Ukraine crisis: Russian air strikes hit military installations across Ukraine on first day. (File)
Russian today said that Moscow was ready for talks if Ukraine’s military surrendered and insisted that the invading forces were looking to free the country from “oppression”.
Meanwhile, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to Minsk for Ukraine talks. Putin further called on the Ukraine army to remove the leadership in Kyiv, while calling the Ukrainian authorities “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”.
Moscow had said its first day of the Ukraine invasion had achieved all its goals and that it had destroyed 83 land-based Ukrainian targets. According to official reports, Russia had carried out 203 attacks on its western neighbour since the beginning of the day.
Ukrainian forces battled Russian invaders on three sides on Thursday after Moscow mounted an assault by land, sea and air in the biggest attack on a European state since the second World War.
The attack triggered Western warnings of unprecedented sanctions against Russia as NATO, EU and G7 leaders condemned the invasion and vowed to hold Moscow accountable.
Here are the live updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis:
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Ukraine Crisis: Lok Sabha Speaker Starts Helpline For Indian Students In Ukraine
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has launched a helpline number for the Indian students stranded in Ukraine after Russia launched a ‘military operation’. “Many Indian students are stuck there due to the closure of airspace after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. For these students, who are to be helped through the Embassy of India, Om Birla has started 24-hour helpline that are 011-23014011 and 23014022 in situated in New Delhi and 0744-2505555 and 9414037200 situated in Kota Camp office,” reads the official statement. (ANI)
Ukraine Crisis: Rights Body Council Of Europe Suspends Russia
The Council of Europe said today that it is suspending all representatives of Russia from participation in the pan-European rights body over Moscow’s attack against Ukraine. Permanent representatives of its 47 member states “agreed to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Council of Europe,” invoking Article 8 of its statute, the body said in a statement. (AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today called on Europeans with “combat experience” to take up arms and defend Ukraine against invading Russian forces, adding that the West was too slow to help his country. His dramatic call for help came as Russian forces were approaching the Ukrainian capital, with some units reportedly reaching the city’s northern suburbs.
“If you have combat experience in Europe and do not want to look at the indecision of politicians, you can come to our country and join us in defending Europe, where it is very necessary now,” Zelensky said in a video. (AFP)
Russia-Ukraine Crisis Live Updates: Cargo Ship Hit By Rocket Off Ukraine: Local Agent
The cargo ship Namura Queen was hit by a rocket off the shore of Ukraine in the Black Sea on Friday, causing a fire on board, a local shipping agent said. “According to the information of the traffic control and the service of the Harbor Master at 12:55 at anchorage point No. 358 a rocket hit the stern of the mv ‘NAMURA QUEEN’,” Ukrainian shipping agent Stark Shipping said. “The ship flying the flag of Panama was heading to the Pivdennyi port (ex. Yuzhny) to load grain … There was a fire on the ship, the P&O STAR tug moved to the rescue. The situation is under control,” it added. (Reuters)
Today afternoon more than 470 students will exit the Ukraine and enter Romania through the Porubne-Siret Border. We are moving Indians located at the border to neighbouring countries for onward evacuation. Efforts are underway to relocate Indians coming from the hinterland. pic.twitter.com/iLFTWHifpm
– India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) February 25, 2022
Ukrainian military vehicles are entering the country’s capital Kyiv to defend it against approaching Russian troops, Ukraine’s interior ministry said on Friday. Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said earlier the city had “entered into a defensive phase”. (Reuters)
Ukraine Crisis: Putin Calls On Ukraine Army To Remove Leadership In Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin today said he is fighting “terrorists” and “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine, calling the Ukrainian authorities “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis”. He has also called on the Ukraine army to remove the leadership in Kyiv.
The European Union will accept all people fleeing the violence caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said today. “We need to do everything to accept without delay the people who are now fleeing the bombs, the tanks,” she told reporters as she arrived for a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels.
“We have tried everything to avert that day (of the invasion) but it has come all the same because the Russian president chose war over human lives. And this is why we will take in all the people that are fleeing now”, Baerbock said, adding she had already started to coordinate the distribution of Ukrainian refugees with countries such as Poland and Canada. (Reuters)
Ukraine Crisis: Germany Says EU Will Severely Sanction Putin, Russian Minister
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said today new sanctions against Russia would personally punish President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for their responsibility in Ukraine invasion. “They are responsible for the death of innocent people in Ukraine. They are responsible that the international system is trampled and we as Europeans do not accept that,” Baerbock said as she arrived for talks in Brussels. (AFP)
Telangana Ready To Bear Expenses Of Its Students’ Return From Ukraine: Minister
The Telangana government today urged the Centre to arrange a special aircraft to bring back students from the state who are stranded in Ukraine and said it is ready to bear the full travel expenses of the evacuation. Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao made an appeal to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the plight of students from the state stuck in the eastern European country. (PTI)
No Russian Showcase, ‘Handful’ Of Firms Banned At Mobile World Congress: Organizer
There will be no Russian pavilion at the telecom industry’s biggest annual gathering and a “handful” of Russian firms will be barred from it because of sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the event’s organizer said on Friday. The organizers of the Mobile World Congress condemned Moscow’s actions, but have no plans to cancel or postpone the gathering scheduled between February 28 and March 3 in Barcelona, John Hoffman, the chief executive of event organizer GSMA, told Reuters. (Reuters)
British Airways has suspended flights to Moscow and re-routed planes flying over Russia after Moscow banned UK carriers due to the Ukraine crisis, parent group IAG said Friday. “We have suspended our flights to Moscow and also the use of Russian airspace, following the confirmation of Russian government restrictions,” BA said in a brief statement.
Swedish climate and environment activist Greta Thunberg said on Twitter she was taking part in a protest on Friday outside the Russian embassy in Stockholm against its invasion of Ukraine. Thunberg, 19, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, posted on Twitter a picture of her standing with other protesters holding a sign with “Stand With Ukraine” written on it, saying she was “outside the Russian embassy right now”. (Reuters)
Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that more than 1,000 Russian servicemen had been killed so far in the Ukrainian conflict. “Russia has not suffered so many casualties during the fighting in any of its armed conflicts since its inception,” the ministry said. (Reuters)
Ukraine Crisis: EU Agrees To Freeze Putin’s Assets Over Ukraine: Diplomats
The European Union has agreed to freeze the assets of Russian president Vladimir Putin and the country’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov over Ukraine invasion, reported news agency AFP citing diplomats.
Ukraine Crisis: France Sends Elite Police Unit To Protect Kyiv Embassy: Report
France has sent an elite police unit to Kyiv to bolster the safety of its embassy in the Ukrainian capital, a security source told news agency AFP on Friday. The team of eight, deployed since Wednesday at the embassy, is part of the GIGN, the French gendarmerie’s elite tactical police force, the source said. They join the embassy’s five permanent GIGN staff whose brief is to protect the embassy and its personnel against any threat. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: Putin Ready To Send Delegation To Minsk For Ukraine Talks: Kremlin
The Kremlin on Friday said President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to Belarus’s capital Minsk for talks with Ukraine, as Russian forces approach Kyiv on the second day of Moscow’s invasion. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader was “ready” to send a high-level delegation “for talks with a Ukrainian delegation” to Minsk, the host city for previous peace talks and agreements. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: Ukraine Capital Has Entered Defensive Phase, Says Kyiv Mayor
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said today the Ukraine capital “has entered into a defensive phase” as Russian troops brought the sounds of war to the city. “The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods saboteurs have already entered Kyiv. The enemy wants to put the capital on its knees and destroy us,” he told a news briefing. (Reuters)
Amid heightened tensions between Ukraine and Russia following Russian military operations, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking early evacuation of medical students stranded in Ukraine. The IMA also urged the government to establish a dedicated helpdesk for medical students and also help them financially.
“As you are aware that thousands of Indian students pursuing their medical studies are stranded in Ukraine. Most of them cannot afford the escalated costs of air travel. Even those affording cannot travel due to the adverse conditions there. Even the day-to-day rations are dwindling, creating severe hardships for their survival. Their parents here are anxious and worried about the safety and well-being of their children,” the letter said.
(ANI)
Ukraine Crisis: Pope Meets Russian Envoy To Express “Concern Over War”
Pope Francis met the Russian ambassador to the Holy See “to express his concern for the war” following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Vatican press office said today. Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, met Alexander Avdeev at the embassy in Rome and stayed for just over half an hour, the press office said. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: Will Cause Problems But Can Be Solved: Russia On Western Sanctions
The Kremlin said today that Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine would cause problems but not insurmountable ones, with Russia set to widen its trade and economic ties with Asian nations. Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital today as Russian forces pressed their advance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with the international community to do more, saying sanctions announced so far were not enough. (Reuters)
Ukraine Crisis: China’s Xi Speaks To Putin, Calls For ‘Negotiation’ With Ukraine: Media
China’s President Xi Jinping said he supported solving the Ukraine crisis through talks in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media said Friday, after Moscow launched an invasion of its neighbour. In a readout of the call on state broadcaster CCTV, Xi pointed out that the “situation in eastern Ukraine has undergone rapid changes… (and) China supports Russia and Ukraine to resolve the issue through negotiation”. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: Taiwan To Join ‘Democratic Countries’ In Sanctions On Russia
Taiwan will join “democratic countries” in imposing sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, the government said today, with the world’s largest contract chipmaker TSMC saying it would comply with all export control rules. The crisis is being watched closely in Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and which has faced increased military pressure from Beijing over the last two years. “We very harshly condemn such an act of invasion and will join democratic countries to jointly impose sanctions,” Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters in Taipei without giving details. (Reuters)
Ukraine Crisis: Turkey Accuses NATO, EU Of Failure To Act Over Ukraine
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today accused NATO and the European Union of failing to take a “determined stance” on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “NATO should have taken a more decisive step,” Erdogan, whose country is a member of the NATO military alliance, told reporters. “The EU and other pro-Western (bodies) have failed to take a serious and determined stance at the moment. They are all providing Ukraine with plenty of advice.” (AFP)
Russian forces invading Ukraine said they had taken control of a vital canal to supply water to Moscow-annexed Crimea, which has been suffering from shortages for the past eight years. Crimea received most of its water from Ukraine’s Dnieper River via the North Crimean Canal until 2014, when Moscow annexed the peninsula and Kyiv authorities blocked the waterway. Since then, Crimea has been facing severe water shortages, especially during summer droughts.
“The joint use of raid detachments and airborne troops in the Crimean direction ensured the exit of Russian troops to the city of Kherson,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “This made it possible to unblock the North Crimean Canal and restore water supply to the Crimean peninsula.” (AFP)
Spies in the US and Britain scored an intelligence victory by uncovering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to order the biggest attack on a European state since World War 2, UK’s foreign spy chief claimed.
Putin used an early morning address to the nation on February 24 to order “a special military operation” against Ukraine, just three days after recognising two Russian-backed rebel regions of Ukraine.
For months, US and British ministers and Western security sources had warned Russia could invade Ukraine. They stepped up warnings that an invasion was imminent in the weeks and days ahead of Putin’s declaration. (Reuters)
German ex-chancellor Angela Merkel, whose conciliatory policies toward Kremlin while in office have come under fire, today condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Merkel, who left politics in December after 16 years at the helm of Europe’s top economy, said she was watching the “attack on the territorial integrity and sovereignty” of Ukraine “with great concern and sympathy”.
“Russia’s war of aggression marks a profound turning point in European history after the end of the Cold War,” she said in a statement. She said there was “no justification” for this “blatant violation of international law” which she “condemned in the strongest terms”. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: Andhra Chief Minister Speaks To S Jaishankar, Assures Help From State
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy today spoke to Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar over the Ukraine situation and assured complete assistance from the state. He enquired about the repatriation process and also briefed the Union Minister on efforts put in by the state government in assisting the Centre. Mr Reddy has taken serious cognisance of the situation and instructed officials to coordinate with the MEA to provide the best possible help for the students and Indian nationals from Andhra Pradesh. (ANI)
The European Union wants to cut all links between Russia and the global financial system, France’s finance minister said today, adding that removing Moscow from the SWIFT interbank system remained a “last resort”. Speaking hours after European national leaders agreed further sanctions on Russia over its attack on Ukraine, Bruno Le Maire said the EU “wants to cut all the links between Russia and the global financial system”. “We want to isolate Russia financially… We want to dry up the financing,” he added as European finance ministers met in Paris to discuss the economic measures. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: EU Chief Says More Sanctions Are Being Prepared Against Russia
EU Council President Charles Michel said today a fresh wave of sanctions was under preparation after Kyiv implored the European Union to hit Russia harder over its invasion of Ukraine. A further package of sanctions was “under urgent preparation”, Michel said in a tweet, just hours after EU leaders approved measures that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said did not hit Moscow hard enough. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis: Indian Embassy In Ukraine To Evacuate Citizens Via Romania, Hungary
Amid Russian military operations in Ukraine, the Indian Embassy in Kiev issued a fresh advisory informing stranded Indian citizens the government is working to evacuate them through Romania and Hungary. “Government of India and the Embassy of India are working to establish evacuation routes from Romania and Hungary. At present, teams are getting in place at the following checkpoints Chop-Zahony Hungarian Border near Uzhhorod Porubne-Siret Romanian Border near Chernivtsi,” read the Embassy statement. (ANI)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Moscow was ready for talks with Kyiv if the Ukrainian army surrendered, as Russian invading forces advanced on the capital. “We are ready for negotiations at any moment, as soon as the armed forces of Ukraine respond to our call and lay down their arms,” Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow. (AFP)
Spain said Friday it had evacuated about 100 of its nationals from Ukraine, including its ambassador to the country and remaining diplomatic staff due to Russia’s military invasion. “The last remaining staff members of the Spanish embassy are leaving” Kyiv including the ambassador, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told private television Antena 3. They were evacuated along with “a convoy of around 100 Spanish nationals, who had to leave Kyiv due to the deterioration of security conditions”, he added.
Ukraine Crisis: Russian Forces Approaching Kyiv From North, Northeast: Army
Russian forces are approaching Kyiv from north and northeast, Ukraine’s army said Friday, with rising fears the capital could fall on the second day of Moscow’s offensive. The soldiers are trying to “bypass” the northern city of Chernigiv — where they were “rebuffed” — to attack Kyiv, the Ukrainian army said on Facebook. (AFP)
Ukraine Crisis Live Updates: Kyiv Tells Residents “Active Hostilities” Approaching
Kyiv authorities told residents of the north-western Obolon area on Friday to stay off the streets given “active hostilities” were approaching. “In connection with the approach of active hostilities, residents of Obolon district are asked not to go outside,” city council said in an alert. (Reuters)
As Russian forces move deeper into Ukraine targeting cities with missiles, videos on social media showed Ukrainians moving children to safety.
JUST IN: Ukraine army says fighting Russian forces outside capital Kyiv.
Nearly 16,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) has set up a dedicated 24×7 control room to provide assistance and information to Indians in Ukraine.
India has sent government teams to Ukraine’s borders from Hungary and Poland to evacuate the citizens who are still stuck in the country. The officials are travelling via land, as the Ukrainian airspace has been closed amid an onslaught by the Russian military.
India has identified safe routes that they plan to use to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine. “The safe routes have been identified. By road, if you go from Kyiv, you would reach Poland in nine hours and Romania in nearly 12 hours. The road has been mapped out,” said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India’s Foreign Secretary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and highlighted their concerns about the safety of Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students. During a telephonic conversation, Mr Modi conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine has been issuing several advisories to citizens in the country. These advisories also contain information like how to find a bomb shelter when in need. The embassy has asked people to turn away if they were heading to the capital Kyiv and return to the cities they live in.
President Joe Biden on Thursday said that the United States will have consultations with India on the crisis in Ukraine following a military operation from Russia.
In a televised address on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his move to launch a military operation in Ukraine came in response to threats emanating from the neighbouring country.
Two loud blasts were heard in central Kyiv early Friday, an AFP journalist said, as Russian troops push closer to the Ukrainian capital in an invasion of its Western-backed neighbour.
Ukraine’s army said that Russia fired on civilian areas of Kyiv but that Ukraine’s air defence systems repelled “two deadly gifts”, according to a post on its verified Facebook page.
Ukrainian forces downed an enemy aircraft over Kyiv in the early hours of Friday, which then crashed into a residential building and set it on fire, said Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister.
Two loud blasts were heard in the centre of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday morning, an AFP journalist said.
“Attacks on Kyiv with cruise and ballistic missiles have just resumed. I heard two powerful explosions,” Ukrainian interior ministry advisor Anton Herashchenko said on Telegram.
The government of Ukraine is asking for volunteers from the country’s hacker underground to help protect critical infrastructure and conduct cyber spying missions against Russian troops, according two people involved in the project.
As Russian forces attacked cities across Ukraine, requests for volunteers began to appear on hacker forums on Thursday morning, as many residents fled the capital Kyiv.
“Ukrainian cybercommunity! It’s time to get involved in the cyber defense of our country,” the post read, asking hackers and cybersecurity experts to submit an application via Google docs, listing their specialties, such as malware development, and professional references. (Read full story here)
Russia launched its invasion by land, air and sea on Thursday following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin. An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities. US and Ukrainian officials say Russia aims to capture Kyiv and topple the government.
China’s embassy in Ukraine offers Chinese nationals chartered flights to leave.
Russia said its first day of the Ukraine invasion had achieved all its goals and that it had destroyed 83 land-based Ukrainian targets. According to official reports, Russia had carried out 203 attacks on its western neighbour since the beginning of the day.
Ukrainian forces battled Russian invaders on three sides on Thursday after Moscow mounted an assault by land, sea and air in the biggest attack on a European state since the second World War.