Satellite images show Russian forces edging closer to Kyiv, only 7,000 evacuated from besieged cities, and Ukraine fears Belarus will enter war as well
Continue reading...Category Archives: Ukraine
US and allies set to revoke normal trade relations with Russia over Ukraine war, says Biden – as it happened
- US ‘taking first steps’ to ban imports of Russian vodka and diamonds
- ‘We are not ready’: a cyber expert on US vulnerability to a Russian attack
- Live updates: Russia-Ukraine war
- Full report: Russia widens attack to more cities
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Bates only took one question before he was interrupted by the pilot asking passengers to take their seats. Shortly thereafter the feed your live-blogger was using to follow the mid-flight briefing cut out.
Asked to elaborate on what consequences Russia could face if it used chemical weapons against Ukraine, Bates deferred to the president’s remarks and said the “meaning was unmistakable”.
Continue reading...Russia makes claims of US-backed biological weapon plot at UN
Fears claims of plot to use birds to spread disease could be pretext for biological attack by Russia itself
- Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates
- What we know on day 16
- Q&A: what are Russia’s biological weapons claims?
Russia has accused Ukraine and the US at the UN security council of a plot to use migratory birds and bats to spread pathogens, raising alarm among other council members that the accusations could be intended to provide cover for future Russian use of biological weapons.
The Russian permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, delivered a lengthy account of the alleged biological weapons plot, and said the birds, bats and insects supposedly intended to spread disease would cross Ukraine’s western border.
Continue reading...EU leaders announce intention to collectively rearm in face of Putin threat
Versailles declaration says Russia’s war in Ukraine has heralded ‘tectonic shift in European history’
EU leaders have announced their intention to collectively rearm and become autonomous in food, energy and military hardware in a Versailles declaration that described Russia’s war as “a tectonic shift in European history”.
At a summit in the former royal palace, the 27 heads of state and government said on Friday that the invasion of Ukraine had shown the urgent need for the EU to take responsibility for its own security and to rid itself of dependencies on others.
Continue reading...Ukraine woman who escaped Mariupol maternity ward gives birth
Mariana Vishegirskaya, wearing same dotted pyjamas, is photographed holding newborn daughter
One of the pregnant women pictured escaping the ruins of the Mariupol maternity ward bombed by Russia has given birth to a daughter.
Mariana Vishegirskaya, wearing the same dotted pyjamas she was pictured in as she struggled down the stairs of the devastated hospital, was photographed on Friday by the Associated Press lying in a hospital bed holding her newborn daughter, Veronika.
Continue reading...Trump thought US troops were in Ukraine in 2017, ex-ambassador says in book
Marie Yovanovitch, who was fired by Trump in 2019, reveals details of then president’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian counterpart
At an Oval Office meeting with the then Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, in 2017, Donald Trump asked his national security adviser if US troops were in Donbas, territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists, which Vladimir Putin last month used as pretext for a full and bloody invasion.
Describing the meeting in a new book, the then US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, writes: “An affirmative answer to that question would have meant that the United States was in a shooting war with Russia.”
Continue reading...Iran nuclear talks on hold over last-minute Russian demands
Moscow is insisting that Washington pledge not to sanction trade between it and Tehran over Ukraine
Talks on the revival of the Iran nuclear deal have become a casualty of the war in Ukraine after an indefinite pause was announced over last-minute Russian demands.
An agreement on the nuclear deal to bring the US and Iran back into compliance would have led to a swathe of US sanctions on Iran being lifted, including Iranian crude oil exports and petrochemicals, in return for limits on Tehran’s nuclear activity.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war latest news: Russia may be planning to use biological weapons, US says, as Russia warns of ‘uncontrolled spread of bio agents’
The US tells the UN that Russia has a well-documented history of using chemical and biological weapons, after Russia warned about the potential for the ‘uncontrolled spread of bio agents’
- What we know on day 16 of the Russian invasion
- Full report: Russia widens attack to more cities
- Ukraine renews effort to deliver supplies and evacuate Mariupol
- Evening Standard owner insists he is not ‘an agent of Russia’
- Tell us: how have you been affected?
Guardian reporter Peter Beaumont brings us this morning run-down from Lviv.
Russian jets bombed cities in the west of Ukraine in the early hours of Friday morning hitting Lviv, Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, as the Kremlin’s war continued to creep further into Ukraine.
Continue reading...‘We must welcome them’: how Europe is helping Ukrainian refugees
Unlike the UK, EU countries have offered open sanctuary to the millions fleeing Russia’s attack in biggest refugee crisis since second world war
Over the past few days, images of desperate Ukrainian families being turned away by officials have thrown the UK’s response to what has been termed the biggest refugee crisis since the second world war into stark contrast with its European neighbours.
So far the UK has refused to match the EU’s decision to offer Ukrainians open sanctuary, instead operating a limited family reunification and humanitarian sponsorship system.
Continue reading...Ukraine’s Zelenskiy calls Russia ‘terrorist state’ over aid shelling as forces close in on Kyiv
Ukraine president accuses Moscow of deliberate attack on humanitarian corridor in Mariupol as Russian forces fan out around capital and Biden prepares further trade restrictions
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of being a “terrorist state” after its tanks prevented a delivery of food, water and medicine to the besieged city of Mariupol, and said Moscow was capable of chemical weapon attacks.
As Russian forces appeared to be regrouping in order to encircle Kyiv and the US planned to ratchet up the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin, Zelenskiy tried to rally Ukrainians with another video address late on Thursday condemning Moscow’s relentless assault on cities.
Continue reading...‘We’re ready’: UK anti-fracking activists prepare to fight resurgence plans
Boris Johnson’s suggestion practice could re-emerge after invasion of Ukraine has rallied campaigners
Anti-fracking campaigners have vowed to give energy firms “no peace” if the government lifts the moratorium on fracking, pledging “inconvenient and noisy” protests at every site.
Steve Mason, campaign director of Frack Free United, said there was an army of retired “geri-activists” ready to lie down and face prosecution for the cause again.
Continue reading...UK imposes sanctions on Roman Abramovich over ‘clear’ links to Putin
Chelsea FC owner one of seven Russians to have assets frozen and be accused of ‘having blood on their hands’
Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”.
The owner of Chelsea FC was one of seven Russians worth up to £15bn who had their assets frozen on Thursday and were banned from travelling to Britain in a move designed to dramatically increase pressure on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine.
Continue reading...US Congress passes bill for $13.6bn in emergency aid to Ukraine– as it happened
International Red Cross warning comes as UN says Mariupol maternity hospital was third of its kind destroyed since invasion; Vitali Klitschko says half of Kyiv’s population has left
- Day 15: what we know
- Zelenskiy: bombing of maternity hospital ‘genocide’
- Ukraine says talks in Turkey with Russia fail to make progress
- Anti-Russian consumer protests and action spreads worldwide
- Tell us: how have you been affected?
The UK’s ministry of defence has also just released its latest intelligence report on the situation in Ukraine, seemingly corroborating Ukrainian authorities.
The ministry said there has been a “notable decrease in overall Russian air activity” over Ukraine in recent days, noting it is likely due to the “unexpected effectiveness and endurance” of Ukrainian air defence forces.
Continue reading...UK politics live: Boris Johnson says government will keep tightening ‘economic vice around Putin regime’
Latest updates: prime minister suggests further sanctions to come in future
- UK freezes assets of seven Russian oligarchs including Abramovich
- UK to ease entry requirements for Ukrainian refugees, says Priti Patel
- British troops who leave UK to fight in Ukraine face court martial – PM
- What is the most effective way for you to help Ukrainians?
- Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates
Chelsea FC will still be allowed to play matches despite its owner, Roman Abramovich, being sanctioned, the government says. It explains:
Given the significant impact that today’s sanctions would have on Chelsea football club and the potential knock on effects of this, the government has this morning published a licence which authorises a number of football-related activities to continue at Chelsea. This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs. This licence will only allow certain explicitly named actions to ensure the designated individual is not able to circumvent UK sanctions. The licence will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities.
There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine.
Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.
Continue reading...US conducting ‘legal review’ of possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine – as it happened
- ‘Absolutely there should be an investigation’, Harris says in Warsaw
- Zelenskiy describes Ukraine hospital bombing as ‘genocide’
- Twitter launches site on dark web to bypass Russia’s block
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Maya Yang reports:
North Carolina Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn has been charged with driving with a revoked license for the second time.
Continue reading...Drone footage shows ambush of Russian tanks by Ukrainian forces
Armoured vehicles in built-up area about 22 miles from central Kyiv come under repeated attack
Dramatic drone footage emerged on Thursday of a Ukrainian ambush on a Russian armoured column just outside Brovary, an eastern suburb of Kyiv.
Bellingcat, the specialist open source investigator, said it had geolocated the video, to a lightly inhabited area on the E95 road about 35km (22 miles) from the centre of Kyiv, a direct route to the east of the capital where Russian forces have been trying to mass.
Continue reading...US inflation rises to new 40-year high of 7.9%; Abramovich sanctioned by UK – as it happened
- ECB raises inflation forecasts, cuts growth outlook due to Ukraine war
- UK sanctions Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and Rosneft boss Igor Sechin; Chelsea sale halted
- European stock markets fall ahead of ECB rate decision, oil prices rise
- UK fuel prices hit fresh record highs; a tank of petrol costs nearly £88
- CBI urges UK government support amid ‘looming crisis’ in energy bills
- Sony, Nintendo, Hitachi join corporate exodus from Russia
- Closing summary
Rishi Sunak is also facing intense pressure from Conservative colleagues to take action in this month’s spring statement to alleviate the cost of living crisis, which has been dramatically exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, write our political editor Heather Stewart and political correspondent Peter Walker.
Asked about the impact of sanctions on Russia for consumers at home, the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, told MPs on Wednesday he believed the public was “willing to endure hardships” in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
The crisis is likely to have a negative impact on investment intentions of UK firms following Brexit and Covid. This is the worst timing possible, as business investment intentions were high coming into 2022. So the Government must move now to stimulate business investment to maintain UK growth, thereby demonstrating true independence from Russia.
Continue reading...Ukraine says talks in Turkey with Russia fail to make progress towards ceasefire
As first high-level diplomatic meeting between combatants continues, EU leaders prepare to meet at Versailles
High-level talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without a ceasefire, as violence continued across the country, with conditions in the besieged city of Mariupol described as “dire and desperate” as residents run out of food.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said there had been no progress to achieving a ceasefire in talks in Turkey with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the Moscow-ordered invasion of its neighbour two weeks ago.
Continue reading...British troops who leave to fight in Ukraine will face court martial, says PM
Boris Johnson repeats warnings by ministers and chief of defence staff that joining resistance against Russian invasion is illegal
British soldiers who travel to Ukraine to fight can expect to be court-martialled, Boris Johnson has said, adding that civilians should also avoid going there to fight.
When asked about reports that a 19-year-old from Warrington with no military experience had travelled to the country to join efforts against the Russian invasion, the prime minister said that while he could comprehend why people wanted to help, they should remain in the UK.
Continue reading...‘No one really believed it would happen’: first Jewish Ukrainian refugees arrive in Israel
Influx of 100,000 refugees from the war zone expected as members of the diaspora exercise the country’s law of return
A red carpet, applause and dozens of blue and white flags were waiting for the first Jewish Ukrainian refugees to arrive in Israel as part of a huge rescue operation triggered by Moscow’s invasion.
About 400 people on four flights from Poland, Moldova and Romania landed in Tel Aviv on Sunday, among them 100 children who had been living in a Jewish orphanage in the northern city of Zhytomyr. Most of the new arrivals were visibly relieved to have reached safety; as is tradition, several people touched and kissed the ground after disembarking.
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