Russian invasion of Ukraine: Top 10 developments today

A resolution sponsored by the United States at the United Nations Security Council on Russia’s “aggression” against Ukraine was blocked on Saturday, with Russia using its veto power. India, which abstained from voting, said dialogue was the only answer to settling differences and disputes, and voiced “regret” that the path of diplomacy was given up. The 11-1 vote showed significant but not total opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia-Ukraine crisis |Follow latest news and updates

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Ukrainian military to end resistance and turn on their leaders. Speaking at Friday’s Security Council meeting, Putin claimed most Ukrainian military units were reluctant to engage with Russian forces.

Here are top developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict:

🔴 While there is no official confirmation on the toll due to the conflict, Zelenskyy has said 137 Ukrainians have died. The Ukraine military claims it has killed over 1,000 Russian troops. The Russian military hasn’t reported casualties.

🔴 The United States, Britain, Canada and European Union, have slapped sanctions on Putin and his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, and held them “directly responsible” for Moscow’s “unprovoked and unlawful” invasion of Ukraine. The EU unanimously agreed to freeze their assets.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated the US sanctions would include a travel ban.

EU ministers have said that more sanctions were still possible, including booting Russia out of SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday told the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) that the UK will “imminently” impose direct sanctions on Putin and Lavrov. Addressing a virtual meeting of NATO leaders, Johnson said his government will personally sanction the Russian leaders over their “revanchist mission” to overturn the post-Cold War order.

🔴 A second Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 85 km south of Kyiv, according to American officials. On Friday, Ukraine’s military said it had shot down a Russian military transport plane with paratroopers on board, The Associated Press reported. According to a statement from the military’s General Staff, the first Il-76 heavy transport plane was shot down near Vasylkiv, a city just to the south of Kyiv.

A Ukrainian firefighter walks between at fragments of a downed aircraft seen in in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.  (AP Photo)

🔴 In what is being called an unprecedented move, Pope Francis went to the Russian Embassy to personally “express his concern about the war”. He assured a top Ukrainian Greek Catholic leader he would do “everything I can” to help.

🔴 Zelenskyy has turned down an offer by the US to evacuate Kyiv. In response, Zelenskyy said, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” according to a senior American intelligence official, who described Zelenskyy as upbeat, AP reported.

🔴 The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has issued an advisory asking its nationals stranded in Ukraine not to move to any of the border posts without prior coordination with Indian officials. It said, “The situation at various border checkpoints is sensitive and the Embassy is working continuously with our Embassies in our neighbouring countries for coordinated evacuation of our citizens. Embassy is finding it increasingly difficult to help the crossing of those Indian nationals who reach border checkpoints without prior Intimation.”

The Embassy particularly advised those staying in the eastern part of Ukraine to remain in their current places of residence, and stay indoors or in shelters as much as possible.

🔴 With Ukraine closing its airspace, the Indian government is sending teams “to the land borders… in Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania” to assist in the evacuation of Indian nationals stranded in the country. Ukraine shares its western border with these countries, while Russia is attacking from the eastern side. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted that he had spoken to his counterparts in these four countries.

🔴 The Joe Biden administration wants Congress to provide $6.4 billion to pay for an initial US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, largely for military and humanitarian assistance in the region, AP reported.

🔴 Ukraine says it will posthumously honour a group of Ukrainian border guards who were killed defending a tiny island in the Black Sea during a multi-pronged Russian invasion. Ukraine lost contact with its forces on Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, a speck of land south of the port of Odessa, on Thursday after Russia conducted strikes from air and sea, Kyiv said.

🔴 With Chernobyl now under the control of Russia, Ukraine’s nuclear energy regulatory agency has said there are higher levels of radiation being reported from the decommissioned nuclear plant. It attributed the rise to a “disturbance of the topsoil due to the movement of a large amount of heavy military equipment through the exclusion zone and the release of contaminated radioactive dust into the air”.