BBC, Bloomberg and CBC ‘temporarily suspending’ work of all news journalists in Russia

BBC’s director-general says new Russian legislation ‘appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism’

Global news media said they were temporarily suspending reporting in Russia to protect their journalists after a new law cracking down on foreign news outlets was passed that threatened jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading “fake news”.

Britain’s BBC said Friday it had temporarily halted reporting in Russia, and by the end of the day, the Canadian Broadcasting Company and Bloomberg News said their journalists were also stopping work. CNN and CBS News said they would stop broadcasting in Russia, and other outlets removed Russian-based journalists’ bylines as they assessed the situation.

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Russia appears to have no way out as Putin goes ‘all in’

Analysis: Rising stakes seem to lure the president deeper into the Ukraine war, with polls backing him and his officials compromised

The first week of Vladimir Putin’s invasion into Ukraine has not gone to plan, with the Russian military admitting the deaths of 500 soldiers (Ukrainian estimates are higher) and western sanctions dealing a body blow to the Russian economy that will only grow worse in the coming weeks.

And yet the Russian leader seems even more invested in his campaign to conquer Ukraine, lured in by the growing stakes of the most ambitious and dangerous gamble of his 22 years in power.

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Student stranded in Ukraine: ‘The fear is: how long will we be like this?’ – video

More than 500 international students are trapped in Sumy, a town 40km from Ukraine’s north-east border that has been battered by days of shelling by Russian forces.

Oyinkan Juliet Ibikunle, a final-year medical student from Nigeria, studying at Sumy University, explains the situation of many students stranded in Ukraine. The town was left with no water and power.

Most of the students are Nigerian, while others are from Ghana, Ethiopia, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ireland, India, Lebanon and Turkey. They have all found themselves stranded in a war zone

Sumy: more than 500 international students trapped in Ukrainian town battered by shelling

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A beloved New York restaurant becomes place of unity for Ukraine

Veselka, a restaurant raved about by celebrities and food critics alike, has become a meeting place and fundraising operation

In New York’s East Village neighborhood, home to a wide array of popular restaurants and bars, is a decades-old staple in the city’s famous food scene. Veselka, located in a smaller pocket of the area once known as “Little Ukraine”, now sits at the corner of food and international politics.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions and forced ordinary citizens to take up arms, or flee across borders to safety. Those problems aren’t just affecting the people of Ukraine, but thousands of their loved ones abroad – including some at this beloved New York restaurant.

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Russia steps up onslaught after Ukraine ‘narrowly’ escapes nuclear disaster

Putin forces intensify strikes on civilian areas as Zelenskiy issues furious rebuke to Nato over no-fly zone refusal

The US envoy to the UN said the world had narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe in Russia’s attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, as Moscow’s forces intensified their devastating campaign of artillery and airstrikes against civilian areas of Ukraine.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN security council in New York on Friday, the US envoy said Russia’s actions, which caused a major fire at the Zaporizhzhia compound, reflected a “dangerous new escalation” in its invasion of Ukraine. “Russia’s attack last night put Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at grave risk,” she said. “It was incredibly reckless and dangerous. And it threatened the safety of civilians across Russia, Ukraine and Europe.”

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‘90% of houses are damaged’: Russia’s Syria-honed tactics lay Ukraine towns to waste

Residents say shelling of Schastia and Volnovakha is revenge for standing up to ‘Russian aggression’

Happiness lies in ruins. This small town – Schastia in Ukrainian – has been out of the headlines since Moscow took its brutal war against civilians to the country’s biggest cities.

But it is here, and in nearby Volnovakha, that the illegal tactics of terrorising civilians for military aims, honed in Syria and then brought back so close to home, have reached a grim high point.

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Zelenskiy urges Russians to protest against Ukraine nuclear plant attack – video

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to Russians to stage protests over Russian forces' seizure of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. A building at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was set ablaze during intense fighting, triggering fears of a potential nuclear disaster.

The Ukraine president also urged the west to consider imposing a no-fly zone for Russia in response to the attack

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Russia-Ukraine war latest news: Nato gives ‘green light to bombing’ with lack of no-fly zone, says Zelenskiy

Linda Thomas-Greenfield tells emergency security council meeting Russia actions were ‘reckless’; Jens Stoltenberg warns of ‘more death, more suffering and more destruction’

US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc will not pre-emptively ban all Russians from using the platform, chief executive officer Brian Armstrong said in a tweet on Friday.

“We don’t think there’s a high risk of Russian oligarchs using crypto to avoid sanctions,” Armstrong said, adding that “some ordinary Russians are using crypto as a lifeline now that their currency has collapsed”.

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‘I don’t bite’: Zelenskiy calls for meeting with Putin:– video

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has once again called on Vladimir Putin to sit down for talks as Ukraine continues to fight the Russian invasion. In reference to a long table Putin used in recent meetings with foreign leaders, Zelenskiy said: ‘Sit down with me to negotiate, just not at a 30-metre distance.’ 

He added: ‘I don't bite. What are you afraid of?’

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Global shares tumble after Russian attack on Ukraine nuclear plant – business live

As reported earlier, Russian elites could have their property seized and handed over to Ukrainian refugees, Britain’s deputy prime minister has suggested.

Dominic Raab made the remarks as he defended the UK’s response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the prime minister, Boris Johnson, called for an emergency UN summit after a Russian attack on a nuclear power station in Ukraine.

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Digested week: faded photos in war museum on the Hudson feel all too real

An exhibit invites visitors to imagine how it may have felt to live on the brink of nuclear annihilation. I don’t want to

Monday

The nearest thing New York has to the Imperial War Museum in London is the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, built on and around the USS Intrepid, a hulking great aircraft carrier parked at Pier 86 on the Hudson River. It is the obligation of every school age-child in greater New York to attend this museum at least once a year, and on the last day of mid-winter recess, we do.

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Russia seizes control of Ukraine nuclear plant after shelling – video report

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been seized by Russian military forces, according to regional authorities, after a fire sparked by overnight shelling burned for several hours at the largest facility of its kind in Europe. Volodmyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of resorting to 'nuclear terror'. 'No country other than Russia has ever fired on nuclear power units,' the Ukrainian president said

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How Americans can help people of Ukraine

A number of charities are addressing humanitarian needs and US people can support Ukrainian journalism or get active politically

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Americans have offered an outpouring of support for the Ukrainian people. Here are a few ways you can join the effort.

Donations

GlobalGiving supports non-profits around the world through crowdfunding. Its Ukrainian crisis relief fund is working toward a goal of $7m to provide food, water, shelter and other assistance to refugees.

Direct Relief is working to fulfill a list of medical needs provided to the organization by Ukraine’s health ministry.

Care, a 75-year-old organization operating in 100 countries, is working to provide food, water and hygiene kits to those suffering in Ukraine. Donate here as Care seeks to support 4 million people.

Doctors Without Borders, a 50-year-old Nobel-winning organization, has teams in Ukraine as well as surrounding countries as it works to send staff and medical supplies to the hardest-hit areas. Donate here to support its efforts in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world.

Save the Children, a century-old organization that has worked in 100 countries, has a Ukraine crisis relief fund aimed at furnishing children and families with food, hygiene kits, funding and more.

The International Rescue Committee has teams working in Poland aiding displaced families. The organization, founded in 1933, operates in 40 countries and donations go to food, medical treatment, and other emergency care in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere. Donate here to the IRC’s work around the world.

Razom, a Ukrainian-focused charity founded in 2014, is furnishing medical supplies to the country and working to “amplify the voices of Ukrainians”. It has not been evaluated by Charity Navigator but has received wide coverage in the US media. Donate here.

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Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant seized by Russians after shelling, say authorities

Overnight shelling at plant sparked fire that prompted Volodymyr Zelenskiy to issue stark warning

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been seized by Russian military forces, according to regional authorities, after a fire sparked by overnight shelling burned for several hours at the largest facility of its kind in Europe.

The Ukrainian state inspectorate for nuclear regulation said in a statement on its Facebook page the plant had been “captured by the military forces of the Russian Federation”, but added that employees were continuing to work on the premises.

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UK universities brace for impact of sanctions against Russia

Most academics back research boycott but ‘there is a case for maintaining ties’, says Oxford professor

Researchers at UK universities are bracing themselves for sanctions affecting science partnerships with Russia, including in climate science and space research, as the government seeks to isolate Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.

Simon Marginson, a professor of higher education at the University of Oxford, said most academics would support a research boycott with heavy hearts and concerns for Russian colleagues.

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Property of Russian elites could be handed to Ukrainian refugees, says Raab

Deputy PM defends response to invasion after criticism the government has acted too slowly over sanctions

Russian elites could have their property seized and handed over to Ukrainian refugees, the deputy prime minister has suggested.

Dominic Raab made the remarks as he defended the UK’s response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the prime minister, Boris Johnson, called for an emergency UN summit after a Russian attack on a nuclear power station in Ukraine.

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London Stock Exchange suspends trading in more Russian firms

James Rutherford resigns from board of Evraz, steel and mining group in which Roman Abramovich has stake

The London Stock Exchange has suspended trading in more Russian companies, while an independent director resigned from the board of Evraz, the steel and mining group in which Roman Abramovich holds a 29% stake.

The LSE suspended trading in the remaining eight companies with strong links to Russia that were not included on a list of 27 companies suspended on Thursday.

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