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

Israel PM Bennett says Putin apologised over FM Lavrov’s Holocaust remarks

 Asked in an interview about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to denazify the country, Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even though its president Zelenskyy is a Jewish

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow’s top diplomat. The two leaders talked over the phone, after which an Israeli statement said Putin had apologized. However, the Russian statement about the call made no mention of an apology. Instead, it said they emphasized the importance of marking the Nazi defeat in World War II, which Russia celebrates on Monday.

Bennett emerged as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine shortly after Moscow’s invasion. But that role was thrown into doubt this week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made comments about the Holocaust that were deeply offensive to Jews. Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to denazify the country, Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even though its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish.

In my opinion, Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn’t mean absolutely anything. For some time we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest antisemites were Jewish, he said, speaking to the station in Russian, dubbed over by an Italian translation. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who has harshly criticized Russia over the invasion, called Lavrov’s statement unforgivable and scandalous and a horrible historical error….Read More

It's becoming more difficult for Putin to fund war every single day: WH

 It is becoming more and more difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to fund his war in Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday adding that more tough sanctions are to be announced on Wednesday.

It is becoming more and more difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to fund his war in Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday adding that more tough sanctions are to be announced on Wednesday.

What we are doing and we’re already seeing effectively happen is the financial system in Russia is near the brink of collapse. I mean, they’re projecting 15 per cent inflation, a contraction of 15 percent in their economy. Private sector businesses are pulling out of the country. It is more and more difficult for President Putin to fund this war every single day. That has an impact, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.

But what we’re also doing is providing a historic amount of military and security assistance, which is what they’ve been using effectively over the last few weeks to fight this war and push back the Russians, she said. At the same time, Psaki reiterated that the United States is not calling for regime change. That has not been our policy and continues not to be our policy. But again, our view is that he is a war criminal and he is somebody who should be looked at by the international system which evaluates war crimes, she said….Russia Ukraine War

Talks show Russia may be ready to 'make steps forward': Ukraine envoy to UN

 Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya said the new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are showing that Moscow may be ready to move forward.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya on Tuesday (local time) said the new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are showing that Moscow may be ready to move forward. He made these remarks at the UNSC meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

“Today’s negotiations in Istanbul have demonstrated that Russia may be ready to make steps forward, although it is still a long way to a sustainable ceasefire and comprehensive de-escalation,” Kyslytsya said. He said that the signing of the Treaty on the Security Guarantees for Ukraine will only be possible after the withdrawal of all Russian armed units to locations as on February 23, 2022.

“Since the beginning of invasion Russia have lost more than 17000 military personnel, more than 1700 armoured vehicles, almost 600 tanks, over 300 artillery systems, 127 planes and 129 helicopters, almost 100 rocket launcher systems, 54 air defence systems and 7 ships,” he added. On Tuesday (local time), the latest round of peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations kicked off at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul…Read More

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

Zelenskyy voices hope, says he's open for talks with Putin in Israel

 Bennett, acting at Ukraine’s behest, held a three-hour Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Saturday

Ukraine voiced hope for positive results from Israel’s bid to broker peace with Russia, denying a media report that suggested Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had tried to nudge Kyiv into caving to Moscow’s demands. Bennett, acting at Ukraine’s behest, held a three-hour Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Saturday. He has since spoken twice with Putin by phone and four times with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (pictured), officials say.

“I believe (Bennett) can play an important role, because Israel is a country with a lot of history and parallels, as well as having a large migration of Jews from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus,” Zelenskyy said. Earlier on Saturday, a top Ukrainian adviser denied a report that had suggested that Bennett had urged Ukraine to give in.

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.

Govt launches Operation Ganga to rescue Indians stuck in Ukraine

 The International Council of the Red Cross (ICRC), which deals with conflict-torn regions, will start operations from Monday and India is in close touch with it

To quicken the process of rescuing the Indians stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, as part of Operation Ganga, on Sunday outlined new steps, including opening fresh exit points judged safe for them to leave the country. The government will pay for the operation entirely. Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to this in Varanasi during an election campaign meeting, where he said India was making every effort to get its citizens out of Ukraine.

However, India continued to stay neutral on the conflict and suspended judgement on who was responsible for the war. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has been in touch with his equivalent in Moldova, which has a border with Ukraine. He has also spoken to ministers in neighbouring countries.

The exit route from Moldova is less choked than the ones from Poland, which are jammed by Ukrainians seeking to flee from the war. Shringla said around 4,000 Indians were in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in East Ukraine, as well as Odessa and the Crimea, where fighting is most intense. These regions are also close to the Russian border, just at a distance of 70 km, and teams from the Indian embassy are at the border points, ready to evacuate Indians as soon as a window opens and there is respite from the fighting….

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.

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

Russia dares West with attack on Ukraine, warned of 'decisive response'

 Russia launched a barrage of missile, artillery and air attacks early Thursday, triggering the worst security crisis Europe has witnessed in decades.

Russian forces attacked targets across Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin ordered an operation to “demilitarize” the country, prompting international condemnation and a U.S. threat of further “severe sanctions” on Moscow, sending markets tumbling worldwide.

Russia launched a barrage of missile, artillery and air attacks early Thursday, triggering the worst security crisis Europe has witnessed in decades. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry warning that the capital, Kyiv, was being targeted and urged citizens to go to shelters. Ukraine’s border guard said that it was being shelled from five regions, including from Crimea in the south and Belarus to the north.

In a nationally televised address ahead of the offensive, Putin said that Russia doesn’t plan to “occupy” its neighbor but said the action was necessary after the U.S. and its allies crossed Russia’s “red lines” by expanding the NATO alliance. U.S. President Joe Biden called Putin’s move “an unprovoked and unjustified attack” and said the “world will hold Russia accountable.” Commodities markets surged, with Brent oil extending gains above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014–when Russia annexed Ukraine–while gold jumped as investors scrambled for havens….Read More

Russian attack on Ukraine possible any day, diplomacy still an option: US

 As Russia masses more than 100,000 troops near the border, Moscow has said it is not planning an invasion but could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met

Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack on Ukraine within days or weeks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned on Sunday, as Washington and its European allies continued efforts to offer Putin a diplomatic way out of the crisis.

“We are in the window. Any day now, Russia could take military action against Ukraine, or it could be a couple of weeks from now, or Russia could choose to take the diplomatic path instead,” Sullivan told the “Fox News Sunday” program. Sullivan made the comments in television interviews after two U.S. officials on Saturday said Russia, which seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, has in place about 70% of the combat power it believes it would need for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As Russia masses more than 100,000 troops near the border, Moscow has said it is not planning an invasion but could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met. Those include a promise that NATO will never admit Ukraine, a demand the United States and the 30-nation Western security alliance have called unacceptable. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, the White House said. That call came ahead of a visit by Macron to Moscow on Monday, the culmination of days of French contacts with Russia and Ukraine to try to de-escalate tensions….Read More

Here's why Russia might invade Ukraine and why US is involved in conflict

 Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine over the past several months

U. S. President Joe Biden said on Jan. 19, 2022, that he thinks Russia will invade Ukraine, and cautioned Russian president Vladimir Putin that he “will regret having done it,” following months of building tension. Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine over the past several months. In mid-January, Russia began moving troops into Belarus, a country bordering both Russia and Ukraine, in preparation for joint military exercises in February.

Putin has issued various security demands to the U. S. before he draws his military forces back. Putin’s list includes a ban on Ukraine from entering NATO, and agreement that NATO will remove troops and weapons across much of Eastern Europe. There’s precedent for taking the threat seriously: Putin already annexed the Crimea portion of Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine’s layered history offers a window into the complex nation it is today — and why it is continuously under threat. As an Eastern Europe expert, I highlight five key points to keep in mind.

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.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE: 5,834 Covid-19 cases and 118 deaths in Tamil Nadu today

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.

US hits Russia railroad co with sanctions over passenger services to Crimea

The Treasury Department handed down the new sanctions on Wednesday two days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Kyiv to meet with the Ukrainian president and other officials

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on a Moscow-based private railway company that last month opened passenger service between Russia and Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. The sanctions target Grand Service Express, its CEO and seven people who were slapped with European Union sanctions earlier in the week for their role in organizing Russian local elections on Crimea in September. The EU and the US imposed economic sanctions on Russia after the annexation and refuse to recognise Moscow’s authority over the region.

The Treasury Department handed down the new sanctions on Wednesday two days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Kyiv to meet with the Ukrainian president and other officials. They may be intended to send a message of support from the Trump administration during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump over his dealings with Ukraine. “Treasury’s action, taken in close coordination with our international allies and partners, reiterates our unwavering support for restoring free and fair democratic processes in Crimea,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The sanctions may also serve to reduce the sting of Pompeo’s recent disparaging comment about Ukraine. Following an interview last week with NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly, she said he shouted obscenities at her for asking about Ukraine and asked whether she thought Americans really cared about the country…

Modi seeks partnership with Russia for manufacturing weapons in India

He also spoke about India’s manned space mission — the Gaganyaan project — and said that Russia will help train the country’s astronauts

On the eve of his summit talks with Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he shared a “special chemistry” with the Russian President and is keen on technology transfers so that the two sides can make military equipment in India at cheaper rates for export to third countries.

Modi, the first Prime Minister to visit Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, is due to hold wide-ranging talks with President Putin on Wednesday ahead of his departure to the Russian port city. “I am confident that this visit will give a new vector, new energy and a new impetus to the relations between our countries,” Modi said in an interview with Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.

Russia and India are set to sign about 15 documents, including some in the military-technical sectors, within the framework of the 20th Russian-Indian summit that will take place on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), a Tass report said. The Russian-Indian partnership has gone beyond the framework of military and technical cooperation, Modi said.

“We are close friends. And as close friends, we should think about what we can do together in the future,” he said. “We don’t want to be limited just to relations between the customer and the seller of military technologies. We are sure about the model of transferring technologies. I have said several times about this and we have even started moving in this direction,” Modi said…

PM Modi arrives in Russia on 2-day visit, to attend Eastern Economic Forum

In Vladivostok, Modi will attend the 5th Eastern Economic Forum as the chief guest at the invitation of President Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Russia Wednesday on a two-day visit during which he will hold summit talks with President Vladimir Putin and attend the Eastern Economic Forum. His visit to the Russian Far East Region is the first by an Indian prime minister.

“Landed in Vladivostok, capital of the Russian Far East and the crossroads of a dynamic region. Looking forward to joining various programmes in this short but important visit,” Modi tweeted at 05.09 am IST. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, “PM

Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed at Vladivostok airport on his 3rd bilateral visit to Russia. Over the next 2 days, bilateral meeting with President Putin, participation at Eastern Economic Forum & meetings with other world leaders on the agenda.”

In Vladivostok, Modi will attend the 5th Eastern Economic Forum as the chief guest at the invitation of President Putin. He will also hold the 20th India-Russia Annual Summit with Putin. Before departing for Russia, Modi said he looked forward to discussing regional and international issues of mutual interest with President Putin. Modi also said his visit underlines the desire of the two countries to diversity and further strengthen bilateral relations.