Russia and Ukraine war
Russian v/s Ukraine
Russia-Ukraine crisis Highlights: Ukraine declares nationwide state of emergency; Russia evacuating diplomatic staff
By: Express Web Desk |
Updated: February 24, 2022 7:35:56 am
Protests against Russia's aggression against Ukraine outside the Russian embassy in Stockholm, February 23, 2022. (Photo: Paul Wennerholm / TT via AP)
Russia Ukraine Conflict News, Russia Ukraine War Crisis News Highlights: Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country was always open to diplomacy.
Russia Ukraine Crisis Highlights: Russia’s state-run news agency Tass Wednesday reported that Russia has started evacuating personnel from its diplomatic facilities in Ukraine. Moscow has an embassy in Ukraine’s Kyiv and consulates in Kharkiv Odesa and Lviv. The Tass report stated the embassy in Kyiv confirmed that the evacuations have begun.
The Ukraine Parliament on Wednesday voted to approve in the first reading a draft law which gives permission to Ukrainians to carry firearms and act in self-defence, news agency Reuters reported. “The adoption of this law is fully in the interests of the state and society,” the authors of the law said in a note and added that the law was needed due to “existing threats and dangers for the citizens of Ukraine”.
Satellite images showed a new deployment of more than 100 military vehicles and dozens of troop tents in southern Belarus near the Ukraine border. The images released by Maxar Technologies also showed a new field hospital has been added to a military garrison in western Russia close to the border with Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country was always open to diplomacy. However, it puts its own national security interests first and would continue strengthening its military in the wake of “a difficult international situation”, Putin added. “Our country is always open to a direct and honest dialogue and ready to search for diplomatic solutions to the most complicated issues,” Reuters quoted Putin as saying.”But I want to repeat that Russia’s interests and the security of our people are unconditional. So, we will continue to strengthen and modernise our army and navy.”
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Russia-Ukraine crisis: US imposes sanctions after Putin recognises breakaway Ukraine regions; India, China call for restraint. Highlights here
07:35 (IST)
24 FEB 2022
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01:48 (IST)
24 FEB 2022
Ukraine declares nationwide state of emergency
Lawmakers in Ukraine have approved a nationwide state of emergency amid fears of an allout Russian invasion. The parliament approved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys decree that imposes the measure for 30 days starting Thursday. The state of emergency allows authorities to impose restrictions on movement block rallies and ban political parties and organizations in the interests of national security and public order.
The move follows Russian President Vladimir Putins move Monday to recognize the independence of rebel regions in eastern Ukraine where the nearly eightyear conflict has killed over 14000 Putin has sanctioned the deployment of Russian troops there to maintain peace and received a parliamentary approval to use military force outside the country. Read full story
22:12 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Critics say mild UK sanctions on Russia dont match promises
Britain promised to hit Russia with powerful sanctions over its military confrontation with Ukraine. But the slim sheaf of measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson has disappointed allies and critics alike. The UK has slapped asset freezes and travel bans on three wealthy Russians and sanctioned five Russian banks in response to President Vladimir Putin's decision to recognize two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine and to authorize sending in what he called peacekeeping troops. Johnson says there will be more to come if there is a fullscale Russian invasion. But many say the current measures are too little and further sanctions will come too late. --AP
22:10 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
EU leaders plan summit on RussiaUkraine crisis
European leaders plan an inperson emergency summit on Thursday evening in Brussels to discuss the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. European Union Council president Charles Michel said in his invitation letter to the 27 leaders that the use of force and coercion to change borders has no place in the 21st century. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had already planned to hold a 90-minute virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders on Thursday afternoon. That meeting was announced last week Michel praised the heads of states and government for the unity shown by the bloc in recent days to ensure the adoption of sanctions against Russia and deter its suspected plans to invade Ukraine. --AP
18:48 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Russia has started evacuating diplomatic personnel from Ukraine: Tass report
Russian state-run news agency Tass on Wednesday reported Russia has started evacuating diplomatic personnel from Ukraine.
18:22 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Pope tells politicians to examine their consciences before God over Ukraine actions
Pope Francis on Wednesday said the threat of war in Ukraine had caused "great pain in my heart", and urged politicians to make a serious examination of conscience before God about their actions.Speaking in a sombre tone at the end of his weekly general audience, Francis urged leaders to abstain from any moves that would cause further suffering for people and proclaimed Ash Wednesday, March 2, as an international day of fasting and prayer for peace. --Reuters
17:24 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy inspects weapons during visit to coast guards in Mariupol
In this handout photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspects weapons during a visit to Ukrainian coast guards in Mariupol, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. In late January, Zelenskyy said that $12.5 billion had been withdrawn from accounts in the country. Last week, he called on members of parliament and businessmen who had fled to return. More than 20 charters and private jets left Kyiv last week, carrying some of the country's most prominent executives. (AP)
16:39 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Ukraine MPs vote to give permission for civilians to carry firearms
The Ukraine Parliament on Wednesday voted to approve in the first reading a draft law which gives permission to Ukrainians to carry firearms and act in self-defence, news agency Reuters reported. “The adoption of this law is fully in the interests of the state and society,” the authors of the law said in a note and added that the law was needed due to “existing threats and dangers for the citizens of Ukraine”.
15:08 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Australia announces more sanctions on Russia
Australia has announced additional sanctions on Russia and is warning businesses to prepare for retaliation through Russian cyberattacks. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that targeted financial sanctions and travel bans will be the first batch of measures in response to Russian aggression toward Ukraine. Australia and Russia have imposed sanctions on each other since 2014. The sanctions were initiated by Australia in protest of Russian involvement in the Ukraine conflict. The National Security Committee in Morrison's Cabinet approved sanctions and travel bans that target eight members of the Russian Security Council. They also agreed to expand previous sanctions and to align with the United States and Britain by targeting two Russian banks. --AP
14:56 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Watch: Reporter switches between six languages during Ukraine coverage
People across the world are tuning in to news channels for updates amid the escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine. As several news channels and outlets are bringing in the news about the Russia-Ukraine crisis, a multi-lingual reporter Philip Crowther has stunned netizens with his eloquent coverage of the situation in six languages.
Without stumbling, he is heard reporting from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in English, Luxembourgish, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German. Crowther took to Twitter to share a montage of his reporting on Monday and it has amassed more than 3 million views so far. (Read more)
14:51 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Are Putin’s moves an act of war or a peacekeeping deployment?
Technically, war has been going on in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas between Ukraine forces and Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Around 14,000 people have been killed so far in the conflict. An additional 1.4 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced.
The White House had earlier been reluctant to use the term “invasion” but has now shifted its position. “We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, told CNN. “An invasion is an invasion and that is what is underway.”
The EU and the UK, meanwhile, weighed in on what Putin’s decision means. (Read more)
14:42 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls up reservists aged 18 to 60 for a maximum service of one year. (Reuters)
13:40 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Ukraine crisis: Russia welcomes India's position
Russia Wednesday welcomed India's "independent position" on the Ukraine crisis and said its views on the issue at the UN Security Council was reflective of the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.
Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin said India has been playing a vital role as a responsible global power and it takes an "independent and balanced" approach to global affairs.
We welcome the independent position of India which it took twice at the UN Security Council," he said at an online media briefing. "The Indian activities at the UN Security Council are fully reflecting the merit of our special and privileged strategic partnership," he added. (PTI)
13:33 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
'Speak plainly': Putin snaps at Russian spy chief during Ukraine discussion
While the US and Europe second-guess Vladimir Putin's next move on Ukraine, the Russian President gave a glimpse into the country's decision-making process during a security meeting on recognising two breakaway regions in Ukraine.
During the televised meeting Monday, Putin pressed Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin to "speak plainly". The tense exchange saw the spy chief being interrupted repeatedly as he struggled to find the right words. (Read more)
13:01 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
China says it oppose any sanctions on Russia
China's foreign ministry said Wednesday that it opposes any sanctions on Russia. We never think that sanctions is the best way to solve problems, the ministry said.
12:33 (IST)
23 FEB 2022ADVERTISEMENT
Moscow open to diplomacy, claims Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow is ready to look for 'diplomatic solutions', reports news agency AFP.
12:15 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Ukraine says one soldier killed, 6 wounded in separatist shelling
The Ukrainian military said Wednesday one soldier had been killed and six wounded in shelling by pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine in the past 24 hours as ceasefire violations remain at a high level.
The military said on its Facebook page it had recorded 96 incidents of shelling by separatists over the past 24 hours compared with 84 a day earlier. It said separatist forces used heavy artillery, mortars and Grad rocket systems.
Ukraine has accused Russia of provoking violence, saying it used it as a pretext to formally recognise eastern Ukraine as independent and move its troops into the region, precipitating a crisis that the West fears could unleash a major war. (Reuters)
11:31 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Donetsk, Luhansk appliedADVERTISEMENT officially to Russia for recognition, says India's Russian embassy chief
Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Embassy in New Delhi said that Donetsk and Luhansk, two rebel-held regions in Ukraine, applied officially to Russia for recognition of their independence.
11:07 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
Ukraine crisis has its roots in post-Soviet politics, says Jaishankar
The situation in Ukraine has its roots in post-Soviet politics, the expansion of NATO and the dynamics between Russia and Europe, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
In an interactive session at a think-tank in Paris, he said Tuesday that the world today is in the midst of "multiple crises" and these developments have generated new challenges to the international order.
"The situation in Ukraine is the result of a complex chain of circumstances over the last 30 years. Most countries, such as India and France, which are very active, are seeking a diplomatic solution," he said.
"The real question is: are you mobilised to find a good solution or are you content with posturing? India can talk with Russia, with other countries, within the UN security council and support initiatives like those of France," Jaishankar said when asked why India has not condemned the concentration of Russian troops on the Ukrainian borders. (PTI)
10:13 (IST)
23 FEB 2022
What are Putin's demands?
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the crisis could be resolved if:
1️⃣ Kyiv recognises Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Moscow annexed after seizing it from Ukraine in 2014,
2️⃣ renounces its bid to join NATO and partially demilitarises
The West has decried the annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law and has previously flatly rejected permanently barring Ukraine from NATO.
In other news, the Ukrainian military said Wednesday one soldier had been killed and six wounded in shelling by pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine in the past 24 hours as ceasefire violations remain at a high level. This comes hours after Russian lawmakers authorised President Vladimir Putin to use military force outside his country and US President Joe Biden and European leaders responded by slapping sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banks.
Reacting to the unfolding crisis, China said it does not think sanctions are the best way to solve problems. Meanwhile, Russia welcomed India's "independent position" on the Ukraine crisis and said its views on the issue at the UN Security Council was reflective of the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.
On Sunday, India asked the family members of Embassy officials in Ukraine — as well as students and citizens whose stay is not vital — to leave the eastern European nation amid its rising tensions with Russia. The directions to students and other nationals came from the Indian Embassy in Kyiy on Sunday. This is its second advisory in a week and has a stronger tone than the previous one — citing “high levels” of tensions and uncertainties.
Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine's northern border, a move that US leaders said put Russia another step closer to launching what they said was the planned invasion of Ukraine.
Also Read | Once, he kept Russia at a distance. Now, he is a docile Putin Satrap
Russia's action extends what it said were military exercises, originally set to end Sunday, that brought an estimated 30,000 Russian forces to Belarus, Ukraine's neighbour to the north. They are among at least 150,000 Russian troops now deployed outside Ukraine's borders, along with tanks, warplanes, artillery and other war materiel. The continued deployment of the Russian forces in Belarus raised concern that they could be used to sweep down on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a city of about 3 million people less than a three-hour drive away.
A Ukrainian service member touches a dog on the front line near the city of Novoluhanske in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the Biden administration refused to unleash sanctions on Russia ahead of a widely anticipated Russian invasion of Ukraine despite mounting criticism from Kyiv and domestic rivals.
In Pics: Satellite photos give a bird’s-eye view of Ukraine crisis
Sanctioning Vladimir Putin's government before he invades would just guarantee such a crisis happens immediately, US officials argue. "The purpose of the sanctions in the first instance is to try to deter Russia from going to war. As soon as you trigger them that deterrence is gone," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union" show.
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