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Economic Times | 03 Mar, 2022 | 08.32AM IST
Russia Ukraine War News LIVE Updates: Two flights bring back about 400 stranded Indian citizens from Ukraine today
The first flight of around 200 Indians reached Delhi from Romania earlier today while another flight with from Bucharest carrying 183 landed in Mumbai a while ago. Four more flights are scheduled to bring back more Indians from Ukraine today.
The Russian-Ukrine war has entered the 8th day today with fighting going on on multiple fronts across the country. A large city on the Azov Sea, was encircled by Russian forces, while the status of another vital port, Kherson, a Black Sea shipbuilding city of 280,000, remained unclear. Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces claimed to have taken complete control of Kherson, which would make it the biggest city to fall yet in the invasion. But a senior U.S. defense official disputed that.
Meanwhile, the senior U.S. defense official said the immense column of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles appeared to be stalled roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Kyiv and had made no real progress in the last couple of days. The convoy, which earlier in the week had seemed poised to launch an assault on the capital, has been plagued with fuel and food shortages and has faced fierce Ukrainian resistance, the official said. On the far edges of Kyiv, volunteer fighters well into their 60s manned a checkpoint to try to block the Russian advance.
Seven days into Russia's invasion, the United Nations said more than 934,000 people have fled Ukraine in a mounting refugee crisis on the European continent, while the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned that the fighting poses a danger to Ukraine's 15 nuclear reactors. The biggest attack on a European state since 1945 has caused over 870,000 people to flee, led to a barrage of sanctions against Russia, and stoked fears of wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades.
The Russian-Ukrine war has entered the 8th day today with fighting going on on multiple fronts across the country. A large city on the Azov Sea, was encircled by Russian forces, while the status of another vital port, Kherson, a Black Sea shipbuilding city of 280,000, remained unclear. Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces claimed to have taken complete control of Kherson, which would make it the biggest city to fall yet in the invasion. But a senior U.S. defense official disputed that.
Meanwhile, the senior U.S. defense official said the immense column of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles appeared to be stalled roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Kyiv and had made no real progress in the last couple of days. The convoy, which earlier in the week had seemed poised to launch an assault on the capital, has been plagued with fuel and food shortages and has faced fierce Ukrainian resistance, the official said. On the far edges of Kyiv, volunteer fighters well into their 60s manned a checkpoint to try to block the Russian advance.
Seven days into Russia's invasion, the United Nations said more than 934,000 people have fled Ukraine in a mounting refugee crisis on the European continent, while the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned that the fighting poses a danger to Ukraine's 15 nuclear reactors. The biggest attack on a European state since 1945 has caused over 870,000 people to flee, led to a barrage of sanctions against Russia, and stoked fears of wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades.
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Netflix pauses all projects, acquisitions from Russia
The streamer had four Russian originals in the pipeline, including a crime thriller series directed by Dasha Zhuk which was shooting and has been put on hold. The 1990's set series was Netflix's second original series filming in Russia, following 'Anna K which wrapped last year.' Prior to Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros. announced their decision of halting the theatrical releases of their projects in Russia.
Amazon pledges logistics, cybersecurity support for Ukraine
Amazon.com Inc is using its logistics capability to get supplies to those in need and cybersecurity expertise to help governments and companies as part of its support for Ukraine, Chief Executive Andy Jassy said on Twitter on Wednesday. "Amazon stands with the people of Ukraine, and will continue to help," Jassy said, following Russia's invasion that Moscow has called a "special operation." Amazon, which earlier this week pledged to donate up to $10 million for humanitarian efforts, is the latest company to mobilize in offering aid.
Russia's sovereign rating slashed to junk
Fitch and Moody's on Wednesday each downgraded Russia's sovereign credit rating by six notches to "junk" status, saying Western sanctions threw into doubt Russia's ability to service its debt and would weaken its economy. Fitch downgraded Russia to "B" from "BBB" and placed the country's ratings on "rating watch negative". Moody's, which last week had flagged the possibility of a downgrade, also cut the country's rating by six notches, to B3 from Baa3.
Third flight carrying 208 Indian citizens from Ukraine lands in Delhi
Third Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft carrying 208 Indian citizens from #Ukraine, lands at Hindan airbase near Del… https://t.co/AMllhapsvw
— ANI (@ANI) 1646271948000World Bank stops all its projects in Russia, Belarus
The World Bank on Wednesday (local time) has stopped all its programs in Russia and Belarus with "immediate effect" in response to Moscow's military operations in Ukraine. "The World Bank Group has not approved any new loans to or investments in Russia since 2014. There has also been no new lending approved to Belarus since mid-2020," the international financial institution said in a statement.
U.S. preparing further sanctions against Russian oligarchs: Reuters
The United States is preparing a sanctions package targeting more Russian oligarchs as well as their companies and assets, Reuters claimed today quoting its sources. Some sanctions could be announced as early as this week, one of the sources told Reuters, adding that details are still being worked out. Washington is also readying sanctions against more officials in Putin's inner circle, the source said.
Flight from Bucharest carrying Indians stranded lands in Mumbai
A flight from Bucharest landed in Mumbai Thursday carrying Indians stranded in war-torn Ukraine, an official said. Union minister Raosaheb Danve welcomed the passengers as soon as the Air India Express Flight IX 1202 landed. Around four to five thousand Indians have been brought home and the operation will continue to bring all those remaining there to the country, the minister said.
The world is with us...Victory will be ours: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
1/2 I praise the approval by the #UN GA with an unprecedented majority of votes of the resolution with a strong dem… https://t.co/3icf1IeuzH
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) 1646241593000Japan to freeze assets of 4 more Russian banks
Japan will freeze assets of four additional Russian banks, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Thursday, bringing the number of banks slapped with such sanctions by Tokyo to seven. The government did not disclose the name of the new banks to be slapped with the sanctions. The decision came on top of the government's announcement on Tuesday that it will freeze assets of Russia state-owned Promsvyazbank and Vnesheconombank, as well as the country's central bank.
Russian troops enter strategic Black Sea port city of Kherson: Mayor
Russian troops are in the Ukrainian city of Kherson and forced their way into the council building, the mayor said after a day of conflicting claims over whether Moscow had make the first major gain of a city in its invasion that began eight days ago. Moscow's attack on its neighbour has yet to overthrow the government in Kyiv but thousands are thought to have died or been injured and it could cause another deep hit to the global economy still emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.
1 million refugees in 7 days of war!
The U.N. refugee agency says 1 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion less than a week ago, an exodus without precedent in this century for its speed.The tally from UNHCR amounts to more than 2 percent of Ukraine's population on the move in under a week. The World Bank counted the population at 44 million at the end of 2020. The U.N. agency has predicted that up to 4 million people could eventually leave Ukraine but cautioned that even that projection could be revised upward.
Indian students used as human shields: Russia
"Russian armed forces are ready to take all necessary measures for the safe evacuation of the Indian citizens. And send them home from the Russian territory with its own military transport planes or Indian planes, as the Indian side proposed to do," the Russian Embassy in India said in a tweet. "According to the latest information, these students are actually taken hostage by the Ukrainian security forces, who use them as a human shield & in every possible way prevent them from leaving for Russia. Responsibility in this case lies entirely w/ the Kiev authorities," it added.
Air raid alerts issued for multiple cities in Ukraine: Report
According to The Kyiv Independent, air raid alerts have been issued in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, Mykolaiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv and Chernihiv Oblast, Volyn Oblast, Cherkasy Oblast, Kirovohrad Oblast, Poltava Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa.
Operation Ganga: IAF's first evacuation flight with 200 Indians lands in Delhi
The Indian Air Force's first evacuation flight with 200 Indians from Romanian capital Bucharest landed at the Hindon air base here in the early hours of Thursday, sources said.The first flight -- which was conducted using C-17 military transport aircraft -- landed in Delhi at 1.30 am. Three more C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with approximately 300 evacuees from Ukraine will land at the Hindon airbase by 8 am on Thursday, PTI claimed.
Second round of talks today
A second round of talks aimed at ending the fighting was expected Thursday, but there appeared to be little common ground between the two sides. Ukrainian president Zelenskiy told Reuters and CNN Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before meaningful talks on a ceasefire could start.
Stop war in Ukraine, demands UN Assembly
The U.N. General Assembly voted at an emergency session Wednesday to demand an immediate halt to Moscow's attack on Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops, with sustained applause breaking out after a formidable show of support among the 193 member nations against the invasion. The vote on the ``Aggression against Ukraine'' resolution was 141-5, with 35 abstentions.
The abstentions included China and India, as expected, but also some surprises from usual Russian allies Cuba and Nicaragua. And the United Arab Emirates, which abstained on Friday's similar Security Council resolution, voted ``yes.''
The abstentions included China and India, as expected, but also some surprises from usual Russian allies Cuba and Nicaragua. And the United Arab Emirates, which abstained on Friday's similar Security Council resolution, voted ``yes.''
International Criminal Court' to start probe into war crimes in Ukraine
The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Wednesday an active probe into possible war crimes in Ukraine "will immediately proceed" after his office received the backing of 39 countries. The countries include all EU member states, as well as Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and several Latin American countries.
Have destroyed the plans of the enemy: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issues new statement
In a video address to the nation early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an upbeat assessment of the war and called on Ukrainians to keep up the resistance. ``We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy,'' he said. ``They will have no peace here. They will have no food. They will have here not one quiet moment.''
Zelenskyy didn't comment on whether the Russians have seized several cities, including Kherson.``If they went somewhere, then only temporarily. We'll drive them out,'' he said.He said the fighting is taking a toll on the morale of Russian soldiers, who ``go into grocery stores and try to find something to eat.''``These are not warriors of a superpower,`` he said. ``These are confused children who have been used.''He said the Russian death toll has reached about 9,000.``Ukraine doesn't want to be covered in bodies of soldiers,`` he said. ``Go home.''
Zelenskyy didn't comment on whether the Russians have seized several cities, including Kherson.``If they went somewhere, then only temporarily. We'll drive them out,'' he said.He said the fighting is taking a toll on the morale of Russian soldiers, who ``go into grocery stores and try to find something to eat.''``These are not warriors of a superpower,`` he said. ``These are confused children who have been used.''He said the Russian death toll has reached about 9,000.``Ukraine doesn't want to be covered in bodies of soldiers,`` he said. ``Go home.''
Russians besiege Ukrainian ports
Russian forces laid siege to two strategic Ukrainian seaports Wednesday and pressed their bombardment of the country's second-biggest city, while the huge armored column threatening Kyiv appeared stalled outside the capital. With fighting going on on multiple fronts across the country, Britain's Defense Ministry said Mariupol, a large city on the Azov Sea, was encircled by Russian forces, while the status of another vital port, Kherson, a Black Sea shipbuilding city of 280,000, remained unclear.
