200,000 kids among Ukrainians forcefully taken to Russia, says Zelenskyy

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that 200,000 children are among the Ukrainians who have been forcefully taken to Russia and dispersed across the vast country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that 200,000 children are among the Ukrainians who have been forcefully taken to Russia and dispersed across the vast country. They include children from orphanages, children taken with their parents and those separated from their families. The purpose of this criminal policy is not just to steal people but to make those who are deported forget about Ukraine and unable to return, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation on Wednesday, which was International Children’s Day.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would punish those responsible but first it would show Russia on the battlefield that Ukraine cannot be conquered, that our people will not surrender and our children will not become the property of the occupiers. Zelenskyy said 243 children have been killed so far in the war, 446 have been wounded and 139 are missing, adding that it could be more as his government doesn’t have a full picture of the situation in areas occupied by Russian troops…Read More

Russia prepares to declare mass mobilisation on May 9: Ukraine Intelligence

 “Russia has already been enacting covert mobilisation and is preparing to announce a mass mobilisation in the near future,” Kyrylo Budanov from Ukraine Chief Intelligence Directorate said

Russia Ukraine Conflict: Russia is preparing to announce a mobilisation on May 9, the Ukrainian intelligence has claimed on Monday. “Russia has already been enacting covert mobilisation and is preparing to announce a mass mobilisation in the near future,” Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, said during an interview. When asked whether Russia plans to announce the mobilisation on May 9, he said: “Yes, they are preparing”, Ukrayinska Pravda reported, citing the Budanov’s interview with NV.

“Now Rosreserv (Russia’s Federal Agency for State Reserves) has started to check what they actually have in stock and to calculate what they can give out on mobilisation orders. This is an absolutely necessary step before the start of real mobilisation,” he explained. When asked whether the Kremlin’s plan is to win in Donbas by May 9, the head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate said: “That is their goal, but it will not happen, they do not have time. They will not manage to do it.”..Read More

Russia blacklists 228 Australian citizens, including PM, defense minister

 Moscow blacklisted 228 Australian citizens, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defense Minister Peter Dutton, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

Moscow blacklisted 228 Australian citizens, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defense Minister Peter Dutton, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The department noted that Canberra, in a reckless Russophobic fuse, imposed sanctions that affected the top leaders of the Russian Federation and almost all lawmakers.

“In response, from April 7 this year, members of the Australian National Security Committee, the House of Representatives, the Senate and regional legislative assemblies are included in the ‘stop list’ of persons who are denied entry to Russia,” the ministry said in a statement. The move was taken in response to the actions of the current Australian government. A list of 228 people has been published…

Ukraine, Russia conduct first prisoner swap since Moscow waged war on Kyiv

 Ukraine and Russia have conducted the first prisoner swap since Moscow waged its war on Kiev on February 24, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said here

Ukraine and Russia have conducted the first prisoner swap since Moscow waged its war on Kiev on February 24, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said here Ten Ukrainian prisoners-of-war held by the Russian military were released in exchange for 10 Russian soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces, Xinhua news agency quoted Vereshchuk as saying in a Facebook post. Besides, Ukraine handed over 11 civilian Russian sailors, who were rescued from a sunken ship near Odessa to Russia in exchange for 19 Ukrainian civilian sailors, she added. “Under terms of exchange, the rescue ship itself will also be returned to Ukraine and will be sent to the port in Turkey.”…

Ukraine crisis: Zelensky warns of World War III, if talks with Russia fails

 The humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Mariupol continued to worsen as thousands of civilians were estimated to be killed in the city since the beginning of hostilities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that if “negotiations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin fail then “that would mean that this is a third World War.” “I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,” reported CNN. “I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War,” he added.

The humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Mariupol continued to worsen as thousands of civilians were estimated to be killed in the city since the beginning of hostilities, even as Russian and Ukrainian forces trade charges over who is to blame for the deplorable situation. Russia’s defence ministry has consistently levelled charges of serious human rights violations on the Azov battalion of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Azov battalion has been alleged to consist of “neo-Nazi” Ukrainian nationalist elements…Ukrain Crisis

Acclaimed filmmaker Brent Renaud killed by Russian troops in Ukraine

Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who travelled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries, died after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine

Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who travelled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for “Arming the Mexican Cartels,” a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

As Russia attacks Ukraine, China eyes Indo-Pacific: Australian intelligence

 A “troubling new strategic convergence” between Beijing and Moscow has developed and the risk of “major power conflict” had grown since Russia invaded Ukraine, Australia’s intelligence chief said

A “troubling new strategic convergence” between Beijing and Moscow has developed and the risk of “major power conflict” had grown since Russia invaded Ukraine, Australia’s intelligence chief said on Wednesday. Andrew Shearer, director general of the Office of National Intelligence, said China’s President Xi Jinping appears to be planning to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and use it as a base to overtake the United States as the world’s leading power.

The comments reinforce warnings that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has met near-universal condemnation by the West, may spread into a regional or global conflict. This week Australian Prime Minister called on liberal democracies to stop an “arc of autocracy” reshaping the world.

“We’re going to have to work much harder to maintain the liberal quality of the rules-based order in Europe and here in the Indo-Pacific region,” Shearer said at a conference hosted by the Australian Financial Review. “We see a leader who’s really battening down and hardening his country for this struggle to overtake the United States as the world’s leading power,” he added, referring to Xi. “The base camp … is to establish primacy in the Indo-Pacific region.”…Russia Ukraine Conflict

Western ban on oil imports will double price to $300 a barrel: Russia

 A Western ban on Russian oil imports may more than double the price to $300 a barrel and prompt the closure of the main gas pipeline to Germany, Moscow warned on Monday

A Western ban on Russian oil imports may more than double the price to $300 a barrel and prompt the closure of the main gas pipeline to Germany, Moscow warned on Monday, as talks on Ukraine hardly advanced amid efforts to agree on civilian safe passage. Russia’s invasion, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, has created 1.7 million refugees, a raft of sanctions on Moscow, and fears of wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades.

Sieges and the bombing continued as Kyiv rejected possible humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus, but said some limited progress had been made on agreeing logistics for the evacuation of civilians. Moscow would give the residents of the Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Mariupol the choice of moving elsewhere in Ukraine on Tuesday, setting a deadline in the early hours for Kyiv to agree, Russian news agencies reported.

Seeking to ratchet up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, the United States said Washington and its European allies were considering banning Russian oil imports. Oil prices spiked to their highest levels since 2008. “A rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, saying the price could more than double to over $300 per barrel.

TikTok suspends live streaming in Russia citing new fake news law

 Chinese video-sharing app TikTok has suspended live streaming and new content to video services in Russia after introduction of new fake news law in the country that threatened jail of up to 15 years

Chinese video-sharing app TikTok has suspended livestreaming and new content to video services in Russia following the introduction of new ‘fake news’ law in the country that threatened jail terms of up to 15 years. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a federal law criminalizing the spread of disinformation about the Russian armed forces, their defamation, as well as the calls for sanctions against Russia. Global news media including CNN and BBC said they were suspending their operations to protect their journalists from the new law.

“However, our highest priority is the safety of our employees and our users, and in light of Russia’s new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service in Russia while we review the safety implications of this law,” the streaming app said in a statement. The company said that they will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority….Russia ukraine Conflicts

Ukraine crisis: Economic dangers from Russia's invasion ripple across globe

 Even before Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine, the global economy was straining under a range of burdens: Surging inflation, tangled supply chains, tumbling stock prices

Moscow’s war on Ukraine and the ferocious financial backlash it’s unleashed are not only inflicting an economic catastrophe on President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The repercussions are also menacing the global economy, shaking financial markets and making life more perilous for everyone from Uzbek migrant workers to European consumers to hungry Yemeni families. Even before Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine, the global economy was straining under a range of burdens: Surging inflation. Tangled supply chains. Tumbling stock prices. The Ukraine crisis both magnified each threat and complicated the potential solutions.

We are actually in uncharted territory,” said Clay Lowery, executive vice president at the Institute of International Finance, a trade group of global banks. We know there are consequences that we cannot predict.” For now at least, the damage to the overall global economy appears to be relatively slight, if only because Russia and Ukraine are not economic powerhouses. Important as they are as exporters of energy, precious metals, wheat and other commodities, the two together account for less than 2 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product…Read More

Ukraine crisis: Indian student killed as Russia intensifies attack

 Govt steps up evacuation efforts; all Indians have left Kyiv: Foreign secy

The first Indian to become collateral damage in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, originally from a small village in Karnataka’s Haveri district, was killed in intense shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday. As the Russian army closed in on Kyiv, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine sent a message to all Indians to get out of the capital immediately, by any means possible. About 400 students who were living near the Indian Embassy were successfully sent to Romania and were on their way home.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday, announced that the Indian Air Force would be deployed for evacuations in addition to commercial aircraft. He also spoke to Naveen’s father, who alleged that the government did nothing to reach out to stranded Indian students in Kharkiv. After the meeting on the Ukraine crisis, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said all Indian nationals had left Kyiv.d.

India skips resolution to call for UN General Assembly session on Ukraine

 The resolution was adopted with 11 votes in favour, paving the way for the General Assembly to meet on the crisis as soon as Monday.

India abstained from a procedural vote taken in the UN Security Council to call for a rare special emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The resolution was adopted with 11 votes in favour, paving the way for the General Assembly to meet on the crisis as soon as Monday. India, China and the UAE abstained, while Russia voted against the resolution.

The 15-nation Security Council met on Sunday afternoon to hold the vote on the emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This comes two days after the Russian veto blocked a UNSC resolution on its “aggression” against Ukraine.

The vote calling for the UNGA session was procedural so none of the five permanent members of the Security Council — China, France, Russia, UK and the US — could exercise their vetoes. President of the 76th session of the General Assembly Abdulla Shahid, who was to attend the 49th regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, cancelled his trip “due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine and potential developments in the Security Council,” for the vote…Read More

We will bring you back home safe, sound: India to its citizens in Ukraine

 A government statement said Modi conveyed to Putin that India attaches highest priority to the safe exit of Indians from Ukraine and their return to India

India on Thursday mounted a major initiative to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine to neighbouring countries through land border crossings after Russia launched a large-scale military assault on the eastern European nation triggering major global concerns and sanctions against Moscow by several Western powers.

Amid the deepening crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and “sensitised” him about India’s concerns regarding the safety of the Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students. A government statement said Modi conveyed to Putin that India attaches highest priority to the safe exit of Indians from Ukraine and their return to India.

“The prime minister appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue,” an official statement said. With increasing concerns over the safety of Indians in Ukraine, Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) with a primary focus of evacuating the citizens.

US to have consultations with India on Ukraine crisis, says Joe Biden

 It is understood that India and the United States are not on the same page on the Ukrainian crisis

President Joe Biden on Thursday said that the United States will have consultations with India on the crisis in Ukraine following a military operation from Russia. In a televised address on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his move to launch a military operation in Ukraine came in response to threats emanating from the neighbouring country. He also warned other countries that if they attempted to interfere with the Russian military operation they would see “consequences they have never seen”.

“We are going to have consultations with India (on the Ukrainian crisis). We haven’t resolved that fully,” Biden told reporters during a White House news conference on the Ukrainian crisis.

He was responding to a question if India was fully on board with the United States on the Russian aggression. It is understood that India and the United States are not on the same page on the Ukrainian crisis. India has a historic and time-tested friendship with Russia. At the same time, its strategic partnership with the United States has grown at an unprecedented pace over the last decade and half….

Biden unveils new sanctions on Russian businesses after Ukraine attack

 Biden said the sanctions would limit Russia’s ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen

Russia Ukraine Conflict: President Joe Biden unveiled harsh new sanctions against Russia on Thursday after Moscow launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine, imposing measures to impede Russia’s ability to do business in the world’s major currencies along with sanctions against banks and state-owned enterprises.

“This is a premeditated attack,” Biden told reporters at the White House, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected attempts by the West to engage in dialogue and had violated international law. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences.” Biden said the sanctions were designed to have a long-term impact on Russia and to minimize the impact on the United States and its allies. And he said Washington was prepared to do more.

Biden said the sanctions would limit Russia’s ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen. Biden said NATO would meet on Friday to map out further measures. He reiterated that the United States would not engage in war with Russia, but that it would meet its Article 5 commitments to defend NATO partners…Read More

UK warns Russia of severe sanctions if it puts 'puppet regime' in Ukraine

 Britain made the accusation late on Saturday, also saying Russian intelligence officers had been in contact with a number of former Ukrainian politicians as part of plans for an invasion

Russia will face severe economic sanctions if it installs a puppet regime in Ukraine, a senior British minister said on Sunday after the UK accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leader there. “There’ll be very serious consequences if Russia takes this move to try and invade but also install a puppet regime,” British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News.

Britain made the accusation late on Saturday, also saying Russian intelligence officers had been in contact with a number of former Ukrainian politicians as part of plans for an invasion. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the British allegation as “disinformation,” accusing NATO of “escalating tensions” over Ukraine. The British claims came after the top U.S. and Russian diplomats failed on Friday to make a major breakthrough in talks to resolve the crisis over Ukraine, which was sparked when Russia began massing troops near its border with the country.

Officials in Moscow have insisted they have no plans to invade, and both they and their American counterparts have agreed to keep talking. But tension remains high. In Washington, the U.S. State Department announced it was ordering the departure of eligible family members from Embassy Kyiv due to the threat of Russian military action.

India, Russia finalise deal to manufacture AK-47 203 rifles: Report

The Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and the rest will be manufactured in India

India and Russia have finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s ongoing visit to Moscow, the official Russian media reported on Thursday. The AK-47 203 is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle, which will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56×45 mm assault rifle.

The Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and the rest will be manufactured in India, Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency said. The rifles will be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport — the Russian state agency for military exports, it said.

The OFB would own a majority stake of 50.5 per cent in IRRPL while the Kalashnikov Group would have a 42 per cent share. Russia’s state-owned export agency, Rosoboronexport, would own the remaining 7.5 per cent, the report said. The 7.6239 mm Russian weapon will be produced at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the report said…

Russia registers first Covid vaccine, hopes to begin mass inoculation soon

“The first registration has taken place,” Putin said Tuesday at a televised government meeting, adding that one of his daughters has already been given the vaccine

President Vladimir Putin said Russia cleared the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine for use and hopes to begin mass inoculation soon, even before clinical testing has finished. “The first registration has taken place,” Putin said Tuesday at a televised government meeting, adding that one of his daughters has already been given the vaccine. “I hope that we can soon begin mass production.” The move clears the way for widespread use of the vaccine among Russia’s population, with production starting next month, although it may take until January to complete trials.

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Medical workers could begin receiving the drug by the end of the month, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at the meeting. The announcement represents a propaganda coup for the Kremlin amid a global race to develop vaccines against the coronavirus pandemic and accusations that Russian hackers sought to steal international drug research. The disease has killed nearly 750,000 people, infected more than 20 million and crippled national economies.

WHO in contact with Russia on new Covid-19 vaccine: Spokesman

WHO is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, a WHO spokesman said

The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, a WHO spokesman said. “We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are underway regarding a possible pre-qualification of the vaccine by WHO,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The pre-qualification of any vaccine involves rigorous review and evaluation of all the data required for safety and efficacy” in clinical trials, said Jasarevic, adding that at the WHO level, this process would be the same for any vaccine candidate. “Each country has national regulatory bodies that approve the use of vaccines or drugs in its territory,” he said. “Manufacturers are asking for WHO pre-qualification because it is a kind of seal of quality.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country has registered the world’s first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Putin said he hoped that the mass production of the vaccine registered in Russia should begin in the near future, and vaccination will be available to everyone in the country voluntarily…Read Full Story

Twitter labels state-controlled media outlets, govt officials’ accounts

The micro-blogging platform will not amplify tweets by state-controlled media outlets. The move will make affected accounts less likely to appear in search results or notifications

Twitter has announced it would not amplify tweets by state-controlled media outlets and label the accounts of government-linked media, and key government officials from the five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. The micro-blogging platform said the new labelling policy would include accounts of key government officials, including foreign ministers, institutional entities, ambassadors, official spokespeople, and key diplomatic leaders from these five countries.

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“At this time, our focus is on senior officials and entities who are the official voice of the state abroad,” the company said in a statement late on Thursday. The move will make affected accounts less likely to appear in search results or notifications. Twitter will also label accounts belonging to state-affiliated media entities, their editors and their senior staff.

The move will impact state-controlled media organisations like Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua news agency. In 2019, Twitter banned all state-backed media advertising and political advertising from Twitter. “For transparency and practicality, we are starting with a limited and clearly-defined group of countries before expanding to a wider range of countries in the future,” said Twitter…Read More