Russia bombedthe Drama Theater in Mariupol, wherecivilians were hiding from shelling. According to local media, up to 1,000 people could have been inside the building. All of them are now under the rubble of the building. The exact number of casualties is still unknown.
(NEXTA)
Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor on Wednesday blocked access to the BBC's main news website, with Moscow's foreign ministry warning of more retaliatory measures against the media.
"I think this is only the beginning of retaliatory measures to the information war unleashed by the West againstRussia," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that his military campaign in Ukraine was a success and that he would not allow the country to become a "springboard" used to threatenRussia.
"The operation is developing successfully and in strict accordance with plans," Putin said at a televised government meeting, addingRussiahad no choice but to send in troops.
"The West is trying to provoke civilian confrontations in Russia... their actions will only strengthen Russia," says Putin.
"The West thinks we will step back, the West doesn't understand Russia," said Putin.
In an address on the Ukraine situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "he did not have any option but to have a military operation" in Ukraine. He said that Ukraine may have had nuclear weapons in the near future and that "Russia does not want to occupy Ukraine."
"I am 45 years old, but I see no sense in life after seeing 100 children die," says Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, saying that laws that have been in place until now have "sadly" failed to ensure peace, called on the US for constituting a new coalition of "responsible" countries to ensure peace.
Zelenskyy calls on the US to impose more sanctions on Russia, ensure all American companies leave Russia. "It is all filled with our blood," says Zelenskyy.
Thanking the US for its support, Zelenskyy seeks aid to support Ukrainian skies and protect the lives of Ukrainians.
Invoking incidents of Pearl Harbour and 9/11 attacks, Zelenskyy says that Europe has ignored the Russian threat for too long. "Is it too much to ask to safeguard human lives?" says Zelenskyy.
"We are just like you Americans... We have dreams for our future which is being threatened," says Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the war will decide the future if Ukrainian people, "if they will be able to be free."
"Slava Ukraini, (Glory to Ukraine)" says Pelosi, as Zelenskyy gets ready to speak.
Italy has seized a building complex on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia owned by Russian businessman Petr Olegovich Aven, Prime Minister Mario Draghi's office said on Wednesday.
Aven owned a third of the property and his holding was worth around 4 million euros ($4.40 million).
A Russian woman who burst into a TV studio to denounce the Ukraine war during a live news bulletin told Reuters on Wednesday she was worried for her safety and hoped her protest would open Russians' eyes to propaganda.
In her first television interview since her extraordinary on-air protest on Channel One on Monday evening, Marina Ovsyannikova said that she had no plans to fleeRussiaand that she hoped she would not face criminal charges. "I believe in what I did but I now understand the scale of the problems that I'll have to deal with, and, of course, I'm extremely concerned for my safety," Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, told Reuters.
"I absolutely don't feel like a hero... You know, I really want to feel that this sacrifice was not in vain, and that people will open their eyes."
Large oil importers like India and Thailand will be the most affected among Asia-Pacific countries by the ongoingRussia-Ukraine war, S&P Global Ratings has said.
S&P estimates the Indian economy to grow 7.8 per cent in the next fiscal year beginning April 1, 2022. Besides, the economy is expected to grow 6 per cent and 6.5 per cent in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.
The Ukrainian President’s Office said that Ukraine’s neutrality could only be on Ukrainian terms. Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that Ukraine could agree only to “legally certified security guarantees,” adding that in a new agreement, signatory states must be legally bound to defend Ukraine.
(The Kyiv Independent)
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a demilitarised Ukraine with its own army along the lines of Austria or Sweden was being looked at as a possible compromise. "This is a variant that is currently being discussed and which could really be seen a compromise," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA news agency.
According to a report by Reuters. the Switzerland government said it has approved sanctions on over 200 more individuals and entities in connection with serious violations of international law by Russia in Ukraine.
(NEXTA)
Russian Foreign MinisterSergeyLavrov claims Ukraine’s neutrality is being discussed in negotiations. He said the two sides are approaching “specific formulations which in my view are close to an agreement.” A strive to join NATO and the EU is written down in Ukraine’s constitution.
(The Kyiv Independent)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Ukraine is not going to join NATO “any time soon,” after the country's president acknowledged Ukraine would not become part of the Western military alliance.
President Vladimir Putin has long depicted Ukraine's NATO aspirations as a threat toRussia, something the alliance denies.
The United Nations' top court is set to rule Wednesday on a request by Ukraine for its judges to orderRussiato halt its devastating invasion. But it remains to be seen if Moscow would comply with any order made by the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, which is sometimes known as the World Court.
Russiasnubbed a hearing last week at which lawyers for Ukraine accused their powerful neighbour of “resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare” in its brutal assault.
Russian forces are struggling to overcome challenges posed by Ukraine's terrain. Russian troops have remained largely tied to Ukraine’s road network and have demonstrated a reluctance to conduct off-road manoeuvres, the UK Defense Ministry said.
(The Kyiv Independent)
France on Wednesday called for the protection of journalists coveringRussia's war in Ukraine, following the deaths of a Fox News cameraman and a Ukrainian producer near Kyiv. "I recall the obligation incumbent on armed forces to protect journalists in line with international humanitarian law," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.
"I condemn any action targeting them with the greatest firmness," he said, adding that "these events illustrate the extreme danger in the Ukrainian theatre today".
India is rolling out measures to help the country become a major exporter of high-quality wheat as importers scramble for supplies afterRussia's invasion of Ukraine, two government sources said, according to Reuters.
Steps to be implemented over about two weeks include ensuring government-approved laboratories test the quality of wheat for export, making extra rail wagons available for transport and working with port authorities to give priority to wheat exports, the sources said.
Japan will hold an auction on April 8 to sell about 1.89 million barrels, or 300,000 kilolitres (kl), of crude oil in a third sale from its national reserve, as part of a US-led coordinated release of reserves to cool rising prices.
The country's industry ministry said on Wednesday the supply, to be taken from its Shirashima tank in southern Japan, will be available to winning bidders from May 20.
Three million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil and products may not find their way to market beginning in April in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday, as sanctions bite and buyers hold off. "We see a reduction in total exports of 2.5 million bpd, of which crude accounts for 1.5 million bpd and products 1 million bpd," the IEA said in its monthly oil report.
An Ukrainian Jewish refugee woman sits with her dog inside of Agudath Israel synagogue in Moldova's capital Chisinau, before heading to the airport to board a plane to Israel. The number of refugees who have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24 has topped 2.8 million, the United Nations said. More than 9,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Israel following after the conflict begun. (AFP Photo)
Kathia, a Ukrainian refugee and her boyfriend Ruben, a Mexican worker inUkraine, sit on a plane of Mexican Air Force as they are evacuated to Mexico City, after Russia's invasion ofUkraine, near Bucharest, Romania. (Reuters Photo)
Ukraine’s armed forces are launching counteroffensives against Russian forces "in several operational areas," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
"This radically changes the parties’ dispositions," he added, without giving details. (Reuters)
The Ukrainian prosecutor general said on Wednesday 103 children have been killed so far in the war in Ukraine.
Russian forces have struck more than 400 educational establishments and 59 of them have been destroyed, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said on Facebook.
Reuters could not immediately verify the information. (Reuters)
Several explosions rocked Kyiv early Wednesday, according to AFP journalists in the city, with emergency services saying two residential buildings were damaged and two people wounded.
The blasts came as Russia intensifies attacks on the Ukrainian capital, which was placed under curfew late Tuesday due to what its mayor called a "difficult and dangerous moment".
The emergency service in Ukraine's eastern region of Kharkiv region said on Wednesday that at least 500 residents of the city of Kharkiv have been killed since Russia invaded on February 24.
Reuters was unable immediately to verify the information. Russia denies targeting civilians.
The United States is set to unveil a fresh round of security assistance to Ukraine Wednesday, a White House official said, as Western leaders faced mounting pressure to stop Russia's bombardment of civilians and peace talks made halting progress.
The official said President Joe Biden will on Wednesday unveil another $800 million worth of military aid, expected to include more of the anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles that have helped slow Russia's three-week-old invasion to a crawl. (AFP)
The UN's top court is set to rule Wednesday onUkraine's urgent request forRussiato immediately halt its invasion, with Kyiv claiming that Moscow falsely accused its pro-Western neighbour of genocide to justify the war.
With its shimmering azure waters, secluded coves and golden sands, Turkey's Mediterranean coast is a destination beloved by Russian tourists, nearly five million of whom visited last year.
But many visitors currently on holiday in the area now fear they will be unable to return home because of extensive Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion ofUkraine.
A 12-story residential building in Kyiv’s central Shevchenkivsky district was hit early on March 16.Two people were injured and 37 evacuated, according to the State Emergency Service.
(The Kyiv Independent)
Street artist Nathan Murdoch creates artwork in support ofUkraineand Palestine in Peterborough, Britain. (Reuters Photo)
Ukraine said it saw possible room for compromise in talks with Russia despite Moscow's stepped up bombardment Tuesday of Kyiv and new assaults on the port city of Mariupol, from where an estimated 20,000 civilians managed to flee through a humanitarian corridor.
The fast-moving developments on the diplomatic front and on the ground came as Russia's invasion neared the three-week mark and the number of Ukrainians who have left the country amid Europe's heaviest fighting since World War II eclipsed 3 million. (AP)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared a mission to build an international coalition against Russia and wean off dependence on its oil and gas exports in protest against the conflict with Ukraine, as he embarked on a visit to the Gulf region on Wednesday.
Johnson is scheduled to meet with leaders in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh for talks on energy, regional security and humanitarian relief as part of what Downing Street described as the UK's efforts to galvanise global action on the crisis in Ukraine. (PTI)
USPresident JoeBidenis expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, a White House official said.
NATO leaders will meet in Brussels on March 24 in an "extraordinary" summit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the alliance's chief said on Tuesday, as the White House confirmed USPresident Joe Biden would also attend.
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