As the invasion of Ukraine entered its second week, protests against Russian aggression were held all over the world
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Blinken vows to escalate sanctions on Russia but warns war could last ‘some time’
Speaking from Moldova, US secretary of state warns Russia holds military advantage that western allies are finding hard to counter
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a pledge on Sunday to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions and provide more aid to Ukraine, but warned that Russia held a military advantage that western allies are finding hard to counter and the war was set to last “some time”.
“Vladimir Putin has, unfortunately, the capacity with the sheer manpower he has in Ukraine and overmatch he has, the ability to keep grinding things down against incredibly resilient and courageous Ukrainians. I think we have to be prepared for this to last for some time,” Blinken told CNN.
Continue reading...Poutine not Putin: classic Quebec dish off the menu in France and Canada
French restaurant threatened for selling fries, cheese and gravy snack that sounds like the Russian leader
Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has prompted demonstrations around the world, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to condemn the war.
But anger towards the Russian leader has also ensnared an unlikely casualty: a French-Canadian delicacy of potato fries, cheese curds and gravy.
Continue reading...Ukraine: footage appears to show Vinnytsia airport on fire – video
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Russian rockets had completely destroyed the civilian airport in central Ukraine on Sunday. Footage appears to show columns of smoke and fire billowing from the airport
Continue reading...US officials fly to Venezuela for talks in apparent bid to further isolate Russia
Experts believe rare meeting with Moscow ally could signal significant shift in US policy towards Caracas
Senior US officials have flown to Venezuela for rare talks with Nicolás Maduro’s government in an apparent bid to prise the South American country away from its Russian backers after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
White House and state department negotiators met Maduro representatives in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Saturday in what was the first such encounter in years.
Continue reading...Pope says invasion of Ukraine is ‘not just a military operation but a war’ – video
In his weekly address to crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square, Rome, the pontiff rejected Russia’s assertion that it is carrying out a 'a special military operation'. 'In Ukraine, rivers of blood and tears are flowing. This is not only a military operation but a war which is leading to death, destruction and misery,' Pope Francis said
Continue reading...‘Do not be silent’: Zelenskiy urges Russians to protest against Ukraine invasion – video
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed for Russians to challenge their government and voice opposition to the invasion of Ukraine. 'If you keep silent now, only your poverty will speak for you later. And only repression will answer,' he warned.
Russians face an uncertain and isolated future after international sanctions plunged the economy into crisis and authorities cracked down on independent media and restricted access to Facebook and other social media sites.
Continue reading...Journalists and residents run from shelling in Irpin, Ukraine – video
Explosions can be heard as journalists and Ukrainians are filmed amid heavy shelling in town of Irpin, near Kyiv. The Ukrianian military helped residents escape as Russian troops advanced towards the capital
Continue reading...Clear picture of war in Ukraine clouded by large areas of unknowns
Analysis: lack of reliable information has made it hard to assess the Russian military’s successes and failures
In conflict, where information is everything, what is striking about the war in Ukraine is not what is known but the very large areas of unknowns.
And even as commentators have picked over and analysed everything that is known about the Russian military’s operations and performance in Ukraine in an effort to predict the trajectory of the conflict, it’s what is poorly understood that may yet be more significant still.
Continue reading...Brazilian politician’s sexist remarks about Ukraine refugees spark outrage
Arthur do Val heard in leaked audio messages calling women fleeing war ‘easy because they’re poor’
A prominent member of the Brazilian right is facing calls to resign after he was exposed in leaked audio messages making a succession of callous and misogynistic remarks about Ukrainian refugees during a purportedly humanitarian mission to the recently invaded country.
Arthur do Val, a São Paulo congressman and former supporter of Brazil’s rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, made a three-day trip to the region last week, supposedly to raise awareness of the human cost of Vladimir Putin’s attack.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine and Russia blame each other as Mariupol evacuation fails again – live
Hopes of establishing a humanitarian corridor out of besieged city of Mariupol dashed for second day running
- Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 11 of the Russian invasion
- Defiant Putin warns the west: your sanctions are akin to an act of war
- Evacuation of Mariupol postponed as Russia fails to respect ceasefire
- Visa and Mastercard will both suspend operations in Russia
- Ukraine claims footage shows them shooting down Russian helicopter
The Ukrainian military is reporting that Russia has suffered losses of more than 11,000 military personnel since the invasion began.
A total of 285 Russian tanks and 985 armoured combat vehicles were also reported to have been destroyed as well as 109 artillery systems, 44 aircraft and 48 helicopters, according to a report by the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine and published to the website of the Ukrainian ministry of defence.
The scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance continue to surprise Russia.
[Russia] has responded by targeting populated areas in multiple locations, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol.
Continue reading...Defeating Putin in Ukraine may take years, says Dominic Raab
Deputy PM says Nato will need ‘strategic stamina’ as Starmer accuses ministers of moving too slowly on sanctions
It may take years for Vladimir Putin to be defeated in his conquest of Ukraine, Britain’s deputy prime minister has admitted, as Labour accused the government of moving too slowly over sanctions.
Dominic Raab said people who thought the crisis could be resolved in days were “deluding themselves” and that Nato would need to “show some strategic stamina” in its bid to force the Russian army to retreat.
Continue reading...Nervous residents of Mariupol prepare to leave during second ceasefire
Hundreds of thousands hope to flee city in south-east Ukraine despite Russia allegedly breaking last ceasefire
More than 430,000 people trapped in the port city of Mariupol by encircling Russian forces are nervously preparing to evacuate after a ceasefire was announced, a day after a similar plan fell apart amid accusations that Moscow had failed to respect the agreement.
Local authorities in the south-eastern Ukrainian city said an evacuation supervised by the Red Cross would begin at noon local time (10am GMT) during a nine-hour cessation in Russian attacks.
Continue reading...Social media turn on Putin, the past master
Disinformation and fake accounts were used against the west for years – now the Kremlin is under attack
One of the wildest aspects of the first Great Information War is not just that you can follow Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in real time, minute by minute and step by step, but you can also join in.
Because in 2022, information is power. And one of the many huge unexpected geopolitical shifts of the last week is that this power has been returned to the people.
Continue reading...Antony Blinken enters Ukraine after meeting foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba – video
The US secretary of state briefly crossed into Ukraine after meeting with the country's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba. The pair met at the border with Poland to discuss western efforts to support Ukraine after Russia invaded 10 days ago
Continue reading...The people of Ukraine need our solidarity. But not just because they’re ‘like us’ | Kenan Malik
The outpouring of sympathy and help for Ukrainian refugees has prompted debate about European attitudes to identity and ethnicity
In 1857, the English poet and Chartist leader Ernest Jones wrote a series of articles in the People’s Paper about the “Indian Mutiny” of that year. It was, he observed, no “mutiny” but a “national insurrection” that Britons should support as much as they had supported similar struggles in Europe. Britons were “on the side of Poland” when it “struggled for its freedom against Russia”. If Poland was “right”, Jones insisted, then “so is Hindostan”.
I was reminded of his argument as I read and listened to some of the commentary about Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. The invasion is brutal and unacceptable, an assault on democracy and sovereignty. We should oppose it just as we should oppose the Saudi assault on Yemen. We should support the people of Ukraine just as we should the people of Syria.
Continue reading...MPs seeking ‘fast-track’ freeze on oligarchs’ assets before formal sanctions
Amendment to the economic crime bill comes after criticism that UK has been slower to act than US or EU
Russian oligarchs suspected of having links to Vladimir Putin could have their UK assets seized even before the British authorities have completed formal steps to impose sanctions, under far-reaching plans tabled for debate in parliament on Monday.
The move – put forward in an amendment to the economic crime bill by former Tory cabinet minister David Davis and backed by a cross-party group of MPs – would, if passed, amount to the toughest action yet to clamp down on illicit Russian cash in the UK.
Continue reading...Britons face fraught journeys overland and delays to find a way out of Russia
Government has urged UK nationals to ‘consider leaving’ the country now but the war in Ukraine has led to travel disruption
British nationals urged to leave Russia amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine are facing fraught journeys back to the UK, with reports of tense border crossings, visa problems and disruption caused by flight cancellations.
The UK government updated its travel advice yesterday to “strongly advise” those whose presence is “not essential” in Russia to consider leaving now. In a statement on its website, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes.”
Continue reading...Russian chef joins forces with Ukrainian best friend to serve food across frontiers
The London-based pair launch initiative to raise awareness – and funds – through shared love of traditional dishes
Alissa Timoshkina was brought up on a “beautiful diet” of Ukrainian and Russian dishes. Growing up, she remembers her great-grandmother – a Ukrainian Holocaust survivor who emigrated to Siberia following the second world war – pounding lard and frying vegetables to make a hearty beetroot borscht (Ukrainian soup).
Now the Russian chef has joined forces with her Ukrainian best friend, Olia Hercules, in a show of unity in the face of war. The London-based pair, both 37, are the force behind Cook for Ukraine, an initiative that uses food to raise awareness about the conflict and funds to support the humanitarian effort.
Continue reading...Biden and Zelenskiy discuss more aid for Ukraine as bombardment continues
Intelligence report says Russia had responded to unexpected ferocity of the Ukrainian military by targeting cities such as Kharkiv and Mariupol
The strength of Ukraine’s resistance “continues to surprise Russia”, a British intelligence report has said, despite attempts by invading troops to break Ukrainian morale by targeting populated areas.
In its daily intelligence report, the Ministry of Defence said Russia had responded to the unexpected ferocity of the Ukrainian military response by targeting cities such as Kharkiv, Chirnihiv and Mariupol.
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