A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. (AP)Russia Ukraine War Live Updates: Russia will achieve its goal of ensuring Ukraine’s neutral status and would prefer to do that through talks, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Moscow’s aims do not include overthrowing the Kyiv government and it hopes to achieve more significant progress in the next round of talks with Ukraine, Zakharova told a briefing, adding that Russia’s military operation was going strictly in line with its plan.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is trying to evacuate civilians through six “humanitarian corridors” Wednesday, including from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. She added that Russian armed forces have agreed to hold fire along humanitarian corridors from 9 am to 9 pm local time (7 am-7 pm GMT), Reuters reported. In a separate incident, at least 10 people were killed in a Russian military attack in the eastern Ukrainian town of Severodonestk, reported news agency AFP quoting a local official.
In other news, US President Joe Biden banned Russian oil and other energy imports to the United States, piling pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to halt the assault on Ukraine, and more global brands including McDonald’s, Starbucks and Coca-Cola stopped sales in Russia.
People cook outdoors for the Ukrainian servicemen and civil defense members serving in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP)
Russia will achieve its goal of ensuring Ukraine's neutral status and would prefer to do that through talks, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. Moscow's aims do not include overthrowing the Kyiv government and it hopes to achieve more significant progress in the next round of talks with Ukraine, Zakharova told a briefing, adding that Russia's military operation was going strictly in line with its plan. (Reuters)
Oil rose towards $130 a barrel on Wednesday, supported by concern of a potential supply shock as the United States banned Russian oil imports and amid signs that some buyers are already steering clear.
The United States on Tuesday imposed a ban on Russian oil imports, Britain said it would phase them out and Shell said it would stop buying Russian crude. JP Morgan estimated around 70% of Russian seaborne oil was struggling to find buyers. (Reuters)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a call that Canada will send Ukraine another shipment of highly-specialized military equipment. Trudeau said in a tweet that he also invited Zelenskiy to address Canada's parliament. (Reuters)
The European Union should fully use existing financial instruments to cope with the Ukrainian crisis before launching joint EU funds for that purpose, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told students in Paris during a speech at the Sciences Po university on Wednesday.
Russia announced a new ceasefire in Ukraine on Wednesday to let civilians flee besieged cities, after days of mostly failed promises that have left hundreds of thousands trapped without access to medicine or fresh water. (Reuters)
The European Union has agreed a new round of sanctions targetting senior Russian officials and oligarchs in retaliation for Moscow's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, France said on Wednesday.
The new sanctions will also include restrictions on the maritime sector and exclude three Belarussian banks from the SWIFT banking system, France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, said in a series of tweets.
The additional sanctions will be formally approved by leaders of the bloc's 27 member states at a summit in Versailles, France, on Thursday and Friday. (Reuters)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved $1.4 billion in emergency support for Ukraine to finance expenditures and shore up the balance of payments, Central Bank Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ukraine has turned to financing from allies and international institutions to support its economy after the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24.
"We are immensely grateful to the IMF for its prompt response to our request. We look forward to completing all required procedures as soon as possible," Shevchenko said. "It is vital for Ukraine now that it has been going through such a horrible time.” (Reuters)
The Ukrainian authorities do not know what the radiation levels are at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as they have not heard about what is happening there since it was seized by Russian troops, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on Wednesday. He said Ukraine also had no control over what was happening at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where it said 400 Russian troops were stationed. (Reuters)
An Ukrainian restaurant in Hong Kong called 'Ivan the Kozak' is seeing an outpouring of support from locals since the Russian invasion.
The US Congress is close to passing a $10 billion Bill providing emergency aid to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the nation. The Bill moves to provide assistance on humanitarian, security and economic levels to Ukraine.
We take a look at what the Bill is all about and the response to it. Read explainer by Sanskriti Falor
Just in: At least 10 people were killed in a Russian military attack in the eastern Ukrainian town of Severodonestk, reported news agency AFP quoting a local official.
Ukraine is trying to evacuate civilians through six "humanitarian corridors" Wednesday, including from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. she said in a video statement that Ukrainian armed forces had agreed to stop firing in those areas from 9 am until 9 pm (0700-1900 GMT) and urged Russian forces to fulfil their commitment to local ceasefires.
She said the corridors that would open would go from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia; Enerhodar to Zaporizhzhia; Sumy to Poltava; Izyum to Lozova; Volnovakha to Pokrovsk; and from several towns around Kyiv which she identified as Vorzel, Borodyanka, Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel to the capital. (Reuters)
Just in: Civilians in private cars started leaving the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy Wednesday after a "humanitarian corridor" was established for a second successive day, Sumy Mayor Oleksandr Lysenko said in televised comments. (Reuters)
Even war has rules.
According to the International Humanitarian Law, there are specific terms that warring nations have to abide by to protect civilians or people who are not taking part in the hostilities. This includes medical workers, the sick and wounded, and prisoners of war, amongst others. Here is a handy guide from news agency AFP to provide an overview of the framework.
➡️ Russian aircraft Tuesday night bombed residential areas around Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and Zhytomyr, to the west of Kyiv, and its military also stepped up its shelling of Kyiv's suburbs, the Ukrainian emergency services said.
➡️ In Malyn, a town of 25,000 near Zhytomyr, the bombing killed at least five people, including two children, and destroyed a textile factory and seven homes, the agency said. Two people died, including a 7-year-old, in the bombing in Chuhuiv, near Kharkiv.
➡️ Ukrainian officials also reported dire conditions in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Hostomel, Irpen, Vyshhorod and Borodianka, including bodies of the dead that couldn't be buried.
➡️ The mayor of Lviv said the city in far western Ukraine was struggling to feed and house the more than 2,00,000 people who have fled there. The displaced are being housed in the city's sport halls, schools and other buildings.
➡️ In the nearly two weeks since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion, his forces have captured a swath of southern and coastal Ukraine but have seen their advances stopped in many areas, including around Kyiv.
The United States on Tuesday banned all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy in an effort that US President Joe Biden said would hit “the main artery of Russia’s economy”. The UK has also announced plans to phase out imports of Russian crude oil by the end of 2022.
Experts noted that as long as Russian crude oil supplies continue, there would not be a major impact on crude oil prices which are already near 14-year highs. Brent crude was trading at $130.8 per barrel on Wednesday (10.30 am IST), up 34 per cent since Putin announced military operations in Ukraine.
The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates discussed developments in Ukraine and ways to strengthen two-way ties during a telephone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, the state news agency said.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Blinken discussed the importance of reaching a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis, it added. (Reuters)
Ukraine must hold off Russia's attack for the next seven to 10 days to deny Moscow claiming any sort of victory, said a senior government official.
Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, said Russia was desperate for at least some kind of victory, citing the cities of Mariupol or the capital Kyiv as the most likely targets.
"They need at least some victory before they are forced into the final negotiations," Denysenko wrote on Facebook. "Therefore our task is to stand for the next 7-10 days." (Reuters)
The two separate phone calls that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday set the ball rolling for the final evacuation of about 700 Indians from Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine.
“In both calls, the leaders gave their green signal and told the Prime Minister that they did not have a problem with safe passage,” an official, who was privy to the developments that led to the evacuation effort on Tuesday, told The Indian Express.
Sources said the calls between the leaders gave the initiative a “final push”, and the decks were cleared after officials in Moscow and Kiev got instructions to create a “humanitarian corridor”.
Today, March 9, is Day 14 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know about the war right now.
Crude oil prices, which touched $128 a barrel for Brent on Tuesday, are expected to soar after US President Joe Biden announced a ban on all crude oil and natural gas imports from Russia into the US.
How dependent is India on Russia gas? Read here for awaits India.
An air alert was declared Wednesday morning in and around Kyiv, with residents urged to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible. "Kyiv region — air alert. Threat of a missile attack. Everyone immediately to shelters," regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.
Nearly two weeks into the invasion, Russian troops have advanced deep along Ukraine's coastline. The city of Mariupol, which sits on the Azov Sea, has been surrounded by Russian soldiers for days and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the encircled city of 4.3 lakh. (AP)