Russia's war in Ukraine. Moscow said the fighters would include those who fought the Islamic State group, a clear reference to the war in Syria. 

McDonald's says it will suspend all restaurants across Russia from March 14, 2022.
 

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has described Russia’s invasion as a 'terrorist war'. He also said, “Russian forces killed more civilians than Ukrainian service personnel.”

Russia is just repeating the same insult over and over again; we should be asking what Russia is bringing to the table as Ukraine has suffered enough, the Ukraine Diplomat & Zelenskyy's close aide Olexander Scherba told Republic exclusively.

 Scherba also said, 'Zelenskyy indicated room for neutrality but they (Russia) are demanding Ukraine to cease to exist as a free nation'.

They are professional liars; What the Russian defence ministry says is blatant lies, said Ukraine Diplomat & Zelenskyy's associate Olexander Scherba on Russia's 'bioweapons in Ukraine' claims. A UNSC meet is also scheduled for Friday upon Russia's request. 

Jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has called for anti-war protests in the country in cities including the capital, Moscow on Sunday. In an Instagram post, he wrote, "Mad maniac Putin will most quickly be stopped by the people of Russia now if they oppose the war".

“You need to go to anti-war rallies every weekend, even if it seems that everyone has either left or got scared...You are the backbone of the movement against war and death," he also said.

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu has said that more than16,000 volunteers from the Middle East are ready to come to help the DPR and LPR.

Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted an image of a girl carrying a dog on her shoulder and said that she was rescuing disabled dogs from a Pet shelter. 
 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that NATO will not be able to help Ukraine with the closure of the skies.
 

Japanese government to extend 100 million US dollars in emergency humanitarian assistance to assist the people of Ukraine amid Russia's invasion. According to Sputnik, the Japanese government had said, "The Government of Japan decided to extend 100 million US dollars in emergency humanitarian assistance to assist the people of Ukraine who are facing hardship in Ukraine and neighbouring countries."

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said that Russia has lost more than 12,000 people and 253 tanks among other losses since 24 February. 

According to Latvian news site Defi, Riga renamed street housing Russian Embassy and it's now named the Independent Ukraine Street. The street will now be known as "Ukrainas neatkarības iela" in Latvian.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrives in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin amid the russia-Ukraine war. 

Image: @nexta_tv/Twitter

According to Russian state media, the country's Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the hospital had been under the control of Ukraine’s Azov Battalion for several days, and that the paramilitary group had removed all patients and staff. He also said that the reports were designed to ‘manipulate public opinion.'

British technology minister, Chris Philp told Sky News, "We’re going to be making announcements in the very near future about a scheme for UK local authorities, and indeed UK families, to welcome Ukrainian refugees, we’ve announced that principle and the details of how that scheme works will be laid out in the very near future."

According to Kyiv Independent, local water management company Chernihivvodokanal stated that Chernihiv left without water after Russian strikes hit the city’s water supply networks. The company has located the damage and says it will take between three to four hours to repair.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'ready to talk to [Russian] President Putin anytime he is ready.' Zelenskyy's deputy told CNN. Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine said that even though Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers meet in Turkey did not fetch any results, Ukraine hadn't been too optimistic from the start.

“This is a really good thing that they met, but unfortunately we can say that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia is not the one making the final decision. The final decision to stop war, to make a ceasefire, to withdraw troops is made by one person only," he said, apparently referring to Putin, stated CNN.

In Chernihiv, during an attack by the Russian military, the Yuri Gagarin stadium was damaged, as well as the library building - head of Chernihiv Regional State Administration.
 

Ukraine's state nuclear power firm Energoatom will no longer buy Russian nuclear fuel, the company said on Friday on its Telegram channel, according to Sputnik. It said, "Energoatom completely refuses to purchase Russian nuclear fuel". It is to note that Ukraine operates Soviet-era nuclear reactors by importing fuel from Russia and the United States.

The Ukrainian government has launched a temporary digital document, for the period of wartime. In case of loss of documents, one can get temporary ones in the mobile application. The new service is called "e-Document" (єДокумент). It will contain passport data and TIN.

Niantic labs showed solidarity to Ukraine and said that their games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will soon be suspended in these countries.

Sergey Lojko, a 69-year-old Russian journalist has joined the Ukrainian army to fight Russia's aggression and even called Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, "the Hitler of today". In a video post shared by General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lojko said, "Hello! My name is Sergey Lojko! I am 69 years old. I'm Russian, but I worked almost all my life as a correspondent journalist for major American magazines."

"I never took a weapon in my hands as it would be unprofessional. Now you see the Kalashnikov machine in my hands. And I'm no longer a journalist, but a free person. I came here in Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, to protect Ukraine from my homeland, from Putin - the Hitler of today," he also said.

"Do you know why I decided to become a warrior? Because it's a biblical struggle. This is the battle of Armageddon between good and evil. And it was very easy for me to choose a side. Because this is a battle between darkness and light. For the first time in my life, between good and evil. And I chose my side eventually.=," Lojko also said.

Turkish air company Pegasus suspends Russian flights for 2 weeks from March 13, stated Sputnik. "Due to operational risks under these conditions, all our flights to and from Russian Federation have been temporarily suspended as of March 13, 2022 (including) until March 27, 2022," the company said in a statement.

The UK’s defence ministry said in its latest intelligence update that it remains "highly unlikely" that Russia achieved its objectives pre-invasion plan objectives. UK Ministry of Defence said, "It remains highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved the objectives outlined in its pre-invasion plan."

"Russian ground forces continue to make limited progress. Logistical issues that have hampered the Russian advance persist, as does strong Ukrainian resistance," it said.

"Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days. This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv," it added.

At least two boiler plants stopped working in Lutsk because of explosions caused by Russian missiles.

The head of the regional state administration, Yuriy Pohulyayko, said that explosions in Volyn occurred at an airfield near the city. According to the preliminary information, there were no casualties. Presently, the fire is being extinguished.

Virtually, Slovenian President Borus Pahor said, "at an international conference in Antalya, President Pahor will address NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, President of Ukraine Zelenskyy (virtually) and President Niger Bazoum."

Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boychenko told the Russian army is used banned weapons in the city. He said the situation in the city is critical with the city being bombed every hour. He further said that Russian aviation is firing shells mostly at residential areas.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday said anti-Russian sanctions would harm all the nations and will also have a negative impact on the recovery of the global economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Sputnik, Li said "The global economy is already under the negative burden of the pandemic, the sanctions will hit the recovery of the global economy and will not be profitable for any country".

Around 6:10 am (local time) in Ukraine, three airstrikes hit Novokodatsky, a district near Dnipro. The missiles reportedly hit near a kindergarten and an apartment building, and a hit on a two-story shoe factory with subsequent combustion. According to Nexta TV, preliminarily one person was killed.

As per reports, Japan's government has decided to freeze the assets of the three Belarusian banks. Additionally, Tokyo has announced a $100 million humanitarian donation to Ukraine and its neighbouring nations to assist people fleeing the war-torn nation.

Russian Embassy to US has demanded Washington must hold Meta to account over allowing extremist content against the Russian military. This came after the social media giant allowed calls for violence against Russians.

After a series of explosions, something caught fire in Lutsk. According to Nexta Tv, presumably, the Motor plant was engulfed in blazes in Lutsk. There is also information about explosions in Dnipro, Rivne and Volyn regions.

Image: @nexta_tv/Twitter

US President Joe Biden on Friday will propose ending normal trade relations with Russia and even increase tariffs on Russian imports, stated Sputnik citing reports.

In a daily operational report this morning, the Ukrainian military confirmed that Russian army "regrouped troops, restored armour, replenished the supplies of missiles, ammunition and fuel materials". Ukraine also said that Russia has slowed in their advance.

Kazakhstan airline Air Astana suspended all flights to Russia. According to Nexta TV, it is due to the termination of insurance coverage of commercial flights to/from Russia and over its territory.

United States Congress has just passed $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine. Senate democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer said, "We’re keeping our promise to support Ukraine as they fight for their lives against the evil Vladimir Putin. With nearly $14 billion in emergency aid, Congress will approve more than double what the administration originally requested.” Senate also approved $1.5 trillion overall legislation by a 68-31 bipartisan margin.

China censors online discussions of Ukraine by banning calls for peace. 

Due to the situation in #Ukraine, Meta Platforms will allow Facebook and Instagram users in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Russia and Ukraine to call for violence against the Russian military.
 

The $13.6 billion emergency military and humanitarian aid package for Ukraine and European allies is reportedly nearing final approval in Congress. This money will be included in the $1.5 trillion government spending bill.

As UNSC confirmed to convene on Friday to Russia's request about allegation the United States is using chemical weapons in Ukraine, Washington accused Moscow of "gaslighting the world". US' UN Mission spokeswoman Olivia Dalton was quoted by CNN as saying that Russia's move was "exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack."

"Russia has a well-documented history of using chemical weapons and has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law. Russia also has a track record of falsely accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating," Dalton said.

"We’re not going to let Russia get away with gaslighting the world or using the UN Security Council as a venue for promoting their disinformation."

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Friday said that European Union (EU) leaders said "yes" to Ukrainian eurointegration after five hours of heated debate. He said, "A historic night at Versailles. After five hours of heated discussions, EU leaders said yes to Ukrainian eurointegration. The process started. Now it is up to us and Ukrainians to accomplish it fast. Heroic Ukrainian nation deserves to know that they are welcome in EU." 

China has supported Russia's claims that the United States is funding biological weapons laboratories in #Ukraine. It is to note that Washington has repeatedly dismissed Moscow's allegations.

A United States defence official has said that "Ukraine is an example for how to defend Taiwan if China violates its sovereignty". the official, according to Nexta Tv, said 'Ukraine's resolute resistance to Russian forces could set an example for Taiwan to defend itself if China is going to attack the island.'

European council president Charles Michel has said “without delay” EU leaders “will further strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in pursuing its European path”. In a statement, the council said, "The European Council acknowledged the European aspirations and the European choice of Ukraine ... The Council has acted swiftly and invited the Commission to submit its opinion on this application in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaties. Pending this and without delay, we will further strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in pursuing its European path. Ukraine belongs to our European family."

The Russian military convoy near Kyiv that stretched more than 40 miles (more than 64 kilometres)has "largely dispersed and redeployed," Maxar Technologies said, according to CNN. the satellite images northwest of Kyiv have revealed that some of the elements of the convoy have "repositioned" into forests and treelined areas near Lubyanka, Ukraine, according to Maxar. The satellite images were taken at 11:37 a.m. Kyiv time (4.37 a.m. ET) on Thursday, as per the report.

Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk sang a lullaby calling for a no-fly zone to be implemented over Ukraine. Her post, which is now going viral on social media, came as NATO has continued to resist imposing a no-fly zone amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Kuleba among other officials have reiterated calls for the same.

Responding to reports stating that Russia could seize the assets of western companies, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that these decisions mainly consider the companies. In a Twitter thread on Friday, Psaki said, "We have seen reports that Russia may be considering seizing the assets of U.S. and international companies that have announced plans to suspend operations in Russia or to withdraw from the Russian market."

"These decisions are ultimately up to companies. As President Biden said earlier this week, we welcome the decisions of companies to exit Russia because they want no part of Russia’s war of choice against Ukraine," White House press secretary added.

She said, "Any lawless decision by Russia to seize the assets of these companies will ultimately result in even more economic pain for Russia. It will compound the clear message to the global business community that Russia is not a safe place to invest and do business."

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it has advised Ukraine to destroy the pathogens in the health labs amid Russia's military aggression, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. It is to note here that Ukraine has public health laboratories researching how to mitigate threats of dangerous diseases affecting both animals and humans. Its labs have received support from the US, EU and WHO.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris has suggested that Washington supports an international investigation into war crimes amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She also noted that the United Nations (UN) has already begun the process of reviewing the allegations.

As per reports, the International Monetary Fund no longer considers a Russian default to be an "unlikely event". Additionally, World Bank Executive Director has said that the longer the Russian war against Ukraine lasts, the longer the sanctions regime will last and the more significant impact on the Russian economy will be.

Russia has said that it could seize assets of Western companies that have left the country. In a video published on state media, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he supported the plans to introduce external management and the transfer of these enterprises to those who want to work, The Kyiv Indepedented stated.

a 20-year United States Army veteran, Matthew Parker is travelling to Ukraine because he "doesn't like what's going on". He will help the Ukrainian army fight against Russian military aggression.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement Thursday that Ukraine has lost all communications with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is presently seized by the Russian army. Earlier that same day, Ukraine's regulatory authority had told IAEA that emergency generators were providing electricity to the Chernobyl plant. IAEA said in a statement, "The subsequent loss of communication meant that the regulator could no longer provide updated information about the site to the IAEA".

Citing an announcement from the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine, The Kyiv Independent has stated that Kharkiv institute - home to an experimental nuclear reactor - had been bombed by Russia.

As per reports, about 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine crossed the Polish border, about 300,000 people arrived in Warsaw, which is about 15% of the population of the capital of Poland. Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) had already said that 2.7 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine amid Russia's military aggression. 

UK’s ministry of defence, in its latest intelligence update, said that Russian forces are "committing an increased number of their deployed forces to encircle key cities” due to strong Ukrainian resistance.

“This will reduce the number of forces available to continue their advance and will further slow Russian progress,” the report added.

JPMorgan, the largest united states bank, has terminated operations in Russia and also ended the existing commitments in teh country. 

While speaking in Russian, the Ukrainian President had also addressed the Russian propagandists. According to The Guardian, he said, "Russian propagandists have livened up today and did their best, I guess, in order to cover up the crimes of their army in Ukraine, crimes against Mariupol, Donbas, Kharkiv, crimes against tens of other cities. To cover them up with new accusations and new old fakes. They accuse us of developing a biological weapon, that we’re purportedly plotting a chemical attack. I’m worried about it because we have repeatedly seen for ourselves: if you want to learn the plans of Russia, look at what Russia is accusing others of..."

"I’m a sane president of the sane people. I’m the father of two children. No chemical or any other kind of weapon of mass destruction is being developed on our land. The entire world knows that. You know that. And if you do anything like that against us, it will receive the harshest sanctions in response," he also said. 

United Nations security council has just confirmed it will convene on Friday at Russia’s request. Moscow requested the meeting on March 11 to discuss claims of “military biological activities of the US on the territory of Ukraine." However, US dismissed Russia's accusations as "laughable". 

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to Russia calling for a UNSC meet over accusations against US. Taking to Twitter, Kuleba said, "The manic obsession with which various Russian officials fantasize about non-existent biological or chemical weapons or hazards in Ukraine is deeply troubling and may actually point at Russia preparing another horrific false flag operation. This tweet is for the record."

Russia has proposed to hold a UN Security Council meeting on March 11 to discuss the "military and biological activities" of the United States in Ukraine. Earlier,  Russian Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov had said US must “immediately abolish illegal works in the field of military biology” in post-Soviet nations. 

Following a lengthy statement by the White House rejecting Russia’s allegations of US involvement in developing biological weapons lab in Ukraine, Antonov had said, “Such nervous statements by the American authorities testify to the serious concern of the White House by revealing the truth about the work being carried out on the military-biological program at the borders of the Russian Federation under US funding.”

On Thursday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia a "terrorist state". In the latest video address, he said Russia’s attacks were “open terrorism from experienced terrorists”. Zelenskyy also noted that around 100,000 people have already left the country due to the Russian invasion. 

Zelenskyy said, "The world must know it. The world must acknowledge it. We are all dealing with a terrorist state. "