Russia Ukraine News Highlights | The US Congress has approved the bills suspending normal trade relations with Russia and banning its oil, sending measures to Biden.
Ukrainian authorities continued gathering up the dead in shattered towns outside the capital amid telltale signs Moscow's troops killed civilians indiscriminately before retreating over the past several days.
In other developments, the U.S. and its Western allies moved to impose new sanctions against the Kremlin over what they branded war crimes.
And Russia completed the pullout of all of its estimated 24,000 or more troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas in the north, sending them into Belarus or Russia to resupply and reorganize, a U.S. defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is now marshaling reinforcements and trying to push deeper into the country's east, where the Kremlin has said its goal is to “liberate” the Donbas, Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland.
“The fate of our land and of our people is being decided. We know what we are fighting for. And we will do everything to win,” Zelenskyy said, six weeks into the war.
Ukrainian authorities urged people living in the Donbas to evacuate now, ahead of an impending Russian offensive, while there is still time.
The live blog session has concluded. For more news, views and updates, stay tuned with Moneycontrol.com.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE Updates |
The US Congress has approved the bills suspending normal trade relations with Russia and banning its oil, sending measures to Biden, news agency AP reported.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | Warning of new Russian offensive, Ukraine tries to evacuate civilians
Ukraine was trying to evacuate as many trapped civilians as possible on Thursday, warning of a new offensive by Russian forces pounding cities in the east and south of the country. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced agreement with Russia on opening 10 safe corridors, mostly in southern and eastern Ukraine, but said residents trying to leave the besieged city of Mariupol would have to use their own vehicles.
Underlining the problems facing civilians, the head of the state railway company said three trains carrying evacuees had been blocked by an air strike on a line near the town of Barvinkove in the eastern region of Kharkiv.(Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | India abstains from vote to suspend Russia from UN Human Rights Council
India, maintaining its neutral position at the United Nations General Assembly, decided to abstain from the voting held over the proposal to dismiss Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. The proposal was passed successfuly, with Moscow being eliminated from the top human rights' body. While 93 nations voted in its favour, 58 abstained from voting, and 24 voted against the measure.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | United Nations suspends Russia from human rights body over Ukraine
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" by invading Russian troops in Ukraine.
The U.S.-led push garnered 93 votes in favor, while 24 countries voted no and 58 countries abstained. A two-thirds majority of voting members - abstentions do not count - was needed to suspend Russia from the 47-member council. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | Ukraine is effectively using landmines in war with Russia: US general
Ukraine is effectively using landmines in the conflict with Russia, forcing Russian armored vehicles into engagement areas where they are vulnerable to U.S.-supplied anti-tank weaponry, the top U.S. general told a Senate hearing on Thursday."That's one of the reasons why you see column after column of Russian vehicles that are destroyed. So anti-tank or anti-personnel mines are very effective," Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Reuters)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis LIVE | Online free study module for Ukraine-returned medical students launched in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government on Thursday launched a three-month-long online course, designed by the state's health sciences university, for medical students who have returned home from war-torn Ukraine after stopping their studies midway. The Nashik-headquartered Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), in association with a private entity, Elsevier, has prepared the digital content. (PTI)
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Turkey offers to host future Ukraine-Russia peace talks
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday he had told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that peace talks with Russia can be held in Turkey from now on. Speaking after a NATO meeting in Brussels, Cavusoglu said there were still around 30 Turkish citizens, including their companions, stuck in Ukraine's southern port city of Mariupol, where thousands of people are believed to have died after a month under Russian siege and relentless bombardment.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Ukraine tells NATO members to send arms before it's 'too late'
Ukrainian Foreign MinisterDmytroKulebasaid Thursday he expected NATO members to sendKyivthe weapons it needs but insisted they had to act quickly before Russia launches another major offensive."Either you help us now and I'm speaking about days, not weeks, or your help will come too late. And many people will die, many civilians will lose their homes, many villages will be destroyed. Exactly because this help came toolate,"Kulebasaid after meeting NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | More than 4.3 million Ukrainians flee war: UN
More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have now fled their country since the Russian invasion, the United Nations said Thursday.UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,319,494 Ukrainians had fled across the border since the war began on February 24 -- a figure up 40,705 since Wednesday.The agency says it is Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates that 7.1 million internally displaced people had fled their homes but were still in Ukraine.The IOM says that in addition to Ukrainian refugees, more than 210,000 non-Ukrainians living, studying or working in the country have also left. This means that in total, more than a quarter of the population have been forced to flee their homes.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Just in: Turkey says Bucha killings 'overshadow' Russia, Ukraine negotiations, says Foreign minister
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Moscow supports probe into Bucha killings: Russian embassy
The Russian embassy in India on Thursday said Moscow firmly supports bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Bucha killings, alleging that Kyiv was involved in the crime. The comments by the Russian embassy incidentally came a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar strongly condemned the killings and said India supports the call for an independent investigation into them. Images of mass graves and bodies of civilians in Bucha town have triggered global outrage and condemnation with many countries calling for a thorough investigation into the crime. "The heinous attack in Bucha brings back the nightmares of the Nazi crimes during the Second World War. It raised revulsion and condemnation in Russia and India and globally," the Russian embassy said in a statement. "Russia firmly stands for bringing to justice those involved in this outrageous war crime act. The main challenge is to ensure a genuinely independent and unbiased investigation," it said. The reports of killings emerged in the wake of Russian withdrawals from Kyiv and nearby areas and Western powers have accused Russia of being behind the massacres. "Regrettably there have been so far widespread hollow allegations against Moscow while there's evidence that it was in fact a cynical false flag operation, perpetrated by Kyiv itself," the Russian embassy claimed. "It is vitally important to take this evidence into account as we seek justice," it added.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | WHO calls for access to Mariupol
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday called for humanitarian access to Ukraine's besieged city of Mariupol, and said over 90 attacks on health services had been confirmed in the war.Speaking at a press conference in Lviv, WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge lamented that while health assistance had reached many "affected areas", some were out of reach."It's true some remain very difficult. I think a priority definitely, I think we all agree, would be Mariupol," Kluge told reporters.Located in a strategic southeastern spot between Russia-occupied Crimea and pro-Russian separatist regions in Ukraine's east, Mariupol has been the scene of some of the fiercest assaults by Moscow's forces.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russian gas flows to Europe dip in line with customer requests
Russian gas deliveries to Europe via the Yamal-Europe pipeline reversed direction to flow from Germany to Poland on Thursday morning and supplies via Ukraine also eased, all in line with requests from customers. Gas flows switched to an eastward direction into Poland at the Mallnow metering point on the German-Polish border on Thursday morning after flowing westward overnight, data from pipeline operator Gascade showed. The change is in line with nominations from shippers, with no requests for westward shipments for the rest of the day, the data showed. Russia's Gazprom is continuing to supply gas to Europe via Ukraine in line with requests from European consumers, which dropped to 105.4 million cubic metres (mcm) from 108.4 mcm the previous day, according to news agency Interfax. Nominations for flows into Slovakia from Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were at 936,935 megawatt hours (MWh) per day on Thursday, down from 968,186 MWh/day on Wednesday, data from Slovakian operator TSO Eustream showed. Flows to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline across the Baltic Sea were at 73,165,350 kWh/h on Thursday, little changed from the previous 24 hours.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russia must lower hostility to allow dialogue: Ukraine
Ukraine on Thursday urged Russia to show it was ready for dialogue by lowering "hostility" after Moscow accused Ukrainian negotiators of changing their demands since face-to-face talks in March."If Moscow wants to demonstrate its readiness for dialogue, it should lower the degree of hostility," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said on Twitter.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Facebook-owner Meta says it is considering steps to curb Russian government misinformation
Facebook-owner Meta has removed hacking campaigns, influence networks and scam operations amid the war in Ukraine, according to a report released on Thursday by the social media company, which also said it was reviewing additional steps to address misinformation from Russian government pages. "We're constantly reviewing our policies based on the evolving situation on the ground and we are actively now reviewing additional steps to address misinformation and hoaxes coming from Russian government pages," said Meta's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, on a call with reporters. Russia has battled big tech companies to control online information flows after its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." It has banned Facebook and Instagram, and throttled Twitter by slowing its service. Twitter said this week it will not amplify or recommend Russian government accounts to users. In its first quarterly adversarial threat report, Meta said government-linked actors from Russia and Belarus had engaged in cyber espionage and covert online influence operations, including an influence operation linked to the Belarusian KGB. It said there had been other continued attempts from networks it had previously disrupted, including further efforts by the threat actor Ghostwriter to hack the Facebook accounts of dozens of Ukraine military members. Meta said in the report it had also removed a network of about 200 accounts operated from Russia that coordinated to falsely report people, mostly in Ukraine and Russia, for violations like hate speech or bullying.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Belarusian president demands role in talks on Ukraine 'war'
The president of Belarus, Russia's main ally, on Thursday urged for Minsk to be included in peace talks aimed at ending the "war" in Ukraine, using a term banned by Moscow.Russia refers to a "special military operation" in Ukraine and insists that the public and media use this term, while the use of words such as "war" or "invasion" can incur heavy penalties. Yet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko repeatedly chose to use the word "war" Thursday at a meeting with security officials.He complained that Minsk is not a participant in rounds of peace talks between delegations from Kyiv and Moscow, which have been held in Belarus and Istanbul."We are working on the basis that this war is just over the fence from our country and it affects the situation in our country in the most serious way," Lukashenko said."Therefore there should not be any separate agreements behind Belarus's back.""If you dragged us into this -- primarily Western countries -- then Belarus's position naturally should be heard at talks."
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | S.Africa's Ramaphosa, lashed on Ukraine, slams 'outdated' UN body
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose government has been criticised for refusing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on Thursday blasted the UN Security Council as "outdated" and in dire need of an overhaul.The continental powerhouse has maintained a non-aligned stance, touting negotiation as the best option to end the conflict despite international outrage and condemnation.It has so far abstained from voting in two UN resolutions adopted over the war."The conflict has exposed the inability of the UN Security Council to fulfil its mandate of maintaining international peace and security," Ramaphosa declared.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Greece must use EU influence to help Mariupol: Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on Greece to use its clout in the EU to rescue the remaining population of "martyred" Mariupol."Please use your influence as EU members to better organise whatever rescue can be carried out in Mariupol," Zelensky told a special session of the Greek parliament, according to the official translation.Mariupol, located in a strategic southeastern spot between Russia-occupied Crimea and pro-Russian separatist regions in Ukraine's east, has been battered by Russian assaults since February."We must save whoever we can," Zelensky said, adding that some 100,000 people were still left around the devastated port city."Mariupol and Odessa need immediate assistance," he said, referring to the two Ukrainian cities that have had large ethnic Greek populations for centuries.The Ukraine president also called for stronger bans on Russian banks and tankers."Russian banks must not be able to make money on the global credit system, we must shut the door, not just to some of them," he said."For as long as this terrible war continues, no (ship) of Russian registry or interests can be allowed to access European ports... no acceptance of Russian tankers," Zelensky said.Greek ministers and MPs gave Zelensky a standing ovation at the close of his speech, which was attended by the Greek head of state President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | EU Parliament passes symbolic vote to ban Russia energy imports
The European Parliament on Thursday passed a symbolic vote demanding a total ban on all Russian energy imports into the EU, as member states closed in on narrower sanctions against Russian coal.MEPs voted 513 in favour, with 22 against and 19 abstentions, of an "immediate" ban on Russian coal, gas and oil, as well as nuclear fuel.Although the motion was nonbinding, the parliament's speaker, Roberta Metsola, called it a "very important moment" that sent the "strongest messages" to Ukraine on the degree of EU support.The vote was separate from discussions going on Thursday between ambassadors of the 27 EU countries on adopting a European Commission proposal to sanction Russian coal, among other trade measures.Several EU states wanted to go further by also banning Russian oil, but others whose economies are highly dependent on Russia energy supplies -- Germany among them -- resisted.In 2021, Russia supplied 45 percent of the EU's coal imports, 25 percent of its oil imports and around 45 percent of its gas imports.Hydrocarbons are Russia's most important exports, and the EU is its biggest customer for them.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday told the European Parliament that EU purchases of Russian fossil fuels have filled Moscow's coffers by 35 billion euros ($38 billion) since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.That amount eclipsed the one billion euros the EU has set aside for arms deliveries to Ukraine, he said.The European Parliament's resolution also demanded stepped-up weapons deliveries to Ukraine, something Kyiv has been repeatedly calling for from Europe.Metsola late last week became the first head of an EU institution to visit Ukraine since the war started.Borrell and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen were to follow up with their own visit to Kyiv on Friday.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russia wants to take all Ukraine, says Ukrainian deputy defence minister
Russia's long-term objective is to seize all of Ukraine even though the short-term focus of its invasion is now on the east of the country, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on Thursday. She said Russian forces were biding their time in Ukraine as Moscow stepped up intelligence operations there and learnt how best to fight Ukrainian troops. "The key objective of the Russian Federation was and is the capture of the entire territory of Ukraine, " Malyar told a video briefing. "Russia planned to do this quickly, but (President Vladimir) Putin's blitzkrieg failed. Even so, Russia has not abandoned its plan to take the entire territory of Ukraine." Russia says its "special military operation" is aimed at demilitarizing and "denazifying" Ukraine. The Kremlin's position is rejected by Ukraine and the West as a pretext for an unprovoked invasion. Ukraine's military says Russia wants to entrench a land passage between two separatist, self-proclaimed people's republics in eastern Ukraine and the southern region of Crimea that Russia seized and annexed in 2014. "As of today, Russia plans to achieve some smaller objectives to show results, but in reality it is using any moment to gather its forces, to regroup its armies, in order to continue its assault," Malyar said. "The enemy is learning how to fight us. If in the first days (of the Feb. 24 invasion) the Russian army was disorientated, then they are now adjusting to our tactics and strategy, and taking time ... in order to learn how to fight our strategy." She said there were "signs" that an airfield in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria that borders Ukraine and is largely Russian-speaking was being prepared to receive aircraft and used by Moscow to fly in Ukraine-bound troops. She cited no evidence for this assertion.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | G7 says 'time to suspend' Russia from UN Human Rights Council: statement
The Group of Seven industrialised nations on Thursday called for Russia to be suspended from the UN's human rights body, over "atrocities" in Ukraine amid Russia's invasion. "We are convinced that now is the time to suspend Russian membership of the Human Rights Council," G7 foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States said in a statement.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russian facing most difficult situation in three decades, PM Mikhail Mishustin says
Russia is facing its most difficult situation in three decades due to unprecedented Western sanctions, but foreign attempts to isolate it from the global economy will fail, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Thursday. He also said the situation provided room for new business opportunities as foreign companies leaving Russia would make space for others. Western countries are progressively tightening a barrage of economic sanctions imposed to try to force Russia to end its military operation in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Gold firms as Ukraine crisis perks up demand for inflation hedge
Gold prices inched up on Thursday, as inflation worries intensified by the Ukraine war and mounting sanctions on Russia eclipsed pressure from the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive policy stance. Spot gold XAU= rose 0.1% to $1,927.84 per ounce by 0953 GMT. U.S. gold futures GCv1 gained 0.4% to $1,930.90. While there is "the guidance from the Fed that it wants to increase interest rates faster going forward, on the other side we still see inflation increasing," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. "We continue to see relatively strong demand for physical (gold) bars and coins across the board with market uncertainty and concerns about economic growth down the road because of high energy prices." Minutes of the Fed's March meeting showed deepening concern among policymakers that inflation had broadened through the economy, with "many" participants prepared to raise interest rates in 50-basis-point increments in coming policy meetings.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russia accuses Google of 'fake news', bans ads
Russia's state communications watchdog said Thursday it would ban US internet giant Google from advertising its services in the country, accusing YouTube of spreading "fake news" about its military campaign in Ukraine.Russia has moved to block access to non-state media and information resources and fears are mounting that Google could be next in line for a ban.The watchdog said Google-owned YouTube had committed "numerous violations" of Russian legislation and was "one of the key platforms, distributing fake news about the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, discrediting the armed forces of Russia".It said it had decided to "introduce measures of coercion".It said these included "a ban on distribution of advertising for Google LLC and its information resources".It also said it would inform people using Google search engines of its breaches of legislation, without giving details.The watchdog has already limited access to Google News app and website and accused Google of being "anti-Russian".After President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24 Russia passed legislation making it a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison to disseminate "false" information about its troops.It accused YouTube of not tackling information resources of Ukrainian far-right organisations including the controversial nationalist Azov battalion fighting in Mariupol, saying it has not deleted more than 12,000 pages declared extremist by Russia.It also reiterated complaints that Google has blocked state-owned media such as RT and Sputnik and other Russian media sites.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Ukraine says Russia OKs 10 evacuation routes
Ukraine's deputy prime minister says Russian forces have agreed on 10 humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians in three eastern regions of Ukraine on Thursday. Russia is expected to intensify its military campaign for control of Ukraine's industrial east in coming days and weeks, and Ukraine has appealed to NATO for more weapons to help stop it.Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said civilians from the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions will be able to evacuate to the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut. Vereshchuk said on the messaging app Telegram that it would be possible to travel from Mariupol and Enerhodar to Zaporizhzhia by car and from Berdyansk, Tokmak and Melitopol by car and on buses. Evacuations to Bakhmut, a city in the Donetsk region, will take place in Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Popasna, Girske and Rubizhne of the Luhansk region.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Ukraine warns of 'last chance' to flee Russian attacks in east
A Ukrainian official in the east of the county warned residents remaining there Thursday that time was running out to flee mounting Russian attacks, saying that all villages in the region were under attack."These few days may be the last chance to leave," Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday wrote to residents on Facebook, cautioning that Russian forces were "trying to cut off all possible ways of taking people out".
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | France summons Russian envoy over 'obscene' Bucha tweet
The French government on Thursday summoned Russia's ambassador to Paris for talks after his embassy posted a photo on Twitter claiming to show a "film set" by Ukrainians staging civilian killings in Bucha that have stoked global outrage."In response to the obscene and provocative communications by the Russian embassy in France with regards to the Bucha atrocities, I have decided to summon the Russian ambassador," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian tweeted.The tweet, which was later deleted, appeared to show bodies being placed in a street, and was captioned "Film set, town of Bucha."France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune had already tweeted late Wednesday that the embassy's claim was "beyond shame: Stop."
Ukrainian officials say scores of civilian bodies, some with hands bound behind their backs, were discovered in Bucha and other cities near Kyiv last weekend after Russian forces abandoned their offensive against the capital.The harrowing images that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called "war crimes" drew widespread condemnation from Ukraine's allies, despite Kremlin claims that the deaths were either faked or carried out by Ukrainian troops. US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the Justice Department's chief war crimes prosecutor was meeting his French counterpart to assist in a potential war crimes trial "to identify and hold accountable those responsible for atrocities in Ukraine."France had already summoned the Russian envoy, Alexey Meshkov, on March 25 to protest "unacceptable" tweets issued by the embassy showing crude cartoons depicting Europe and the United States.In one tweet, labelled "European solidarity in action", a row of kneeling people identified as EU member states can be seen licking the bare buttocks of a sinister-looking Uncle Sam character.In another, two doctors in white coats and hats bearing American and EU insignia can be seen injecting a zombified "Europe" figure with syringes marked "Russophobia", "Neo-Nazism", "Sanctions" as well as "Cancel Culture" and "Covid".
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russian air attacks focus on east Ukraine, Mariupol holding out - presidential adviser
Russian air attacks are now focused mainly on areas of eastern Ukraine, and Russian forces are trying to encircle Ukrainian troops in the region, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said on Thursday. He said the besieged southern city of Mariupol was holding out and that he believed the Russian efforts to surround Ukrainian troops in the east would be in vain. "The situation is under control," he said on national television.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Air India cancels Delhi-Moscow flight over insurance issues
Air India on Thursday cancelled its Delhi-Moscow service over the fear that its flight insurance may not be valid in Russian skies amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, sources said. Flight insurance is generally provided by companies based out of western countries.Western countries banned all Russian airlines from their airspace after Russia started a war against Ukraine on February 24. However, Air India has been operating Delhi-Moscow flights twice a week. India has not banned Russian airlines from its airspace.The Air India's Delhi-Moscow flight that was scheduled to operate on Thursday stands cancelled, the sources said. They stated that the flight was cancelled as it was feared that the insurance may not be valid in Russian skies.Air India did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Kyiv accuses Hungary of 'helping Putin' in Ukraine war
Ukraine on Thursday accused its neighbour, Kremlin-ally Hungary, of appeasing Russian aggression and disrupting EU unity following a telephone call between the Hungarian and Russian leaders."Apparently, after the elections, Budapest moved on to the next step -- helping (Russian President Vladimir) Putin continue his aggression against Ukraine," the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement, also accusing Hungary of "destroying unity in the EU".
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Why the US is targeting Vladimir Putin's daughters Katerina and Maria
The United States' latest round of sanctions on Russia includes two new targets: Russian President Vladimir Putin's two adult daughters, Katerina and Maria, who US officials believe are hiding Putin's wealth.Putin's daughter Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova is a tech executive whose work supports the Russian government and its defense industry, according to details in the US sanctions package announced on Wednesday.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Hungary receives nuclear fuel from Russia by air -foreign minister
Hungary received the first shipment of nuclear fuel for its Paks nuclear plant from Russia by air on Wednesday, after the war in Ukraine made shipping by rail impossible, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday. Szijjarto reiterated that Hungary rejected any sanctions on Russian oil and gas, adding that imposing any sanctions on activities related to nuclear energy was also a "red line" for Hungary.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russia says it destroyed fuel storage facilities in four Ukrainian cities
The Russian defence ministry said on Thursday its missiles had destroyed four fuel storage facilities in the Ukrainian cities of Mykolayiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Chuhuiv overnight. The ministry said the facilities were used by Ukraine to supply its troops near the cities of Mykolaiv and Kharkiv and in the Donbas region in the far southeast. Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a special operation to degrade its southern neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists. Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions in an effort to force Russia to withdraw its forces.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Thousands of goods railcars stuck at Ukraine's border as war hits exports
Thousands of goods railcars stuck at Ukraine's border as war hits exportsIn western Ukraine, some 1,100 train wagons carrying grain are stuck near the main rail border crossing with Poland, unable to transport their cargo abroad. They are just some of the 24,190 wagons carrying various goods for export, including vegetable oil, iron ore, metals, chemicals and coal, that were waiting to cross Ukraine's Western border as of Tuesday, according to data from the state-run railway company that hasn't previously been reported. With war raging along the country's southern coast, and its main ports blocked off by Russia's invasion, Ukraine is struggling to export its grain and other goods, according to government officials and industry insiders. But as Kyiv looks for alternative export routes by land, that effort has been hampered by logistical challenges and red tape, industry officials and commodity traders say. Valerii Tkachov, deputy director of the commercial department at the state-run railway company Ukrzaliznytsia, said that 10,320 wagons - or about half of the total - are waiting at the junction near the village of Izov, the main rail border crossing into Poland. Sitting some 130 kilometres north of Lviv, the junction serves as a gateway for reaching the Polish seaport of Gdansk.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Shell says to write off up to $5 bn on Russia exit
British energy giant Shell warned Thursday that it would write off up to $5 billion (4.6 billion euros) on its exit from Russia, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.Impairment from assets and additional charges relating to Russia activities were expected to be between $4 billion and $5 billion in the first quarter of this year, Shell said in a statement after the group had signalled its gradual withdrawal last month.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Australia to impose sanctions on 67 Russians over Ukraine
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday that Australia was imposing sanctions on 67 Russians over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "Today, I'm announcing 67 further sanctions of Russian elites and oligarchs, those close to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin who facilitate and support his outrageous actions," she told reporters as she arrived at NATO. Russia says it launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | New EU sanctions on Russia could be agreed Thursday or Friday, Josep Borrell says
A fifth round of European Union sanctions on Russia, including a ban on coal imports, could be agreed by the bloc on Thursday or on Friday, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said."Maybe this afternoon, or tomorrow at the latest,” he told reporters as he arrived at a NATO meeting.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Ukraine calls for 'weapons, weapons, weapons' at NATO talks
Ukraine's Foreign MinisterDmytroKulebaon Thursday called on NATO members to provideKyivwith all the weaponry it needs to fight Russia."My agenda is very simple. It has only three items on it. Its weapons, weapons, and weapons,"Kulebatold journalists ahead of a meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels."I call on all allies to put aside their hesitations, their reluctance, to provide Ukraine with everything it needs," he said.Ukraine is pushing the West to increase its arms supplies with heavier weaponry, including airdefencesystems, artillery, tanks and jets, as Moscow refocuses its offensive on the east of the country.Kulebasaid economic powerhouse Germany "can do more" as hecriticisedallies that remain reluctant to send so-called "offensive" arms."This distinction between defensive and offensive doesn't make any sense when it comes to the situation in my country,"Kulebasaid."Those countries who are saying we will provide Ukraine with defensive weapons, but we are not in a position to provide them with offensive weapons -- they are hypocritical, this is simply unfair, unjustified approach."NATO chief JensStoltenbergsaid he was certain that allies would "address the need for more airdefencesystems, anti-tankweapons, lighter, but also heavier weapons and many different types of support to Ukraine".Germany's Foreign MinisterAnnalenaBaerbocksaid Berlin was "looking closely with our partners how we can support Ukraine in the future, more intensivelyand more coordinated because they have a right ofself-defence."
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Russian, Belarusian runners banned from Boston Marathon
Russian and Belarusian runners will not be allowed to take part in this year's Boston Marathon because of the invasion of Ukraine, organisers said on Wednesday.Russian and Belarusian athletes living in their respective countries are barred from the April 18 race, the Boston Athletic Association said.However, Russian and Belarusian citizens not residing in either country would be allowed to take part, but not under the flag of either nation."Like so many around the world we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine," Boston Athletic Association chief executive Tom Grilk said."We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine," Grilk added in a statement.The statement did not say how many Russian or Belarusian athletes had entered this year's showpiece.The Boston Marathon, one of the world's major marathons, is returning to its traditional April slot this year after disruption caused by the pandemic.The race was cancelled in 2020 and then held in October in 2021 with a smaller-than-usual field.In 2019, the last Boston Marathon not affected by the pandemic, 59 runners in a field of more than 30,000 were from Russia and Belarus.Russia has been increasingly isolated by the sporting world following the country's invasion of Ukraine.Football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russia from all international competitions, including the World Cup, while organisations such as Formula One have cancelled events in Russia.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Just in:
Ukraine FM tells NATO allies to give Kyiv all weapons 'it needs'
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Ukraine seeks ruinous sanctions on Russia amid European hesitancy
Ukraine wants sanctions that are economically destructive enough for Russia to end its war after accusing some countries of stillprioritisingmoney over punishment for civilian killings that the West condemns as war crimes.The democratic world must reject Russian oil and completely block Russian banks from the international finance system, PresidentVolodymyrZelenskiysaid in his daily video address early on Thursday.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians and says images of bodies inBuchawere staged to justify more sanctions against Moscow and derail peace talks.Russia's six-week-long invasion has so far forced over 4 million to flee abroad, killed or injured thousands, left a quarter of the population homeless, turned cities into rubble and prompted a slew of Western restrictions on Russian elites and the economy.
The United States also wants Russia expelled from the Group of 20 major economies forum and will boycott a number of meetings at the G20 in Indonesia if Russian officials show up.But the head of Ukraine's presidential officeAndriyYermaksaid late on Wednesday that its allies must go further."Sanctions against Russia must be ruinous enough for us to end this terrible war," he said."My goal is to impose an embargo on the supply to Russia of technology, equipment, minerals and ores (and) rare earth dual-use minerals and thus stop the production of weapons in Russia."
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Ukraine girds for renewed Russian offensive on eastern front
Ukraine braced for a climactic battle for control of the besieged country's industrial east, as Russian forces withdrew from the shattered outskirts of Kyiv to regroup and intensify their offensive across the Donbas region, where authorities urged people to evacuate before time runs out. The mayor of the southern port city of Mariupol said Wednesday that more than 5,000 civilians had been killed there. Meanwhile, in areas north of the capital, Ukrainian officials gathered evidence of Russian atrocities amid telltale signs that Moscow’s troops killed people indiscriminately before retreating over the past several days.
In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the Russian military continued to build up its forces in preparation for a new offensive in the east, where the Kremlin has said its goal is to “liberate” the Donbas, Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland. But he said Ukraine, too, was preparing for battle. “We will fight and we will not retreat,” he said. “We will seek all possible options to defend ourselves until Russia begins to seriously seek peace. This is our land. This is our future. And we won’t give them up.”
Ukrainian authorities urged people living in the Donbas to evacuate immediately.
“Later, people will come under fire,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, “and we won’t be able to do anything to help them.” A U.S. defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said Russia had completed the pullout of all of its estimated 24,000 or more troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas in the north, sending them into Belarus or Russia to resupply and reorganize, probably to return to the fight in the east.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | UN to vote on suspending Russia from Human Rights Council over Ukraine
The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a U.S. push to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" by invading Russian troops in Ukraine. A two-thirds majority of voting members - abstentions do not count - can suspend a country from the 47-member council. Libya was suspended in 2011 because of violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Western diplomats are confident they have enough support among the 193-member General Assembly to adopt a resolution to suspend Moscow. The draft text expresses "grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine," particularly at reports of rights abuses by Russia. Explaining the move, announced on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters: "It is important to say (to Russia) 'we're not going to allow you to continue to act with such impunity and pretend that you respect human rights'."
Russia has warned countries that a yes vote or abstention will be viewed as an "unfriendly gesture" with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, the Assembly has adopted two resolutions denouncing Russia with 141 and 140 votes in favor. Moscow says it is carrying out a "special operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.
The United States announced it would seek Russia's suspension after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing hundreds of civilians in the town of Bucha. Russia denies attacking civilians in Ukraine. U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Tuesday that while Bucha was under Russian control "not a single civilian suffered from any kind of violence."
Russia is in its second year of a three-year term on the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, which cannot make legally binding decisions. Its decisions send important political messages, however, and it can authorize investigations. Last month the council opened an investigation into allegations of rights violations, including possible war crimes, in Ukraine since Russia's attack.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Seeing Bucha atrocities is turning point for media, viewers
CBS News reporter Debora Patta has covered conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Europe. She has seen violence and death at close range before. But the atrocities she witnessed in Bucha, Ukraine this week stood out, and overwhelmed her. “We need to be disturbed by these pictures,” Patta said on “CBS Mornings,” after describing what she and other journalists witnessed in the outskirts of Kyiv.
The war changed this week from a media perspective, which is how most people outside of Ukraine experience it. Before, events had been seen primarily from a slight distance — fiery explosions caught on camera or drone-eyed views of burned-out buildings. Now, with the Ukrainian army retaking control of villages near Kyiv that had been brutalized by Russian soldiers, journalists are capturing the aftermath of horrific violence at close range — of dead bodies bound, tortured and burned.
While there’s a sense that images like these might change public opinion or have an impact on how a war plays out, historically that hasn’t often been the case, said Rebecca Adelman, a communications professor at the University of Maryland who specializes in war and the media. Still, several countries, including the United States and Britain, imposed additional sanctions on Russia this week, and they cited the brutality in Bucha as compelling them to do more.
Whatever the impact, Adelman said it is critical to have journalists on hand to document what is going on. “Bearing witness is crucially important, particularly in cases of catastrophic loss,” she said. “Sometimes the photograph is all you have left.” Photographs and video from Bucha showed body bags piled in trenches, lifeless limbs protruding from hastily dug graves, and corpses scattered in streets where they fell, including one man blown off a bicycle. Journalists from around the world also interviewed Ukrainians emerging from their hiding places to tell stories about the barbarism they witnessed from Russian soldiers.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Yellen: Russia's invasion will have 'enormous repercussions'
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned a House panel Wednesday that Russia’s aggression in Eastern Europe will have “enormous economic repercussions in Ukraine and beyond.” She added that the rising price of energy, metal, wheat and corn that Russia and Ukraine produce "is going to escalate inflationary pressures as well.”
Russia’s invasion “including the atrocities committed against innocent Ukrainians in Bucha, are reprehensible, represent an unacceptable affront to the rules-based global order, and will have enormous economic repercussions for the world," she told the House Financial Services Committee.
Her remarks were part of her annual testimony on the state of the international financial system. Along with touching on the need for food and energy security and debt sustainability globally, Yellen called on Congress to provide support to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank organizations, which have provided grants and humanitarian funds financing to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.
“Globally,” she said, “spillovers from the crisis are heightening economic vulnerabilities in many countries that are already facing higher debt burdens and limited policy options as they recover from COVID-19.” “The sanctions we’ve placed on Russia are pushing up the price of energy. It’s a price that’s important to pay to punish Russia for what it’s doing in Ukraine,” she added, drawing on how the conflict is impacting Americans at home.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | US charges Russian oligarch, dismantles cybercrime operation
The Biden administration has charged a Russian oligarch linked to the Kremlin with violating U.S. government sanctions, and disrupted a cybercrime operation that was launched by a Russian military intelligence agency, officials said Wednesday. The actions came as the Justice Department said it was accelerating efforts to track down illicit Russian assets and as U.S. prosecutors helped European counterparts gather evidence on potential war crimes committed by Russia during its war on Ukraine.
FBI and Justice Department officials announced the moves on the same day that the U.S. separately revealed sanctions against the two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and sanctions that blocked two key Russian banks. “We have our eyes on every yacht and jet. We have our eyes on every piece of art and real estate purchased with dirty money and on every bitcoin wallet filled with proceeds of theft and other crimes,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, adding that "our goal is to ensure that sanctioned Russian oligarchs and cyber criminals will not find safe haven.”
The indictment against Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian media baron and founder of Russian Orthodox news channel Tsargrad TV, is the first of an oligarch since Russia's war with Ukraine began in February. Malofeyev has trumpeted the invasion as a “holy war" and has supported Russia-aligned separatist groups in Ukraine.
Russia Ukraine News LIVE Updates | Democrats accuse oil companies of 'rip off' on gas prices
House Democrats on Wednesday accused oil companies of "ripping off the American people” and putting profits before production as Americans suffer from ever-increasing gasoline prices during the war in Ukraine. "At a time of record profits, Big Oil is refusing to increase production to provide the American people some much needed relief at the gas pump,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Oil executives, testifying before Congress for the second time in six months, responded that oil is a global market and that oil companies don’t dictate prices. “We do not control the market price of crude oil or natural gas, nor of refined products like gasoline and diesel fuel, and we have no tolerance for price gouging,” said Chevron CEO Michael Wirth.
Facing sharp questions from Democrats, Wirth, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods and other executives said their companies have no plans to halt payments of dividends to stockholders or to restrict stock buybacks that have enriched shareholders and company executives. The six companies at the hearing recorded $77 billion in profits last year, they testified.
The hearing comes as President Joe Biden has ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months in a bid to control energy prices, which have spiked as the United States and its allies have imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The national average gas price was $4.16 a gallon for regular on Wednesday, up from $2.87 a year ago, according to AAA.
Biden and other Democrats have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. oil industry for the increase, citing reports that oil companies have made record profits in recent months as prices have risen following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
