A factory and a store burn after having been bombarded in Irpin. (Photo: AP)
As the war in Ukraine enters the eleventh day, here's a look at our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis:
Eleven days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, India’s evacuation efforts have entered a critical stage with all eyes on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, close to the Russian border, where about 700 Indians, mostly students, are waiting for rescue — the last big group from the country still stranded there. Officials said that a team from the Indian Embassy is stationed in Poltava, a city in central Ukraine, through which they hope to coordinate the safe passage of the students in Sumy to the western border. The students have been told to be ready to leave at short notice, they said.
Germany is one of Russia’s closest partners in Europe and has deep historical, political and economic ties. With Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Germany, which is dependent on Russia for its energy needs, has decided to reverse its seven-decade long policy of not supplying arms to conflict zones. Walter J Lindner talks about the Russian aggression on Ukraine, Germany’s lessons from history, putting pressure on Putin and the role of civil society. He was in conversation with Shubhajit Roy, Deputy Chief of National Bureau, The Indian Express.
The current Russian invasion of Ukraine — unlike previous wars in Iraq and Libya or sanctions against Iran — is having an impact not just on energy prices. The effects of shipping disruptions through the Black and Azov Seas, plus Russian banks being cut off from the international payments system, are extending even to the global agri-commodities markets. The reasons aren’t difficult to see: Russia is not only the world’s third biggest oil (after the US and Saudi Arabia) and the second biggest natural gas (after the US) producer, besides the No. 3 coal exporter (behind Australia and Indonesia). It is also the second largest exporter of wheat. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), in its most recent report on February 9, estimated the country’s shipments for 2021-22 (July-June) at 35 million tonnes (mt), next only to the 37.5 mt of the whole of European Union.
In the midst of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, India abstained from a United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC’s) resolution sponsored by the United States that deplores Russia’s actions in the strongest terms. Explaining its abstention, India’s permanent representative at the UN, T S Tirumurti said, “India is deeply disturbed by the recent turn of events in Ukraine.” “Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes, however daunting that may appear at the moment. It is a matter of regret that the path of diplomacy was given up. We must return to it. For all these reasons, India has chosen to abstain on this resolution,” said Tirumurti.
India’s abstention is being explained by experts as a balancing act of maintaining friends and partners of both sides. It is also a legacy of the Nehruvian foreign policy of non-alignment and the ways in which the two countries have interacted with each other in the United Nations.
Belarus, the largest landlocked European country bordering the two warring nations, has found itself in a precarious position amid its political proximity with Russia. The country is now at the receiving end of the West’s economic sanctions, meant to deter the Russian assault on Ukraine, despite restrictions already in place after the controversial election of its President, Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian border serves as the site for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine to possibly end the war. However, both the first and second rounds of talks have yielded no significant breakthrough. Historically, Belarus has acted as the site of negotiations between the two nations – two sets of agreements were signed in the Belarusian capital of Minsk in 2014 and 2015 to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Alexey Kupriyanov, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, while explaining the current situation in a chat with The Indian Express said: “Ukraine is the same as Pakistan for India. And so, we are going to have our peaceful Pakistan, and pro-Indian Pakistan on our border. In Russian political discourse, the thesis about the happenings in Ukraine in 2014 is, that the revolution in Ukraine as portrayed in the Western media, was actually a coup d’etat, and a forcible change of power. And this was supported by far-right groups. And a lot of these groups then fought in Donbass against Russians. So, President Volodymyr Zelensky was elected under the flag of peace. He was supported by those sections who supported the peaceful resolution of [the conflict in] Donbass.”
“But, Zelensky couldn’t find this resolution, and so he instead tried to balance his position between the far right and the more peaceful groups in Ukraine. And just a month and a half ago, he closed the last channel of peace in Ukraine, the pro-peace channel, so that’s why I think Putin called this a Nazi regime or a Nazi-supported regime,” he added.
Underlining that it would be difficult for any country to continue buying military hardware from Russia after US sanctions in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday that in the “last few” weeks, “what we’ve seen from India…is the cancellation of MiG-29 orders, Russian helicopter orders and anti-tank weapon orders.” When contacted in New Delhi, a Defence Ministry spokesman declined to comment on Lu’s remarks. Lu, who called India a “really important security partner,” was speaking at the Senate hearing hours after the vote in the UN General Assembly on “Russian aggression”, from which India, along with 34 other countries including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, abstained.
The talks are being held in Belarus (Twitter: @BelarusMFA)
Third round of Russia-Ukraine talks begins
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has said that Russian shelling is preventing the evacuation of civilians from Kyiv, Mariupol, Sumy, Kharkiv, Volnovakha and Mykolayiv, reports Reuters.
“This prevents the safe passage of humanitarian columns with Ukrainian and foreign citizens, as well as the delivery of medicines and food,” it said in a statement.
American card network operators Visa, Mastercard and American Express have suspended their services in Russia in light of the sanctions imposed on Moscow by the US owing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. What are the effects of this suspension. Pranav Mukul explains
Russian chief negotiator accuses Ukraine of blocking humanitarian corridors for civilians, calls it a 'war crime'. The negotiator also said that the latest round of Moscow-Kyiv talks will focus on humanitarian corridors. (AFP)
EU chief Michel says urged Putin in call to ensure Ukraine 'humanitarian safe passage' for civilians. (AFP)
The proposed evacuation of around 600 Indian students at Sumy State University in northeastern Ukraine was put off at the last minute on Monday after the Indian Embassy reportedly informed the college that it would not be safe for them to begin their journey to the Romania border. Read more
Russia is demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent territories, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov told Reuters that Russia had told Ukraine it was ready to halt its military action "in a moment" if Kyiv met its conditions.
It was the most explicit Russian statement so far of the terms it wants to impose on Ukraine to halt what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, now in its 12th day.
Peskov said Ukraine was aware of the conditions. "And they were told that all this can be stopped in a moment." On the issue of neutrality, he said: "They should make amendments to the constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc. This is possible only by making changes to the constitution." (Reuters)
Ukraine said on Monday a Russian proposal on humanitarian corridors was "completely immoral" after Moscow suggested it would allow people to flee Ukrainian cities provided they exited to Belarus or Russia.
A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian citizens should be allowed to leave their homes through Ukrainian territory, and accused Russia of deliberately hampering previous evacuation attempts.
"This is a completely immoral story. People's suffering is used to create the desired television picture," the spokesman said in a written message. "These are citizens of Ukraine, they should have the right to evacuate to the territory of Ukraine." (Reuters)
Russian Paralympic Committee athletes arrived in Moscow after being banned from participating in the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing will keep its stores in Russia open, joining a small group of international firms that have stayed put even as dozens of big brands pause operations or exit the country over its invasion of Ukraine.
"Clothing is a necessity of life. The people of Russia have the same right to live as we do," the Japanese apparel retailer's CEO Tadashi Yanai said in remarks first reported by Nikkei, adding that every country should oppose war.
Netflix, KPMG and PwC and American Express have decided to cut it ties with Russia after its conflict with Ukraine escalated. The announcement was followed by a number of other companies like Nike, Ikea etc. who decided to close their shops or offices in Russia. (Reuters)
Ukraine Presidential Adviser says Ukrainian forces have retaken control of Chuhuiv town, reports Reuters.
Among the top reasons for the ongoing war in eastern Europe is the desire of Ukraine to become part of NATO, a Western military alliance led by the United States. To President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine becoming part of NATO poses an existential threat to Russia that is serious enough for him to start a war of the scale that Europe has not seen since the end of World War II in 1945. But what is NATO, and why is Russia so insecure about Ukraine joining the US-led alliance? Read our explainer
The inhabitants of Gotland, a Swedish island located about 350 km from Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, grow increasingly anxious over the conflict with Russia after four Russian jets recently breached Sweden's airspace over the island. (Reuters)
A representative for Kyiv urged the United Nations' top court on Monday to order Russia to halt its devastating invasion of Ukraine, at a hearing snubbed by Russia.
Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych told judges at the International Court of Justice: “Russia must be stopped and the court has a role to play in stopping it.”
Russia's seats at the Great Hall of Justice in the court's Peace Palace headquarters were empty for the hearing into Ukraine's request for the court to order Moscow to end its attack. (AP)
Prime Minister Modi spoke on the phone to President Putin of Russia, says government sources. The phone call lasted for about 50 minutes.
The two leaders discussed the evolving situation in Ukraine. President Putin briefed Prime Minister Modi on the status of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian teams.
Modi urged Putin to hold direct talks with Ukraine President Zelenskyy, in addition to the ongoing negotiations between their teams.
Modi appreciated the announcement of ceasefire and establishment of humanitarian corridors in parts of Ukraine, including Sumy. He also stressed on the importance of safe evacuation of Indian citizens from Sumy at the earliest.
Putin, in turn, assured Modi of all possible cooperation to facilitate the evacuation of Indian citizens. (ENS)
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, has stressed that the friendship between Beijing and Moscow is still very strong - despite international condemnation of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine - and says China is open to helping mediate peace.
South Korea will join the United States and others in suspending transactions with Russia's central bank as part of additional sanctions against Russia, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The government said it will announce further details of the sanctions after consultation with related government agencies. Earlier, South Korea had banned financial transactions with seven major Russian banks and blocked Russian banks from the SWIFT global payments system.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday morning. He is scheduled to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the afternoon. In his phone conversation with Zelensky, the two leaders discussed the developing situation in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia on February 24, and intense fighting has been going on in major cities.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence released its latest intelligence report, speculating that Russian forces made “minimal ground advances” over the weekend. The ministry notes a “high level of Russian air and artillery strikes” have continued to hit military and civilian sites in Ukrainian cities over the past 24 hours. “Recent strikes have targeted Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv, and been particularly heavy in Mariupol,” the report added.
The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities, including capital Kyiv on Monday, Russia's defence ministry said. The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron and in view of the current situation in those cities, it added. About 700 Indians, mostly students, are waiting for rescue in the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy.