As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its third week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday some progress had been made in Moscow’s talks with Ukraine, while the Kremlin said the conflict would end when the West took action to address Moscow concerns.
The United States said that Russia could be preparing the ground for using chemical or bological weapons in Ukraine. This statement came in response to Russia’s accusation that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with U.S. support. This statement came in response to Russia’s accusation that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with U.S. support.
The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a meeting for today to discuss these claims.
Russia’s offensive on Ukranian cities continued with satellite images showing heavy damage to cities of Kyiv and Mariupol. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday some progress had been made in Moscow’s talks with Ukraine, while the Kremlin said the conflict would end when the West took action to address Moscow concerns
The conflict began escalating on February 21, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops in a peacekeeping role.
Here are the latest updates:
Ukraine warns of possible Belarusian invasion plan
Ukraine's state Centre for Strategic Communications said it could not rule that Belarus would launch an invasion of Ukraine on Friday after a meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
"According to preliminary data, Belarusian troops may be drawn into an invasion on March 11 at 21:00 (1900 GMT)," the centre, which was established under the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, said in a statement.—Reuters
All 157 Assam students stranded in war-torn Ukraine evacuated
Forty-three more students from Assam landed in New Delhi on Friday, completing the evacuation exercise of all the 157 Assamese who were stranded in war-ravaged Ukraine, a state government official said.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that 19 students of Sumy State University returned to the country on Friday morning. During the day, students arrived in the national capital in batches, the official said. - PTI
U.S., allies to end normal trade relations with Russia
Washington and its allies moved Friday to end normal trade relations with Russia, as President Joe Biden vowed the West would make Vladimir Putin "pay the price" for his invasion of Ukraine.
Biden announced the new step, which would enable Western nations to inflict steep tariff hikes on Moscow, in coordination with NATO allies, the Group of Seven and the European Union.
On the U.S. side, lawmakers — who would have the final say — have already indicated they support the step, which involves stripping Russia of the preferential status that ensures equal treatment between international trade partners.
Warning in a speech at the White House that "Putin must pay the price" as the "aggressor" in its ex-Soviet neighbor, Biden said the U.S. move would be mirrored by similar steps in allied nations.
And in a statement issued in Berlin, G7 leaders confirmed they would each "endeavor" to take action to deny Russia favored trade status.
"The United States and our allies and partners continue in lockstep to ramp up the economic pressures on Putin and to further isolate Russia on the global stage," Biden said.
"He cannot pursue a war that threatens the very foundation of international peace and stability and then ask for help from the international community."—AFP
We are confronting the West, not Ukraine, says Russia’s Consul General in Chennai
Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is progressing in accordance with the plan and taking Ukrainian cities are not part of this plan, said Oleg N. Avdeev, Russia’s Consul General in Chennai. “The operation may look slow for an outsider. But it is unfolding according to the plan. There’s no hurry,” Mr. Avdeev told The Hindu.
We see no security reasons for Indian students to leave Russia: Embassy
In the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine, the Indian embassy in Moscow has said that it sees no security concerns at present for the Indian students in Russia to leave that country.
The embassy, however, said certain disruptions in Russian banking services, as well as direct flight connectivity to India, have been reported and Indian students may consider returning home if they have concerns over these aspects. The embassy issued a brief note with a title: ‘Guidelines for Indian students studying in Russia’.
The mission said it has been receiving messages from Indian students in universities in Russia seeking advice on their continued stay in the country. “The embassy would like to reassure all students that at present we see no security reasons for them to leave,” it said. The embassy said it is in regular contact with relevant authorities with respect to the safety and security of the Indian nationals, including students. - PTI
Putin approves ‘volunteer fighters’ to Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that so-called volunteer fighters should be brought into Ukraine.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia knew of “more than 16,000 applications” from countries in the Middle East, many of them from people who he said helped Russia against the Islamic State group, according to a Kremlin transcript.
They want “to take part in what they consider a liberation movement,” Mr. Shoigu said, on the side of Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Since 2015, Russian forces have backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against various groups opposed to his rule, including Islamic State.
Mr. Putin told Shoigu that Russia should help would-be volunteers to “move to the combat zone” and contrasted them with what he called foreign “mercenaries” fighting for Ukraine. - AP
China amplifies unsupported Russian claim of Ukraine biolabs
As Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine, it is getting a helping hand from China in spreading inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that the U.S. is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine.
The U.S. has been quick to refute Russia’s conspiracy theory, and the United Nations has said it has received no information that would back up the claim, but that hasn’t stopped it from proliferating.
The partnership between the two authoritarian countries, which weeks ago said their ties had “no limits,” appears aimed at muddying the waters of the rationale for Russia’s invasion in what American officials have called an “information war” that some fear could lay the groundwork for a “false-flag” operation.
China’s Foreign Ministry has helped fuel the fire this week, repeating the Russian claim several times and calling for an investigation.
“This Russian military operation has uncovered the secret of the U.S. labs in Ukraine, and this is not something that can be dealt with in a perfunctory manner,” ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday.
“It is not something they can muddle through by saying that China’s statement and Russia’s finding are disinformation, and are absurd and ridiculous.” Indeed, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby called the Russian claim “a bunch of malarkey,” but in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, CIA Director William Burns also noted grave concern that Russia might be laying the groundwork for a chemical or biological attack of its own, which it would then blame on the U.S. or Ukraine in a false flag operation.
“This is something, as all of you know very well, is very much a part of Russia’s playbook,” he said. “They’ve used these weapons against their own citizens, they’ve at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere, so it’s something we take very seriously.” Russia, China and the U.S. are all signatories to international conventions against the use of chemical or biological weapons, but the international community has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against enemies of President Vladimir Putin. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war. - AP
Russian strikes hit western Ukraine as offensive widens
Russia widened its military offensive in Ukraine on Friday, striking near airports in the west of the country for the first time, as observers and satellite photos indicated that its troops, long stalled in a convoy outside the capital Kyiv, were trying to maneuver to encircle the city.
With the invasion now in its third week, the U.S. and its allies prepared to step up their efforts to isolate and sanction Russia by revoking its most favored trading status. The move comes amid mounting outrage after a deadly airstrike hit a maternity hospital in the key Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, under an increasingly constricting 10-day-old siege.
The new airstrikes in western Ukraine were likely a message from Russia that no area was safe, Western and Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have struggled in the face of heavier-than-expected resistance and supply and morale problems. So far, they have made the most advances on cities in the south and east while stalling in the north and around Kyiv. - AP
Operation Ganga: India expresses gratitude to Russia, Ukraine, Red Cross
India on Friday expressed its gratitude to Ukraine, Russia and the Red Cross for helping it evacuate its citizens from various Ukrainian cities in the midst of the ongoing war.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a post on Twitter, specifically mentioned that the evacuation of Indian students from the northeastern city of Sumy was “particularly challenging”. -PTI
IAF flight carrying students evacuated from Ukraine’s Sumy lands in Delhi
An Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft from Poland’s Rzeszow carrying students evacuated from northeastern Ukrainian city Sumy landed at the Hindon air base here on Friday afternoon, officials said.
The flight, which was conducted by the IAF using its C-17 military transport plane, landed at the air base here at 12.15 pm.
This is the second of the three flights being operated by India on Friday -- one each by Air India, IndiGo and the IAF -- from Rzezow to Delhi to bring back 600 students who have recently been evacuated from Sumy. -PTI
Ukraine hopes ‘humanitarian corridor’ from Mariupol will open on Friday - deputy PM
Ukraine hopes a “humanitarian corridor” will be opened successfully for civilians to leave the besieged southern port city of Mariupol on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Efforts to provide safe passage for trapped Mariupol residents to leave have failed repeatedly this week.-Reuters
Russia strikes near airports in west Ukraine
Local authorities say Russian strikes hit near airports in the western Ukrainian cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk, far from Russia’s main attack targets elsewhere in Ukraine.
The mayor of Ivano-Frankiivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv ordered residents in the neighboring areas to head to shelters after an air raid alert. The mayor of Lutsk also announced an airstrike near the airport. No casualties were immediately reported.
The strikes were far to the west from the main Russian offensive and could indicate new direction of the war. -AP
Students arriving from Sumy, Ukraine at the Hindan air base in Ghaziabad on March 11, 2022. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
U.S. VP Harris heads to Romania as Ukraine invasion fuels refugee crisis
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will head to Romania on Friday and discuss the growing refugee crisis in the region, a day after talks between Ukraine and Russia’s foreign ministers failed to bring any pause in the conflict.
Harris will meet President Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest, her second stop on a three-day trip through eastern Europe. Meanwhile, the United States, together with the Group of Seven nations and the European Union, will move to revoke Russia’s “most favoured nation” status in an effort to pressure it to end the conflict with Ukraine.-Reuters
Russian-backed separatists capture Ukraine’s Volnovakha - RIA
Russian-backed separatists have captured the Ukrainian city of Volnovakha north of the besieged Azov Sea port of Mariupol, the RIA news agency quoted Russia’s defence ministry as saying on Friday.
Volnovakha is strategically important as the northern gateway to Mariupol. -Reuters
Air strikes in Ukraine’s Dnipro kill one: emergency services
Three air strikes early on Friday in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least one person, state emergency services said, adding that the strikes were close to a kindergarten and an apartment building. -Reuters
Russian forces edge closer to Kyiv as city becomes ‘fortress’
Russian troops edged closer to Kyiv on Friday, as officials said the Ukrainian capital was being transformed into a “fortress” and President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of again targeting humanitarian corridors.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain holed up in Ukrainian cities, including besieged Mariupol, under a Russian bombing campaign after the first talks between Moscow and Kyiv’s top diplomats ended without any progress.
In the capital, mayor Vitali Klitschko said half the population had fled, adding that the city “has been transformed into a fortress”.
“Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified.”
Russian forces are currently encircling at least four major Ukrainian cities and armoured vehicles have rolled up to Kyiv’s northeastern edge, where suburbs including Irpin and Bucha have endured days of heavy bombardment. -AFP
Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP
U.S., allies to revoke ‘most favored nation’ status for Russia
President Joe Biden will announce Friday that, along with the European Union and the Group of Seven countries, the U.S. will move to revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
That’s according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement. The person said each country would have to follow its own national processes. Stripping most favored nation status from Russia would allow the U.S. and allies to impose tariffs on Russian imports, increasing the isolation of the Russian economy in retaliation for the invasion.
Mr. Biden’s move comes as bipartisan pressure has been building in Washington to revoke what is formally known as “permanent normal trade relations” with Russia. -AP
Russia demands that U.S. stop Meta’s ‘extremist activities’
Russia’s embassy in the United States demanded on Friday that Washington stop the “extremist activities” of Facebook owner Meta Platforms, which has temporarily lifted a ban on calls for violence against the Russian military and leadership.
“Meta’s aggressive and criminal policy leading to incitement of hatred and hostility towards Russians is outrageous,” the Russian embassy said in a statement. “The company’s actions are yet another evidence of the information war without rules declared on our country.” -Reuters
U.S. Senate gives final approval to Ukraine aid, huge budget bill
A $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies easily won final congressional approval Thursday, hitching a ride on a government-wide spending bill that’s five months late but loaded with political prizes for both parties.
“We promised the Ukrainian people they would not go at it alone in their fight against Putin,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said just before the vote. “And once we pass this funding in a short while, we will keep that promise.”
The House passed the compromise bill easily Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s signature was certain. -AP
Biden to call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia, increased tariffs on Russian imports
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will call for an end of normal trade relations with Russia and clear the way for increased tariffs on Russian imports, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Premier Li offers China’s help for ‘grave’ Ukraine situation
China’s premier on Friday called the situation in Ukraine “grave” and offered Beijing’s help in playing a “positive role” for peace while continuing to refuse to criticize Russia.
Li Keqiang told reporters at an annual news conference that “we support and encourage all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.”
“The pressing task now is to prevent tension from escalating or even getting out of control,” Li said. -AP
A Ukrainian serviceman takes a photograph of a damaged church after shelling in a residential district in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 10, 2022. | Photo Credit: AP
Russians keep pressure on Mariupol; massive convoy breaks up
Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city of Mariupol on Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.
International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital. Western and Ukrainian officials called the attack a war crime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to permit evacuations from the port city amounted to “outright terror.”
Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that 40-mile (64-kilometer) convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, the company said. Armored units were seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported, with towed howitzers nearby in position to open fire. -AP
UN council to meet on Russian claim of US labs in Ukraine
The U.N. Security Council scheduled a meeting Friday at Russia’s request to discuss what Moscow claims are “the military biological activities of the U.S. on the territory of Ukraine,” allegations vehemently denied by the Biden administration.
“This is exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack,” Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said late Thursday. “We’re not going to let Russia gaslight the world or use the U.N. Security Council as a venue for promoting their disinformation.“
The Russian request, announced in a tweet Thursday afternoon from its first deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, follows the U.S. rejection of Russian accusations that Ukraine is running chemical and biological labs with U.S. support. -AP
Air India flight carrying students evacuated from Ukrainian city Sumy lands in Delhi
An Air India flight from Poland’s Rzeszow carrying students evacuated from northeastern Ukrainian city Sumy, landed in Delhi on Friday morning, officials said.
The flight had taken off from Rzeszow around 11.30 pm (IST) on Thursday and landed in Delhi at 5.45 am on Friday, they said.
India has sent three flights to Poland to bring back 600 students evacuated from Sumy.
Another flight is expected to land in Delhi around 8.40 am, officials said. -PTI
A destroyed tank sits on a street after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) | Photo Credit: Felipe Dana
Facebook eases rules to allow violent speech against ‘Russian invaders’
Facebook said Thursday that due to the invasion of Ukraine it has temporarily eased its rules regarding violent speech to allow statements like “death to Russian invaders,” but not credible threats against civilians.
Moscow’s internationally condemned invasion of its neighbor has provoked unprecedented sanctions from Western governments and businesses, but also a surge of online anger.
“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders,’” Facebook’s parent company Meta said in a statement.
“We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” it added. -AFP
Putin says Russia continues all energy exports, including through Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow was continuing to export oil and gas, including through Ukraine, where the Kremlin sent troops spurring a wave of costly Western sanctions.
"We are respecting all of our obligations in terms of energy supplies," Putin said during a televised government meeting on the sanctions fallout.
Russia says China refuses to supply aircraft parts after sanctions
China has refused to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, an official at Russia's aviation authority was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday, after Boeing and Airbus halted supply of components.
Russia's aviation sector is being squeezed by Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, with Russia's foreign ministry warning this week that the safety of Russian passenger flights was under threat.
Moscow may engage in false flag chemical and biological attacks in Ukraine: White House
Dismissing Russian claims about the U.S. having chemical and biological weapons labs in Ukraine as “preposterous”, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Russia could be preparing the ground for using such weapons in Ukraine or that it may be setting up a false flag operation using these banned methods of warfare.
