re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

US Weapons & Ammunition Arrive in Ukraine as Tensions Continue With Russia

Military equipment, including weapons and ammunition from the U.S. arrive in Ukraine as tensions continue with Russia.

Ukraine tensions: US alleges Russian plot to fake invasion pretext

BBC 4 Feb 2022




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Washington alleged that the staged attack could show Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine targeting Russians



The US has claimed Russia is planning to stage a fake Ukrainian attack that it would use to justify an invasion.

It alleged Moscow was likely to release a graphic video showing the attack on Russian territory or against Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine.

Russia denied it was planning to fabricate an attack, and the US did not provide evidence to support the claim.

The build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops on Ukraine's borders has escalated fears of an invasion.

Moscow says they are there for military drills, but Ukraine and its Western allies remain concerned that Russia is planning to launch an assault.

"We do have information that the Russians are likely to want to fabricate a pretext for an invasion," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.

"As part of this fake attack, we believe that Russia would produce a very graphic propaganda video, which would include corpses and actors that would be depicting mourners and images of destroyed locations," he said.

But senior US officials said the video was just one of several ideas Russia has to provide a pretext to invade its neighbour.

They added that the alleged plan was being revealed in an effort to dissuade Russia from invading.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the reports later on Thursday.

"This is not the first promise of its kind [to release details about Russian provocation]," he said. "Something similar was also said before, but nothing came of it."

Russia has repeatedly denied that it is planning an attack.

News of the alleged plot came a day after the US said it was sending more troops to eastern Europe to support allies in the Nato defensive alliance.

Russia said the move was "destructive" and showed that its concerns about Nato's eastward expansion were justified.

Also on Thursday, Nato expressed concerns that Russia was likely to deploy up to 30,000 troops - including special forces, fighter jets and short-range ballistic missiles - in Belarus, Ukraine's northern neighbour.

"This is the biggest Russian deployment there since the Cold War," Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Rivalry between Russia and the US, which still possess the world's biggest nuclear arsenals, dates back to the Cold War. Ukraine was then a crucial part of the communist Soviet Union.




Graphic Showing Positioning of Russian Troops..

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Diplomatic Moves

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently in the Chinese capital, Beijing, for the Winter Olympics, and on Friday met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, for their first face-to-face meeting since June 2019, because of the pandemic.

The two nations have a close relationship - President Xi has previously praised Mr Putin as his "best friend", and it is widely expected that Russia will be looking for diplomatic support from China as tensions build with Ukraine and the West.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Russia and Ukraine next week to try and de-escalate the tensions. He will meet Mr Putin in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Monday, then Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky the next day.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Ukraine earlier this week in an effort to "avoid further bloodshed"




US warships bolster NATO to counter Russia as Ukrainian crisis tensions heighten









How advanced are Russian preparations for an incursion into Ukraine?

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

French Leader Macron to Meet Putin Over Ukraine Crisis

Macron Hopes For Historic Solution to Ukraine Crisis Ahead of Putin Meeting

French leader, who will travel to Kyiv on Tuesday, is optimistic he can secure peace, despite the US saying Russia could invade ‘tomorrow’

French leader hopes for ‘historic solution’ … Johnson allies insist the ‘grownups’ are in charge

BBC News 7 FEB. 2022.



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French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will discuss how to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis when he meets Vladimir Putin


French president Emmanuel Macron believes he can deliver “a historic solution” to the Ukraine crisis ahead of his arrival in Moscow for talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

After a flurry of diplomatic activity that included talks with US president Joe Biden this weekend and three phone calls with Putin, Macron will land in Moscow on Monday seeking a “de-escalation” of the tense standoff on Ukraine’s eastern borders.

Russia has denied planning to invade Ukraine but has tens of thousands of troops near its neighbour’s borders, prompting the US to order about 3,000 extra troops to bolster Nato’s eastern flank in Poland and Romania.

Biden Rattles His Sabre at Putin … But it’s Xi He Really Wants to Scare


The White House believes Moscow has assembled at least 70% of the firepower it needs to give Vladimir Putin the option of a major military operation by mid-February. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Sunday that an invasion could take place “as soon as tomorrow”.

However, Macron told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Sunday that Russia’s objective was “not Ukraine, but a clarification of the rules … with Nato and the EU”.

It was therefore “urgent to advance towards a new order which our Europe needs profoundly and which rests on the cardinal principle of sovereign equality among states”, he told the paper.

He said his dialogue with Putin would probably be enough to prevent military conflict breaking out despite the pessimistic assessments in many western capitals.

“The intensity of the dialogue we have had with Russia and this visit to Moscow are designed to stop that happening,” Macron said.

“Then we will discuss the terms of de-escalation. We have to be very realistic. We will not obtain unilateral gestures, but it’s essential to stop the situation deteriorating.”

Macron, whose diplomacy has been strengthened by France being the current holder of the European presidency, said he had “always been in a deep dialogue with president Putin and our responsibility is to build a historic solution” to the problem of European security. “I believe President Putin is available for this,” Macron said.

The French leader, who faces a presidential election challenge from far-right candidates in April, will travel to Kyiv on Tuesday for talks with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

While Macron is in Moscow, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will be in Washington for talks with Joe Biden on Monday, aiming to narrow differences between the US and German approach to the crisis. Berlin has been criticised by some Nato allies for not supplying Ukraine with weapons.

“There are strict export criteria we are following on the export of weapons into crisis regions,” Scholz told the Washington Post on the eve of his White House visit, and pointed to other ways in which Germany was helping Ukraine, including $2 bn in economic aid over seven years.

He also noted that his government was contributing to a Nato effort to reinforce the alliance’s eastern flank, with hundreds of troops deployed in Lithuania, fighter jets in Romania and plans to send more warplanes to the Baltic.

There are still differences however between Washington and Berlin over the response if Russia attacks Ukraine. The US has said the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany would not open. Scholz’s government has not been as categorical and the chancellor said the situation required “strategic ambiguity”.

“Please understand that I will not get into any specifics, but our answer will be united and decisive,” he said.”


Amid a weeks-long military buildup, Moscow has said it 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 Nato have called unacceptable.


Western governments have promised to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and Boris Johnson has warned Russia it would be a “tragic miscalculation” to invade its neighbour.

US officials have warned that a full attack could lead to the swift capture of Kyiv and potentially result in 50,000 civilians killed or wounded, as well as up to 25,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers and 10,000 Russian ones. Millions could flee in a refugee crisis for Europe, they suggested.

They said the Russian army had now positioned 83 “battalion tactical groups” near Ukraine, each with between 750 and 1,000 soldiers. The figure has risen from 60 battalion groups two weeks ago, they added.

Ukraine’s former defence minister, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, said he did not believe a Russian invasion was inevitable. He said the remorseless Russian troop buildup was proceeding along textbook lines, but that the Kremlin’s intentions and strategy remained opaque.

“We don’t see a political endgame here,” he said. “If Putin seizes Kyiv, there will be full-scale war. The Ukrainian army forces will fight. There will be enormous resistance for all time. Why would you do that?

“Ukraine is not going to say: ‘Let’s join Russia.’ This is understood. Unless, of course, Putin is totally delusional and has his own understanding of reality. There will be blood, sanctions. Nobody needs that kind of international war in Europe right now.”

However, the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, sought on Sunday to play down “apocalyptic predictions” about an imminent Russian invasion, saying his country was strong and had unprecedented international support.

Earlier on Sunday, Macron spoke Biden for 40 minutes to “share information about contacts made during the weekend” and for “good coordination” ahead of the Frenchman’s mission to Moscow.

The White House said the two leaders discussed “ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders”.

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World on The Brink - Imminent -Russia Set to Invade Ukraine Any Day Now Warns US

Russia-Ukraine crisis: British & US nationals told to leave Ukraine

Surrounded - Russian forces close in amid Ukrainian army warnings

BBC News 12 FEB. 2022.


The White House is warning that a Russian attack on Ukraine, could be imminent.

After a huge build up of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, American officials say Moscow now has the capability, to launch a major military operation, including an attack on the capital Kyiv.

Moscow has practically encircled its smaller neighbour, with close to 130,000 troops, but maintains no invasion is being planned.

Diplomatic efforts are continuing to defuse the crisis.








Memories of Ukraines’ Great Famine Fuel Resentment of Russia

BBC News 12 Feb 2022


The current tensions between Ukraine and Russia have deep historical roots.

Russia and other nations have long sought to determine Ukraine’s destiny, contributing to the rise of Ukrainian nationalism and demands for self-determination.

In the Great Famine of the 1930s, as many as four million Ukrainians died during the forced collectivisation of Ukraine’s farms by the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The bitterness remains to this day.

Clive Myrie presents a BBC News at Ten special report by Fergal Keane from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, who met some of the last survivors of the famine.

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

Last-Ditch Bid to Avert WAR Western Leaders in Urgent Push to Avoid War

Boris Johnson plans talks with allies to bring Russia ‘back from the brink’

Ukraine seeks meeting with Russia within 48 hours to discuss build-upUkraine seeks meeting with Russia within 48 hours to discuss build-up

Ukraine has called for a meeting with Russia and other members of a key European security group over the escalating tensions on its border.

BBC News 14 FEB. 2022.



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Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia had ignored formal requests to explain the build-up of troops.



He said the next step was requesting a meeting within the next 48 hours for transparency about Russia's plans.

Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite the build-up of some 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine's borders.

But some Western nations have warned that Russia is preparing for military action, with the US saying Moscow could begin with aerial bombardments "at any time".

More than a dozen nations have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine, and some have pulled embassy staff from the capital. CBS News reported that the US was preparing to withdraw all its personnel from Kyiv within the next 48 hours, citing three sources.

Mr Kuleba said Ukraine had, on Friday, demanded answers from Russia about their intentions under the rules of the Vienna Document, an agreement about security issues adopted by the members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Russia.

"If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfil its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all," he said.

However, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who criticised the "panic" that could spread from such claims, said he had seen no proof that Russia was planning an invasion in the coming days.

On Sunday, he spoke for nearly an hour by phone with US President Joe Biden. The White House said President Biden had reiterated US support for Ukraine, and that both leaders had agreed on "the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence".

Ukraine's statement of the call said its president had thanked the US for its "unwavering support" and that, at the end, President Zelensky had invited the US leader to come to Ukraine. There has been no comment on the invite from the White House.

An hour-long call between President Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin the day before failed to yield a breakthrough.





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Western allies have previously made clear one of Russia's key demands - that Ukraine is never be allowed to join the Nato military alliance - is not up for debate, saying the alliance's door must remain open to new members.

Ukraine's ambassador in London, Vadym Prystaiko, has told the BBC his country might be willing to drop its ambition to join Nato to avert war, saying Ukraine could be "flexible".

Asked if Kyiv was considering shelving its plans to pursue Nato membership, despite it being written into the Ukrainian constitution, he replied: "We might - especially being threatened like that, blackmailed by that, and pushed to it."

But a British government source said it was "too early" to tell if the comment were a genuine concession that could change the mind of Vladimir Putin.

In the latest attempt to find a diplomatic solution, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has meetings scheduled with President Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday and with President Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.

The chancellor, who took over the leadership of Germany from Angela Merkel in December, has warned of severe economic consequences for Russia if it should launch any invasion, echoing statements by other Western nations and members of the Nato military alliance.

But Berlin officials have downplayed any expectation of a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to hold fresh diplomatic talks across Europe to bring Russia "back from the brink" of war.

In Washington, President Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said an invasion could begin "any day now".

Mr Sullivan said the US is closely monitoring for a potential "false flag" operation by Moscow as a pretext for a full-scale invasion so it can claim it is responding to Ukrainian aggression.

Russia contends that its build-up of troops along the Ukraine border is its own concern, within its own territory. On Sunday, senior foreign policy official Yuri Ushakov characterised the US warnings of imminent invasion as "hysteria has reached its peak".

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

BREAKING: Russia Pulling Some Forces Back From Ukraine Border

German Chancellor Scholz emphasises solidarity with Ukraine ahead of Moscow trip

15 Feb 2022 Sky News


Russia says it is pulling some of its forces back from its border with Ukraine.


The defence ministry said some western and southern troops would be heading back to their permanent bases after finishing training exercises.

It comes following a warning from Foreign Secretary Liz Truss that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen at any time.

A statement from Russia said: "Units of the Southern and Western Military Districts, which have accomplished their missions, are boarding trains and trucks and will head for their garrisons later today.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Vodolymyr Zelenskyy held talks in Kyiv on Monday amid fears Russia might invade Ukraine.

After the meeting, Scholz stressed Germany's support for Ukraine.



"Germany stands close by your side," Scholz said at a press conference after the sit-down. "My country is impressed by the democratic movement in Ukraine and supports the European path it has taken since 2014," he added.

Scholz has held firm on Germany's opposition to sending lethal weaponry to Ukraine amid a massive Russian troop buildup.

Germany has said it plans to send more than 300 troops to Lithuania to bolster NATO's eastern flank.

The first contingent of German troop reinforcements arrived in Kaunas on Monday.

70 troops arrived on an A400M German Luftwaffe plane at Kaunas airport, along with around 100 howitzer cannons and military vehicles.

The German Defense Ministry had announced plans last week to send an additional 380 soldiers to Lithuania and more arrivals are expected throughout the week.

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

Putin and Scholz Meet in Moscow

Vladimir Putin is taking his big gamble

RT 15 FEB 2022


His decision to assemble an invasion force along Russia’s border with Ukraine suggests that we are about to enter a dangerous new phase of international relations.

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

Wow, this is a tense situation...Very scary to even think of WW3..

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

Putin has stated many times he does not want a WAR,, just more respect from certain leaders especially the US

I wish the US would STOP interfering in so many countries affairs,,,

Espec as they have supplied most of the arms that cause the problems and made a LOT of money doing so,,,,:arrrrrgh:

re: UKRAINE-West Scrambles to Evacuate Personnel & Interpret Putins' Moves
 

Russian Navy Carries Out Military Drills in Syria

15 Feb 2022 The Sun



RUSSIAS' navy carries out military drills in Syria despite deescalation talks.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu watched on as the Russian Navy held drills in the Mediterranean Sea at the Tartus naval base.

Over 15 warships and over 30 aircraft are taking part in the drills......:dunno:








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‘No evidence of de-escalation’ on Ukrainian border, says NATO

re: UKRAINE- WAR Begins-Russia Launches Full-Scale Invasion & Putins' Childhood
 

West Scrambles to Interpret Putins' Latest Moves as Ukraine Invasion Threat Looms

As the threat of an invasion of Ukraine again appeared to slip into a holding pattern, Western leaders and diplomats have been left scrambling to interpret conflicting signals coming out of Moscow.

Russia-Ukraine Standoff: Countries Scramble to Evacuate Personnel as Possible Invasion Looms

CBC News 16 FEB 2022.



Russia has put its willingness to play by its own rules on full display with a token withdrawal of some troops exercising in Crimea and the offer of renewed security dialogue with the West, CBC's senior defence and security reporter Murray Brewster writes.

Russia made those gestures after several days of delivering sharp anti-Western rhetoric — and after allied intelligence sources warned again that an invasion could happen as early as today.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says a potential Russian invasion could begin as early as Feb. 16, in an address calling for nationwide solidarity.

Russia has been building up its forces near Ukraine, with well over 100,000 troops lined along the border and there are reports they have begun moving into "attack positions."

As Jackson Proskow reports, the alarming comments come as allied nations scramble to get personnel out of the country, as little hope remains for a peaceful solution.

re: UKRAINE- WAR Begins-Russia Launches Full-Scale Invasion & Putins' Childhood
 

Footage Appears to Show Ukrainian Nursery Bombed by Bro-Russian Forces Aftermath

18 Feb 2022 The Sun


Footage has emerged appearing to show, a Ukrainian nursery left in ruins after being 'bombed by pro-Russian forces' according to the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation.

Video and images posted across social media show damage to the kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation said two civilians were injured when the building was hit. Interfax said three people were injured. No children were reported harmed.

Parts of Luhansk have been left without electricity and residents were evacuated into shelters, the military said.



Ukraine Crisis: 'Global security is at risk' - Tobias Ellwood



Russia stages explosive missile drills in annexed Crimea

re: UKRAINE- WAR Begins-Russia Launches Full-Scale Invasion & Putins' Childhood
 

Russia Accuse Ukrainians of Genocide in Donbas Region

Russia, in report to U.N., again accuses Ukraine of 'genocide' amid shelling in Donbas region

The Telegraph 20 FEB 2022



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Soldier in Luhanska, Ukraine.



Russia has again alleged Ukraine's military has "committed crimes against residents of the eastern Donbas region," according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal.

Moscow's report, which it filed with the United Nations, doubles down on its accusation that Ukraine is seeking the "genocide of the Russian-speaking population of Donbas," the documents read.


The country's U.N. ambassador is also expected on Thursday to criticize both Ukraine and the West regarding "the plight of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine," the Journal writes, per the report.

Earlier Thursday, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists accused one another of opening fire in Ukraine's war-torn eastern Donbas region, notes Axios. Kyiv "claims a kindergarten was struck, but no one was killed."

Both Ukrainian and Western officals had previously cautioned Russia could use separatist fighting to fabricate supposed grounds for an invasion. President Biden warned Russia could use a "false flag operation" to justify an attack, making the repeated claim of "genocide" particularly ominous at this time.

"Reports of alleged abnormal military activity by Ukraine in Donbas are a blatant attempt by the Russian government to fabricate pretexts for invasion," U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted, per the Journal. "This is straight out of the Kremlin playbook."


Meanwhile, the Kremlin maintains the situation in Donbas is "ramping up" thanks to what it's calling provocative action on Ukraine's part.

"The situation at the borders of Russia may ignite at any moment," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.Added Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: "Attempts to shift all the blame for what is happening around Ukraine onto Russia will not succeed."

re: UKRAINE- WAR Begins-Russia Launches Full-Scale Invasion & Putins' Childhood
 

Russia Orders Troops Into Rebel-Held Regions

Ukraine-Russia tensions: Oil surges on supply fears

Russia's grip on Western tech

Investors are concerned about the impact of sanctions on Russia, a major producer of oil and natural gas.

BBC News 23 FEB.2022.



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A Ukrainian serviceman holds a machine gun at a town in DonetskImage source, Reuters



Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognising them as independent states.

Russia said the troops have not yet been deployed but will be "peacekeeping" in the regions, which it has backed since 2014.

The US said calling them peacekeepers was "nonsense", and accused Russia of creating a pretext for war.

Several countries have announced sanctions in response.

Ukraine's president said his country was "not afraid of anything or anyone".

In a late-night televised address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "clear and effective actions of support" from Ukraine's international allies.

"It is very important to see now who our real friend and partner is, and who will continue to scare the Russian Federation with words only," he added.


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Map showing the regions of Donesk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatist-held areas within those regions.


Fears over an invasion have been rising in recent months, as Russia has massed some 150,000 troops along Ukraine's borders, according to US estimates.


At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield dismissed Russia's claims that troops would be taking on a "peacekeeping" role, saying: "We know what they really are."

Recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as independent was part of Russia's bid to create a reason to invade Ukraine, she said.

Russia has been backing a bloody armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine for the past eight years. Some 14,000 people - including many civilians - have died in fighting since then.

In recent years, Russian passports have been given out to large numbers of people in Donetsk and Luhansk.

The rebel-held areas have been evacuating women, children and the elderly to Russia since late last week.

In an hour-long address on Monday, Mr Putin said Ukraine was an integral part of his country's history, and described eastern Ukraine as "ancient Russian lands".

Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya argued for the need to defend the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region from what he called Ukrainian aggression. "Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do," he said.

But Mr Zelensky said Moscow's recognition of the rebel-held regions represented a threat to the security of Ukraine and other European nations.

"If we have a full-scale escalation... our neighbours would be put at risk," he said.


'A Barrage of Sanctions'

Western powers have rallied behind Ukraine, promising tough sanctions against Russia if it invades - though it is not yet clear how effective this move could be.

The US swiftly condemned Mr Putin's move, and President Joe Biden signed an executive order that prohibits new investment, trade and financing by Americans in the breakaway regions. The White House said the measures were separate to wider Western sanctions which are ready to go "should Russia further invade Ukraine".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia had violated Ukrainian sovereignty and "completely torn up" international law. He said Mr Putin appeared "bent on a full-scale invasion", and promised a "barrage of sanctions".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was halting the process of certifying the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline because of Russia's actions. The gas pipeline between Russia and Germany was completed last September but is not yet operating. Running under the Baltic Sea, it would double Moscow's gas exports to Germany and circumvent Ukraine, which relies on existing pipelines for income.

The European Union pledged to "react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine".

Both Mr Scholz and France's President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the Russian leader ahead of his announcement.




Putin Builds to a Showdown

Analysis by Sarah Rainsford, Moscow Correspondent


This speech was Putin the angry, impatient and directly threatening. It felt like Russia's president was getting 20-odd years of hurt off his chest and hitting back.

"You didn't want us to be friends," was how he put it to the West, "but you didn't have to make an enemy of us."

There was a lot we've heard before, repackaged for this moment when he knows he has maximum attention.

He's clearly ceding no ground on his key security demands: Nato expansion must be rolled back, and Ukrainian membership is a red line. He complained that Russia's concerns had been ignored as irrelevant for years and accused the West of trying to "contain" Russia as a resurgent global force.

Mr Putin's focus on Ukraine felt obsessive, like a man who thinks about little else. At times it sounded like a bid to run for president there, it was so detailed.

And, of course, there was his re-writing of Ukrainian history, to claim it has never really been a state. In today's context, that had deeply ominous overtones.

A Ukrainian serviceman at a position on the front line near the village of Travneve in Donetsk region

Groundwork for the controversial decision was laid earlier on Monday, when Mr Putin convened Russia's security council to discuss recognising the self-declared republics as independent.

Mr Putin's top officials were called to a podium to deliver their views, each speaking in favour of the move. Monday's televised meeting was not entirely smooth, however.

Two officials appeared to reference a possibility to "incorporate" the regions into Russia. On both occasions, Mr Putin corrected them.

"We are not talking about that," Mr Putin said, shaking his head in response to one official's use of the phrase. "We are talking about whether to recognise their independence or not."

• EXPLAINER: What does Putin want?

re: UKRAINE- WAR Begins-Russia Launches Full-Scale Invasion & Putins' Childhood
 

Russia Invades Ukraine as Putin Declares WAR to Demilitarise Neighbour

Russia-Ukraine: Putin has launched ‘full-scale invasion’ says Ukrainian foreign minister

Russia appeared to be targeting military infrastructure in early strikes with explosions reported at airfields, military headquarters and military warehouses

BBC 24 FEB 2022




WWIII?



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This shell landed in a street in Kyiv hours after Russia launched its attack



Russian forces have launched a military assault on neighbouring Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities.

In a pre-dawn TV statement Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and demanded that its military lay down their arms.

Moments later, attacks were reported on Ukrainian military targets.

Ukraine said that "Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine".

Russian military vehicles were said to have breached the border in a number of places, in the north, south and east, including from Belarus. At least seven people are known to have been killed in Russian attacks, police say. Another 19 are missing.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that martial law was now being imposed across all of Ukraine.

"No panic. We're strong. We're ready for anything. We'll defeat everyone, because we are Ukraine," the Ukrainian leader said in a video statement. Ahead of Russia's attack he had made a last-ditch attempt to avert war, warning that Russia could start "a major war in Europe" and urging Russian citizens to oppose it.

Warning sirens blared across the capital, which has a population of almost three million.



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A family takes shelter in a metro station in Kyiv in the morning of February 24, 2022

Families sought shelter in Kyiv's deep underground network



Traffic queued to leave the city during the night and crowds sought shelter in the Kyiv underground. Several neighbouring countries have begun preparations to take in a large number of refugees.

"We don't understand what we should do now," one woman called Svetlana told the BBC. "We're now going to a place where we can be safe and we hope we can leave safely. We have family in Mariupol and now they're very nervous."


What Russia Has Targeted

Russia first launched strikes on Ukraine's military infrastructure and border guard units, according to Mr Zelensky. Then Ukrainian forces said Russian military vehicles had crossed the border at Kharkiv in the north, Luhansk in the east, Russian-annexed Crimea in the south and from Belarus too.





Map showing explosions in Ukraine


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Ukraine's army said Kyiv's Boryspil international airport was among a number of airfields that had been bombed, along with military headquarters and warehouses in the big cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

Mr Zelensky said Russia had positioned almost 200,000 troops and thousands of combat vehicles on Ukraine's borders.


'Unprovoked and Unjustified'

The Russian leader launched the "special military operation" repeating a number of unfounded claims he has made this week, alleging that Ukraine's democratically elected government had been responsible for eight years of genocide.


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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks about authorising a special military operation in Ukraine"s Donbass region during a special televised address on Russian state

President Putin announced the military attack on Ukraine in a pre-recorded TV address


He said the goal was demilitarisation and "denazification" of Ukraine. Hours earlier Ukraine's president had asked how a people who lost eight million of its citizens fighting Nazis support Nazism. "How could I be a Nazi?," said Mr Zelensky, who is himself Jewish.

Ukraine's Western allies had repeatedly warned that Russia was poised to invade, despite repeated denials from Moscow. The US, EU, UK and Japan imposed sanctions against leading Russians, Russian banks and MPs who backed the move.

Responding to Russia's assault, US President Joe Biden said Washington and its allies would respond in a united and decisive way to "an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces" on Ukraine.


"President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering," Mr Biden said. "The world will hold Russia accountable."


European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU stood with Ukraine and that Russia "must withdraw its military".

The EU's 27 leaders were due to hold an emergency summit meet later on Thursday.


UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine" and that President Putin "has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack".


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Cars drive towards the exit of the city after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine 24 February, 2022



A stream of cars left the capital after Russia announced it was launching its military operation

"Together with allies, we will respond to this barbaric act of aggression," said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.


Why Russia invaded

Earlier this week Russia's president announced he was recognising the independence of two self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

The breakaway regions were seized by Russian-backed rebels after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. Mr Putin launched that attack after mass street protests in Ukraine that ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Since then more than 14,000 people have died in the east a conflict with Ukraine. A shaky ceasefire had held but there has been a surge in violations in recent days.

Mr Putin said the military operation's objective was to defend the people in the breakaway areas.

Kyiv and its Western allies have repeatedly rejected as absurd Mr Putin's claims that Ukraine was being run by neo-Nazis, instead pointing that - unlike an authoritarian Russia - Ukraine was now a nation with growing democratic institutions.

Fears of a Russian attack have been rising for months.

Mr Putin has repeatedly accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia's demands to prevent Ukraine from joining Nato military alliance and offer Moscow security guarantees.

Ukraine declared a state of emergency hours before the invasion.

It introduces personal document checks, blocks military reservists from leaving the country, bans mass gatherings and places restrictions on radio communication systems. Kyiv's mayor said checkpoints would be set up in roads into the city, and access to government buildings would be restricted.


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Ukraine is in Eastern Europe and shares a border with Russia. It used to be part of the Soviet Union but became an independent country in 1991.

re: Putin Plans to Dominate Europe With Chilling Warning to Finland & Sweden
 

re: Putin Plans to Dominate Europe With Chilling Warning to Finland & Sweden
 

WAR IN EUROPE: Russian Ukraine Invasion Escalates

Russia planning biggest European war since 1945 in Ukraine, says UK PM


Cruise missiles slam into Ukrainian airport as Russian helicopters circle Kyiv

Russian forces seize Chernobyl nuclear plant after battle with Ukraine forces and take staff at nuclear site hostage

UK announces 'biggest-ever' Russian sanctions against all banks and major firms


BBC News 24 Feb 2022



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'Huge explosions and red glow' - Inside Kyiv after Putin launched war on Ukraine...



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People take shelter in a subway station, after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared an invasion of Ukraine


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Ukraine president says 'we need help' and 'we need blood' as Russia invades


The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will give guns to every Ukrainian who wants them to help fight back against the Russian invasion which began today


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Ukraine: President urges people to join the army and donate blood


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A wounded woman is seen after an airstrike damaged an apartment complex in city of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine



At around 4:35am this morning, Putin declared the invasion and warned that any intervention in Russia's invasion would lead to "consequences never encountered in your history".

Speaking in a televised speech at 6am local time, he said:


"Whoever tries to hinder us, and even more so, to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia's response will be immediate.

"And it will lead you to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history.

"We are ready for any development of events. All the necessary decisions have been made in this regard. I hope that I will be heard."

Putin also told the Ukrainian military to lay down its weapons and go home.

The Russian leader said: "I urge you to immediately lay down your weapons and go home.

"All servicemen of the Ukrainian army who fulfil this demand will be able to freely leave the combat zone and return to their families."

Since the announcement of the invasion, Ukraine has been attacked on multiple fronts and its cities have been hit with regular missile fire.



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A map of morning strikes on Ukrainian cities by Russia

re: Putin Plans to Dominate Europe With Chilling Warning to Finland & Sweden
 

The Nuclear Shadow Hanging Over Putins' Attack on Ukraine Should Not be Dismissed, Experts Say

Is This a New Cold War? Map Shows 20 UK Towns and Cities Russia Could Hit With a Nuclear Bomb

UK defence officials once released a list of targets if Russia were to launch a nuclear attack on Britain, with 106 locations markers as "probable targets"

Ukraine Conflict World Reaction: Sanctions, Refugees and Fears of WAR

BBC / Daily Mirror 25 FEB 2022



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Ukrainian hero tells Russian warship to 'f*** off' before 13 soldiers killed...



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Missiles have already reportedly hit residential districts in Kyiv, Ukraine .



Map Shows 20 UK Towns and Cities Russia Could Hit With a Nuclear Bomb


The "probable nuclear targets" were signed by the Prime Minister's office under former PM Edward Heath, as the UK prepared for any involvement in the Cold War.


Targets at the time were set to include major cities including central London, Edinburgh Teeside, Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull, York, Dover, Cambridge, Maidstone, Huddersfield, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Sheffield.

As well as hitting huge areas of population, the documents revealed that 23 RAF bases, 14 USAF bases, 10 radar stations, eight military command centres and 13 Royal Navy bases could also be hit.

The declassified documents held by the National Archives predict up to 150 nuclear missiles and an unknown number of nuclear launches from submarines could hit the UK.


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The top 20 towns and cities that Russia is thought to target, should it launch an attack on the UK



Although these simulations from the 1960s are likely to have changed since the office of Edward Heath, the initial targets show how tensions between Russia and the UK has spanned decades.

But just yesterday (Feb 24) Vladamir Putin appeared to make a veiled threat of nuclear attack on any nation which tries to retaliate against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.


In a public broadcast at 5.45am in Moscow the Russian leader claimed there would be consequences “never seen in history”.

He said: "Whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to the consequences you have never seen in history.

“All relevant decisions have been taken. I hope you hear me.”


Russia has already boasted a stockpile of 6,200 nuclear weapons with the biggest nuke it has ever tested being the Tsar Bomba.

One nuclear bomb dropped on London could wipe out six million people with the potential fallout engulfing Reading, Bedford, Southend and could even stretch as far as Brighton.

The test of the Tsar Bomba used only half the 100 megatons of TNT that Russia would prepare for its launch.


The top 20 UK towns and cities listed are:

Liverpool
Cardiff
Manchester
Southampton
Leeds
Newcastle
Bristol
Sheffield
Swansea
Hull
Teeside
London
Edinburgh
York
Nottingham
Plymouth
Dover
Cambridge
Birmingham
Belfast

World Reaction: Sanctions, Refugees and Fears of WAR...

Major Western nations have reacted with outrage at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, accusing it of bringing war back to Europe.



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The Poland-Ukraine border. Poland is setting up reception points for expected refugees...


France's Emmanuel Macron said this was a "turning point in the history of Europe", with the G7 group of nations vowing to impose severe sanctions.

In eastern Europe, the fears extended to coping with a wave of refugees.

But China bridled at the word invasion and joined those nations focusing more on their citizens' safety.

Ukraine says Russia is carrying out a full-scale attack from many directions, but the details of the assault and the number of casualties are not yet clear.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of a "special military operation" aimed at the demilitarisation and "denazification" of Ukraine, but his overall goals also remain unclear.

The uncertainty has not stopped an angry and defiant response from Western allies.


'Bitter Price' - US, UK, EU and G7

A largely united voice spoke out with condemnation and promises of sanctions.

US President Joe Biden said: "President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering."

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Mr Putin was "responsible for bringing war back to Europe".

UK PM Boris Johnson said Mr Putin had "chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction" with an "unprovoked attack".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also reacted angrily, calling this "Putin's war" and saying the Russian leader would pay a "bitter price" for his "serious error".


Russia Attacks Ukraine:

FROM KYIV: BBC Ukraine editor: There is no safe place any more


FROM MOSCOW: Shock and support in Russian capital


The G7 - the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada - vowed in a joint statement to bring forward "severe and co-ordinated" sanctions.

The EU bloc will have more of them, which Ms Von der Leyen said would "weaken Russia's economic base and its capacity to modernise".

But there remains huge concern at what could happen next.


One German minister spoke of a "land war in Europe that we thought was only to find in history books", while another, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, said Germany would help neighbours if there was a "large-scale influx" of refugees.


'Dire Consequences' - Eastern Europe

That concern is also shared by Ukraine's neighbours, but many were also scrambling to shore up their own security.

The president of Lithuania, a Nato member, said he was going to impose a state of emergency.

A similar decree has been issued by Moldova further south. Dozens of cars were reportedly queuing on the border with Ukraine, with Moldova saying it would accept tens of thousands of refugees.

Romania said it could take half a million.

Poland is setting up reception points for refugees. It told Russia to end its attacks and leave Ukraine alone.

Georgia - which fought Russia in 2008 over disputed regions - backed Ukraine, saying the Russian attack would have "dire consequences" for the international community.

Russia's ally, Belarus, said it was not taking part in the military action, but would consider it if asked. Belarus has hosted Russian troops during the crisis, and they crossed from the country into Ukraine as part of the attack.


Ukraine has asked Nato member Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian ships.

Turkey will consider the request but shares friendly ties with both nations, and said it was "sincerely saddened" that they had come "face-to-face".


'Typical Western Question' - China

There has been a lot of interest in how China would respond. Its initial response was to call the word invasion a "typical Western media question method", with the foreign ministry saying "we won't go rushing to a conclusion".

Senior diplomat Wang Yi said China understood Russia's security concerns.

China and Russia now have a strategic partnership aimed at countering US influence, sealed when Mr Putin and President Xi Jinping met just before the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

China told its citizens in Ukraine to fly a Chinese flag to try to protect themselves.


'Egregious Behaviour' - Other Nations

United Nations chief, António Guterres, urged Vladimir Putin to halt the attack "in the name of humanity".

A US-led draft resolution will demand Russia leaves Ukraine "immediately, completely, unconditionally", although Moscow has the power to veto it.

South Korea condemned the attack, saying it would join international economic sanctions.

And Australia will expand those it has already enforced. There must be "a cost for this violent, unacceptable and egregious behaviour", Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

India has focused on trying to keep its citizens inside Ukraine safe, although media reported that PM Narendra Modi could talk later to Mr Putin in a possible role as mediator.

Iran called for a political solution, with its foreign minister blaming Nato provocations for the Ukraine crisis.


More...

• IN MAPS: How Russia carried out the invasion

WATCH: Footage from Ukraine shows explosions, a missile strike and a helicopter under fire

re: Putin Plans to Dominate Europe With Chilling Warning to Finland & Sweden
 

Kyiv Under Siege:


Putin Urges Ukrainian Army to Overthrow Government


Putin says Ukraine run by "band of drug addicts and neo-Nazis"; urges Ukrainian army to stage coup

The Telegraph UK 25 FEB 2022




The Russians have tanks; the citizens of Kyiv are armed with Molotov ****tails. The battle for control of the Ukrainian capital began in the early hours of this morning with a hail of missiles, while Russian armoured vehicles appeared on its suburban streets for the first time at dawn.


President Vladimir Putin has since called on the Ukrainian army to overthrow the country's leadership, describing them as "terrorists" and "a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis".


His comments - which you can read for free in our liveblog - came as Ukrainian soldiers started taking up positions around Kyiv, with Vitali Klitschko, the city's mayor, saying the city had "entered into a defensive phase".

On an industrial estate in the capital, hundreds of AK-47 rifles and other automatic weapons were being handed to civilians from the back of two huge orange dump trucks. Robert Mendick details how civilians have been given weapons in the battle for Kyiv - and see pictures of how they are in the line of fire.

Ukraine's forces have put up stiff resistance in the face of the Russian advance, despite being significantly outgunned and outnumbered. There had been little international expectation that the country's military could severely deflect Putin's invasion with such overwhelming odds, but that has not stopped determined opposition.

The onslaught of Russian tanks and missiles will force Europe's leaders to reassess the continent's security and address the nakedly aggressive despot on their doorstep. Ben Farmer analyses how, if Putin wins, a Cold War-style world order will wreak havoc with the West.


In other developments:


Radiation levels around Chernobyl have risen after it was seized

At least 50,000 Ukrainians have crossed into neighbouring countries

Anti-tank weaponry provided by the UK has been used by Ukraine

A Russian tank appears to have run over a civilian in a car

Russia banned British airlines from its airspace in a tit-for-tat measure

re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

Who is The Ghost of Kyiv? HERO Ukrainian Fighter Pilot Who Shoots Russian Planes From Sky

On an otherwise grim day, reports of one Ukrainian fighter pilot's heroic efforts have inspired hope around the world on behalf of besieged nation

Russia Ukraine WAR: UK to Personally Sanction Vladimir Putin & His Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Over Invasion

Boris Johnson told Nato leaders that London would target the Russian President and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov over Moscow's brutal attack on Ukraine

Daily Mirror 26 FEB 2022



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The Ghost of Kyiv is rumoured to be flying a MiG-29 like the one pictured here...:clapper::clapper::clapper:




In times of war and hardship, stories of bravery and heroism can be vital for getting people through tough times and giving hope.

In Ukraine, just two days into the full-scale Russian invasion that commenced on 24 February, 2022, one such legend of heroism has already emerged for the defenders.

Russian forces are closing in on the nation’s capital as Kyiv braces to try and hold off the coming attack.

Images of troops in the street have begun to surface, while Russian forces claim they have secured the strategically important Hostomel airport.

But through all the grim horror, one hero is keeping Ukrainian spirits alive - the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’.


What is the Ghost of Kyiv?

The Ghost of Kyiv is a fighter pilot who, unconfirmed reports claim, has so far shot down six Russian jets at the time of writing.


On Twitter, people have been clambering to show their support for the pilot, who has been rousing spirits and getting the world talking.


Video snippets purporting to show the Ghost have been circulating online.



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One particular post has specified that the pilot has shot down a variety of Russian planes. The unconfirmed reports claim they have taken down two SU-35s, one SU-27, one MiG 29 and two SU-25s.


Pilots who shoot down five planes tend to be referred to as an ‘ace’, and so if the reports claiming the Ghost has shot down six are true, then they could be recognised as such after just a single day of combat.


Is the Ghost of Kyiv Real?


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Tanks and armoured vehicles hidden in woods beside road out of Kyiv as violence reaches the capital



At the time of writing, no evidence has confirmed that the Ghost of Kyiv is definitely real.

Ukrainian defence forces are however claiming that seven Russian fighters were downed on Thursday, 25 February.

It seems unlikely that six of these seven have been destroyed by a single pilot given the size of Ukraine and the scale of the conflict, but, there is also no evidence to suggest the rumours are false.

Twitter has lit up with support for the pilot, real or not, celebrating the victory as a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark time.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the European Union, Mykola Tochytskyi, wrote in a tweet: “One Ukrainian MiG-29 jet fighter pilot scored six victories in a single day in air battles with the Russians. He has been nicknamed the “Ghost of Kyiv”. Another example of the willingness of the Ukrainian people to resist. The civilized world must help protect our freedom!”

Whether the Ghost of Kyiv, who reportedly flies a MiG-29 fighter jet, turns out to be real or not the story has undoubtedly given the world a reminder of the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance.

re: Putin Plans to Dominate Europe With Chilling Warning to Finland & Sweden
 

Russia Ukraine WAR: Putin's Troops Retreat From Lviv as President Zelensky Refuses to Flee

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky released a defiant message this morning as missiles struck cities Sumy, Poltava and Mariupol and fighting continued on the streets of Kyiv

Russian missile hits residential building in Ukrainian capital Kyiv as fighting rages

Daily Mirror 26 FEB 2022



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Soldiers have been fighting in the streets overnight as the battle for Ukraine's cities rages beneath heavy missile and shell fire and Russian troops retreat from Lviv.




While Russian troops attempt to take the city of Melitopol in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, a combination of trained troops and civilians baring arms have managed to stave off attacks in most other areas.

It comes amid fears Vladimir Putin is preparing thermobaric weapons that launch a barrage of fuel-air explosive warheads that can 'melt' an opposing army.

The night of fighting with heavy shell attacks has taken a great toll on both sides, with estimates suggesting between 1,000 and 3,500 Russian soldiers have been killed.

This morning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a defiant video from Kyiv in which he said: "I'm here, we are not laying down, we will protect our state. This is our land, our country, our kids, and we will defend them."

The Mirror's reporter Andy Lines and photographer Andrew Stenning are on the ground in Ukraine.


UK Intelligence: Russian Casualties High as Battle for Kyiv Continues

Airspace over Ukraine is not yet in Russian hands, UK Defence Intelligence has said.


In an update of the situation issued just now, the government body said that Russian forces are continuing to advance on Kyiv.

The bulk of the forces are 30km from the city.

"Russia has yet to gain control of the airspace over Ukraine, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force," the intelligence service claimed.

"Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to put up staunch resistance across the country.

"Russian casualties are likely to be heavy and greater than anticipated or acknowledged by the Kremlin."









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re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

Vladimir Putin Plans to Dominate Europe With Chilling Warning to Finland and Sweden

Putin threatens Sweden and Finland: Warns of 'military and political consequences' if they join NATO

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensifies, another threat has been sent out as Vladimir Putin warns Sweden and Finland about crossing him to join NATO

Daily Mirror 26 FEB 2022



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Vladimir Putin has threatened Sweden and Finland with ' military and political consequences' if they join NATO.



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Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, says there will be serious repercussions for their close Arctic neighbours.




As Russia's invasion of Ukraine intensifies, they have sent out another warning about crossing President Putin.

Both Scandinavian nations share a border with Russia.

Zakharova said during a news briefing: "Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries and their accession to NATO can have detrimental consequences and face some military and political consequences."

Follow the latest updates on the Ukraine and Russia situation in our live blog

Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova gave Finland and Sweden a stark warning


Later, the foreign ministry reiterated the threat online.

"We regard the Finnish government's commitment to a military non-alignment policy as an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe," the department wrote on twitter.


Ukraine president tells US "I need ammunition, not a ride" as he refuses to leave Kyiv


Russia accused of bombing nursery as bodies seen on ground by slides and sandbox


"Finland's accession to NATO would have serious military and political repercussions."

Putin is understood to have attacked Ukraine after western nations examined the idea of the country joining NATO.
ukraine

CNN this morning report that US intelligence officials fear capital Kyiv could fall as early as Saturday afternoon.

Russian troops were seen entering the city in the early hours.

They have already captured the city of Melitopol in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, a combination of trained troops and civilians baring arms have managed to stave off attacks in most other areas.

The harrowing night of fighting has taken a great toll on both sides, with estimates suggesting between 1,000 and 3,500 Russian soldiers have been killed.
putin


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Putin's plan to dominate Europe beyond Ukraine has been revealed

re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

Russia-Ukraine: Russian Troops Enter Kharkiv•Ukraines' Second City

Russian troops enter Ukraines' Second City, Fighting Under Way

Fighting on streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, as west bars Russian banks from Swift

Russian troops enter key city after attacks on oil facilities as western allies agree to block major Russian banks from international payment system

- Man tries to push back Russian tank then kneels before it


The Guardian UK 27 FEB 2022.




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War 'not going Putin's way'





The war in Ukraine intensified on Sunday, as Russian troops entered the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and Vladimir Putin unleashed a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities.



Kharkiv residents were urged to stay indoors by governor Oleg Sinegubov, who said “there has been a breakthrough in light equipment including in the central part of the city”. A nine-storey building was reportedly hit, with one woman killed.

Russian forces also blew up a gas pipeline in the city, the Ukrainian state service of special communications said, prompting the government to warn of a potential “environmental catastrophe” and to urge people to protect themselves from the smoke by covering their windows.

Swift to cut off Russian banks


Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv early on Sunday, hours after the US, Britain and European countries announced tougher sanctions targeting Russian banks, including barring some from the Swift international payments system.

Just south of the capital, flames leaped from an oil depot near the Zhuliany airport, according to the office of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the mayor of the nearby town of Vasylkiv.

As huge pre-dawn explosions rocked areas south of the capital, people took shelter in cellars and subway stations as fears rose of an imminent full-scale assault by Russian forces.

The attacks suggested Russian troops had begun the next phase of their invasion, which has been slower than the Kremlin had anticipated due to fierce resistance.


Zelenskiy continued to sound a defiant note, as the US and EU promised more weapons and ammunition for the outnumbered Ukrainians.

“We will fight for as long as needed to liberate our country,” he said.


Amid pressure on Ukraine’s allies to approve more robust sanctions against Russia, the US, European Union and Britain agreed to block “selected” Russian banks from the Swift global financial messaging system, which is used to move money around more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions worldwide.

The countries also agreed to impose “restrictive measures” to prevent the Russia’s central bank from deploying its international reserves “in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions”.


Germany and Italy had been reluctant to approve Swift measures over concerns Russia could cut off key gas supplies.

Zelenskiy and Johnson welcome move to cut off Russian banks from Swift


Swift said it was preparing to implement the measures in the coming days. “We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction,” it said in a statement.

In Kyiv, terrified men, women and children sought safety inside their homes and underground, while the government maintained a 39-hour curfew.

Ukrainian officials said 198 civilians, including three children, had been killed since Russia invaded on Thursday, and warned Russian saboteurs were active in Kyiv.

Fighting on Kyiv’s outskirts suggested that small Russian units were trying to clear a path for the main forces. A tweet by the English-language Kyiv Independent newspaper said the capital was still “under [the] control of Ukrainian military and territorial defence forces. Mykola Povoroznyk, first deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration, says there were a few clashes with saboteurs overnight”.

More than 150,000 Ukrainians have so far fled for Poland, Moldova and other neighbouring countries, with the UN warning that the number of displaced people could reach 4 million if the fighting escalates.

Olga, 36, was among hundreds to have crossed the Danube river with her three young children into neighbouring Romania. “My husband came with us as far as the border, before returning to Kyiv to fight,” she said.

Germany said it would send missiles and anti-tank weapons, in a major U-turn from its longstanding policy of not exporting weapons to war zones.


The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, praised the heroism of the Ukrainian armed forces, but warned that the country faced “grim days”


“The Ukrainians are fighting heroically, and in some places with great success, as many of us thought they would because they’re a great country and a very brave country,” Johnson told reporters after a phone call with Zelenskiy. “It is incredibly important for tightening the economic ligature around the Putin regime.”

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said there would be “nowhere left to hide” for wealthy allies of the Kremlin. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Truss said new names added to a list of oligarchs every few weeks as ministers seek to ratchet up the pressure on the president Vladimir Putin.

“We’ve already had letters to the foreign office, from lawyers, threatening us, so we have to make sure the cases are properly prepared and that we have the right evidence before we sanction these individuals,” she said.

“That is why we’re taking it step by step, but we are working through that hit list and we will continue to sanction new oligarchs every few weeks.”

The UN security council is due to vote on Sunday to call for a rare emergency special session of the UN general assembly to discuss the Russian invasion.

With no veto option, the move needs only nine votes in favour and is likely to pass, diplomats said, with the meeting expected to be held on Monday.

The weekend has seen smaller acts of defiance and yet more support for Ukraine from overseas.

And a Ukrainian company in charge of building and maintaining roads said it was removing all road signs that could be used by invading Russian forces to find their way around the country. The company, Ukravtodor, said in a Facebook post: The enemy has poor communications, they cannot navigate the terrain. Let us help them get straight to hell.”

Videos circulating on Ukrainian media showed groups of Ukrainian women making Molotov ****tails. The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford said crowds of women in Dnipro in central Ukraine spent Saturday making the devices. “Teachers, lawyers, housewives, all crouched on the grass, filling bottles. They told me they try not to think about what they’re doing. They didn’t choose this. But they have to be ready to defend their city,” she said.


Japanese billionaire Hiroshi ‘Mickey’ Mikitani, meanwhile, said he would donate $8.7m to the government of Ukraine, calling Russia’s invasion “a challenge to democracy”.

The founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten said in a letter addressed to Zelenskiy that the donation of 1 billion yen ($8.7m) will go toward “humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence”, Agence France-Presse reported.

re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

Vladimir Putin Puts Russias' NUCLEAR Deterrent Forces on HIGH Alert Over Tensions With West

It comes as Ukrainian intelligence has learned from within Belarus that “special ops” troops have been spotted loading up planes for a MAJOR ATTACK

Peace talks over Ukraine: President Zelensky says delegation from Kyiv and Russia will meet on the Belarus border after Putin put his nuclear deterrent forces on 'alert', furious at 'aggressive NATO' and being ejected from Swift banking community

Daily Mirror 27 FEB 2022



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Russian President Vladimir Putin has put Russian nuclear deterrent forces on high alert amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.



Putin told state TV that NATO powers have made "aggressive statements" along with the West imposing hard-hitting financial sanctions against Russia, including the president himself.

He ordered the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty".

The US Ambassador to the United Nations says Putin's order shows the Russian leader is "escalating conflict in a manner that is unacceptable".

Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: "It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable. "We have to continue to stem his actions in the strongest possible way."

Putin is said to becoming increasingly frustrated at the slower-than-expected pace of the invasion as Russian troops have so far failed to capture the capital of Kyiv.

Follow the latest updates on Russia's invasion of Ukraine in our live blog


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Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by the Ukrainian forces on the side of a road in Lugansk region



Overnight, Russian troops and tanks entered Kharki, triggering a fight on the streets for Ukraine's second city.

The military also blew up a natural gas pipeline close to the northeastern city overnight, prompting warnings of an "environmental catastrophe" by Ukrainian authorities, before their forces breached its perimeters.


Speaking on state TV, Putin said:

"As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in the economic dimension - I mean the illegal sanctions that everyone knows about very well - but also the top officials of leading NATO countries allow themselves to make aggressive statements with regards to our country."

Putin's nightmare as OWN team abandons him and Russians flee to avoid conscription


Ukrainian interrupts live TV broadcast and vows to 'f*** Russians up'


Putin's order to put Russian forces on high alert is part of a pattern of Moscow manufacturing threats to justify its escalating aggression, a White House official has said.


Press Secretary Jen Psaki told ABC today: "We've seen him do this time and time again. At no point has Russia been under threat from NATO, has Russia been under threat from Ukraine.

"This is all a pattern from President Putin and we're going to stand up to it. We have the ability to defend ourselves, but we also need to call out what we're seeing here from President Putin."

Today's escalation comes as Belarus special forces are believed to be preparing to assault the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the Daily Mirror can reveal.

Ukrainian intelligence has learned from within Belarus that “special ops” troops have been spotted loading up planes for a major attack.

A senior Ukrainian source told the Daily Mirror: “If this happens it will mean Belarus has openly joined Russia in its invasion of sovereign Ukraine.



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Ukrainian tanks move on a road before an attack in Lugansk region on 26 February


“We believe they are being targeted at Kyiv and Zhytomir.”


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also refused to enter negotiations.

Earlier today, a senior Tory MP warned that Russia "could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine".

Mr Ellwood, chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee urged the Government to start rolling out sanctions "every day" on Russia to block Putin's political ambitions in Ukraine.
Vitali Klitschko says Russian troops are 12 miles from Kyiv

Mr Ellwood told BBC: "If I have a concern I would not put it beyond Putin to stoop to radical tactics to secure victory. He can't fail and the stakes are very very high indeed.

"We need to continue to support Ukraine not just with hard power but with humanitarian aid as well.
Ukrainian death toll as Russian invasion sparks bloodshed

The unprovoked invasion of neighbouring Ukraine by Russian forces on the command of President Vladimir Putin has sparked bloodshed and chaos.

With Putin's troops shelling cities across Ukraine and the nation's army vowing to fight to the death to defend their land, observers fear the death toll will be enormous.

So far, it has been confirmed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky that 137 civilians and military personnel were killed in the country on the first day of the Russian invasion.


In an address to his people, Mr Zelensky revealed a further 316 had been wounded in the fighting.


The death toll is set to rise as, on the night of February 25, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar claimed nearly 3,000 Russian servicemen had died during the first two days of the deep invasion

She wrote in a Facebook post that "the troops of the invading country have suffered the following losses (approximately) as of 3pm Friday", before going on to list "up to 80" tanks; 516 "armoured combat vehicles of various types"; 10 aircraft; seven helicopters and 2,800 "special staff" she claims were among the losses suffered by Russia.

Meanwhile, the official Twitter page of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed in a tweet that "today the number of losses from the occupying forces of the Russian Federation is more than 1 thousand."

These claims have not yet been independently verified.

"We also put pressure on Russia. I don't think a day should go by when a new initiative isn’t announced.

"Today we've rolled out limits on Swift. Tomorrow all of Europe should send home Russian ambassadors back to Moscow.

"Let's invite Sweden and Finland to join Nato.

"For months we’ve been playing catch up. We must now start to control the agenda."














EU Shuts Down Airspace to Russia and Will Give Weapons to Ukraine For First Time

Russian airlines to be banned from most European airspace

Germany to set up €100bn fund to boost its military strength

Guardian News


'For the first time ever the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to a country under attack, said the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as she announced the bloc's commitment to support the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.

The EU will also shut down its airspace for any and all Russian aircraft and 'in another unprecedented step' ruled it will ban Russian-state backed television channels RT and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, so that the Kremlin media machine 'will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our union'

re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

Ukraine invasion: Would Putin Press The Nuclear Button?

‘I Had No Idea He Was There’: Families’ Shock at Video of Captured Russian Soldiers

Telegram channel Find Your Own identifies PoWs – much to the horror of families who did not know they were part of invasion

Russia Ukraine Conflict: Peace Talks Begin in Belarus in Crucial 24 Hours


BBC News 28 FEB.2022.



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Russia's President Vladimir Putin has just put his country's nuclear forces on "special" alert



Let me begin with an admission. So many times, I've thought: "Putin would never do this." Then he goes and does it.

"He'd never annex Crimea, surely?" He did.

"He'd never start a war in the Donbas." He did.

"He'd never launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine." He has.

I've concluded that the phrase "would never do" doesn't apply to Vladimir Putin.


And that raises an uncomfortable question: "He'd never press the nuclear button first. Would he?"

It's not a theoretical question. Russia's leader has just put his country's nuclear forces on "special" alert, complaining of "aggressive statements" over Ukraine by Nato leaders.


Listen closely to what President Putin has been saying. Last Thursday when he announced on TV his "special military operation" (in reality, a full-scale invasion of Ukraine), he delivered a chilling warning:

"To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history."

"Putin's words sound like a direct threat of nuclear war," believes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, chief editor of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

"In that TV address, Putin wasn't acting like the master of the Kremlin, but the master of the planet; in the same way the owner of a flash car shows off by twirling his keyring round his finger, Putin was twirling the nuclear button. He's said many times: if there is no Russia, why do we need the planet? No one paid any attention. But this is a threat that if Russia isn't treated as he wants, then everything will be destroyed."



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Pictured in 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the launch of a missile during military exercises aboard the "Pyotr Veliky" nuclear missile cruiser


Mr Putin, could resort to more desperate measures if his war in Ukraine is perceived to be failing



In a 2018 documentary, President Putin commented that "…if someone decides to annihilate Russia, we have the legal right to respond. Yes, it will be a catastrophe for humanity and for the world. But I'm a citizen of Russia and its head of state. Why do we need a world without Russia in it?"

Fast forward to 2022. Putin has launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, but the Ukrainian armed forces are putting up stiff resistance; Western nations have - to the Kremlin's surprise - united to impose potentially crippling economic and financial sanctions against Moscow. The very existence of the Putin system may have been put in doubt.

"Putin's in a tight spot," believes Moscow-based defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. "He doesn't have many options left, once the West freezes the assets of the Russian Central bank and Russia's financial system actually implodes. That will make the system unworkable.

"One option for him is to cut gas supplies to Europe, hoping that will make the Europeans climb down. Another option is to explode a nuclear weapon somewhere over the North Sea between Britain and Denmark and see what happens."

If Vladimir Putin did choose a nuclear option, would anyone in his close circle try to dissuade him? Or stop him?

"Russia's political elites are never with the people," says Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov. "They always take the side of the ruler."

And in Vladimir Putin's Russia the ruler is all-powerful. This is a country with few checks and balances; it's the Kremlin that calls the shots.

"No one is ready to stand up to Putin," says Pavel Felgenhauer. "We're in a dangerous spot."

The war in Ukraine is Vladimir Putin's war. If the Kremlin leader achieves his military aims, Ukraine's future as a sovereign nation will be in doubt. If he is perceived to be failing and suffers heavy casualties, the fear is that could prompt the Kremlin to adopt more desperate measures.

Especially if "would never do" no longer applies.






Families’ Shock at Video of Captured Russian Soldiers....

Ukrainian officials have published dozens of videos of what they say are captured Russian soldiers, as the brutal fighting in Ukraine enters its fourth day.



In one of the videos, published early on Sunday morning on the Telegram channel Find Your Own, set up by Ukraine’s interior ministry, a visibly injured soldier identifies himself as Leonid Paktishev, the commander of a sniper unit based in the Rostov region.

The Telegram channel, which first went live on Saturday, has posted numerous videos and photos showing captured Russian troops, which have led to an outcry from their families who say they were shocked to find out about the involvement of their loved ones in the invasion of Ukraine.

The Guardian spoke to three family members who confirmed the identity of Paktishev and said they were shocked and angry when they found out after seeing the video that their loved one had been captured.

Kharkiv governor claims Russian troops repelled from city


“I was sent the video of my brother captured at 2am last night. I was completely shocked. I had no idea that he was fighting in there,” said Yelena Polivtseva, the sister of Paktishev.

In the video, Paktishev, from the small town of Mezdhurechenskiy in western Siberia, said he led a team of three other snipers.

“I knew Leonid was in the military, but I had no idea that he was sent to Ukraine. I don’t think he would have been aware of it either,” said Polivtseva, who went by her maiden name.

Russia has so far not commented on the videos released and has revealed very little information about the state of its soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The Russian ministry of defence on Sunday evening for the first time admitted that there were “dead and wounded soldiers amongst our comrade[s]”, but added that “the number of destroyed [Ukrainian] nationalists by far outweigh” the number of Russian casualties.

Asked about her brother’s involvement in Russia’s unprovoked invasion into Ukraine, Polivtseva said she was not “competent” to judge the decision of our “commander-in-chief”. But she said she hoped the fighting would end. “No one needs this, not Ukraine and not Russia. I believe we can come to an agreement through peaceful means so that our sons, brothers and husbands don’t die.”

Polivtseva said she last talked to her brother over the new year holiday. She had also sent him a birthday message on social media on Thursday, the day the invasion started and he turned 28.

“I saw he was not online and got a bit worried then. Now am so so worried, I haven’t slept all night, my children are crying, our mother is in a critical state.”

Ukraine has been urging family members of captured Russian troops to contact them and to voice their opposition to the country’s involvement in the war.

The Ukrainian ministry of defence set up a hotline for the family members of Russian soldiers called “Come Back Alive from Ukraine”. According to the Kyiv Independent, the hotline had received “hundreds of calls” since the start of the invasion.

Another close family member of Paktishev, who asked for his name not to be used, expressed anger over the relative’s involvement in the war in Ukraine.

“How else can you feel?! Young boys are thrown like cannon fodder, and most importantly for what?! For palaces in Gelendzhik?” the family member said, referring to the palatial mansion on the Black Sea that Russian independent journalists have said is linked to Vladimir Putin.

The family member said he received an overnight message on their Vkontakte social media page informing them about the capture, with the video that was circulating online attached.

The message, seen by the Guardian said: “Good evening, I would like to say hi from the Ukrainian people. I would like to make you happy that a close person to you is still alive. Go out and protest, overthrow your government before we bury all in Ukrainian soil. Be damned and burn in hell. Glory to Ukraine.”

Dmitry Selyanin, a third relative of Paktishev the Guardian spoke to, said he had been in a state of disbelief ever since he found out about his cousin’s capture. “He is a sniper and snipers aren’t loved by the enemy. In the video we don’t get to see the other snipers in his group, we don’t know what happened to them. So we can only guess what they will do to Leonid,” he said.

Selyanin said the family was approached by the Russian authorities on Sunday afternoon. “They asked for some of the details about him – nothing special,” he said.

Other reports also detailed the surprise of family members of Russian soldiers at the involvement of their loved ones in a war that has been met with deep unease by many in the country.


Vladimir Putin on Russian state TV
‘Don’t call it a war’ – propaganda filters the truth about Ukraine on Russian media


On Saturday the independent TV channel Dozhd published an interview in which a visibly distressed father of a young Russian soldier said he did not want his son to become “cannon fodder”, denying that he had any prior knowledge of his son’s involvement in the conflict.

The Find Your Own Telegram channel also published a number of graphic photographs of what were said to be Russian troops killed in action. If confirmed, the images appear to shine a light on the true toll the war has had on the Russian army.

An adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Saturday that about 3,500 Russian soldiers had been killed or injured so far in Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

On Saturday evening, Zelenskiy announced that Ukrainian and Russian delegations were planning to meet, news that was welcomed by Paktishev’s family, who are desperate to see him again. “Do you think there is a chance I will see him alive?” his sister Yelena asked.







Russia Ukraine Conflict: Peace Talks Begin in Belarus in Crucial 24 Hours...


28 Feb 2022 Channel 4 News


It is day five of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - and if by this stage Vladimir Putin had hoped to have key regions of this country under his control he has been proved wrong in part by the resilience of Ukranian forces - civilian and military.

At the same time there are fears that he has moved more tanks and artillery into position for the next and far more violent phase of this war, especially if the tentative talks under way on the Belarus border fail.

re: HUGE Convoy Rolls Through Ukraine-Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs
 

Russia Accused of Using Cluster Bombs as Fighting Rages in Ukraine’s Cities - BBC News

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

HUGE Russian Convoys Rolls Through Ukraine - Cities Hit by Heavy Shelling

Russia Use Vacuum & Cluster Bombs

British Anti-Tank Weapons Transforming The Battlefield

Ukraine's second city braces for siege - Rockets landing in the second city, in what some defence analysts described as typical of a cluster-munition strike on a dense urban area.

China Insisted Beijing and Moscow are "Partners".


BBC News 1 MAR 2022.



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Huge Russian convoy moving towards Kyiv as Russian invasion of Ukraine enters day 5



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Tensions rise as Russian aid convoy rolls into rebel-held Ukraine territory


Vladimir Putin's forces have been stalled by ambushes and airstrikes as Ukraine's far inferior army utilises the array of foreign weaponry being channelled into the country from the West.





Ukraine Maps: Tracking Russias' invasion

A huge convoy of Russian military vehicles is advancing on Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Tuesday morning, the sixth day of the invasion.

The Russians launched their attack last Thursday from three main directions: north, south and east.

Targets across the country have been struck, as Russian troops have poured into Ukraine.


The Fight For Kyiv

On Monday satellite images revealed a 40 miles (65km) long convoy of Russian military vehicles heading south towards Kyiv, reaching the edge of Hostomel, the airport to the west of the capital.



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A 40-mile long convoy advances towards Kyiv in the north of Ukraine


The airport has been the scene of fierce fighting and has changed hands multiple times in the past few days, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).


Map Showing Kyiv. Updated 1 March


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Russian forces arrived near Obolon on the outskirts of Kyiv on Friday, but so far have not advanced into the centre of the capital.


The Ukrainian military says Russian troops have repeatedly tried to storm the outskirts of the capital without success.

Russian airborne and special forces troops were reported to be involved in urban clashes in north-western Kyiv, but mechanised forces such as tanks and armoured vehicles are not yet in the capital.

On Sunday, there were reports of clashes with so-called saboteur groups on the city streets - and an oil depot was hit at Vasylkiv south of the city.


Russian Troops Around Ukraine

Russia is now in full control of significant parts of Ukraine's territory.

After Ukraine's air defences and other military infrastructure came under attack on Thursday, columns of tanks moved into position, backed up by artillery and air power.


Map Showing Russian Control Areas Across Whole Country. Updated 1 March

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Russian forces arrived near Obolon on the outskirts of Kyiv on Friday, but so far have not advanced into the centre of the capital.


The Ukrainian military says Russian troops have repeatedly tried to storm the outskirts of the capital without success.

Russian airborne and special forces troops were reported to be involved in urban clashes in north-western Kyiv, but mechanised forces such as tanks and armoured vehicles are not yet in the capital.


On Sunday, there were reports of clashes with so-called saboteur groups on the city streets - and an oil depot was hit at Vasylkiv south of the city.


Russian Troops Around Ukraine


Russia is now in full control of significant parts of Ukraine's territory.


After Ukraine's air defences and other military infrastructure came under attack on Thursday, columns of tanks moved into position, backed up by artillery and air power.



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Troops have spread across parts of the north, east and south, with missile strikes and artillery clearing the way for advancing Russian forces.
Some analysts say overall progress by Russian troops has been slower than expected. But after the apparent pause in major operations over the weekend, the Russians could resume the offensive using greater air power and artillery support.


Strike From The North


From the north, Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine at the three-way junction between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, at Senkivka.


The British Ministry of Defence said on Monday the bulk of Russia's ground forces remain more than 30km (18.6 miles) from Kyiv, their advance slowed by Ukrainian forces defending Hostomel airport.



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Armoured columns, including tanks and multiple launch rocket systems, have moved towards Chernihiv, where they have faced strong Ukrainian opposition. The city faced heavy shelling from Russian troops overnight, but remains in Ukrainian hands.


A second, more rapid advance has come down the west side of the Dnieper river via Chernobyl, taking control of a large area to the north and west of Kyiv.



Strike From The East...

Russia's attack has intensified on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, in the past 48 hours and its forces have begun to use heavy artillery, according to the ISW.

On Monday dozens of people were killed in Russian missile strikes on the city, Ukrainian officials reported.

On Sunday Russian forces breached Kharkiv and and images emerged showing Ukrainian troops firing rocket propelled grenades on street corners and Russian troops, on foot, moving behind armoured vehicles.

Later in the day, Ukrainian officials said the Russian attack had been repelled.


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Reports say shelling has continued around Donetsk, which has come under attack from troops crossing from Belgorod in western Russia.

There are thought to be about 15,000 Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk, who may help a Russian advance. Ukraine believes the figure is higher.

Fighting has also continued around Sumy.



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Firefighters working on a building in Chuguiv near KarkhivImage source,


Strike From The South

Russian forces have made a rapid advance from Crimea, moving north-east and north-west.



To the north-east, there has been heavy fighting around Mariupol, a major port.



On Sunday, Russian forces pushed slowly towards Zaporizhzhia and east along the Sea of Azov coast towards Mariupol. The port city of Berdyansk is said to have fallen to Russian troops.

An advance from Mariupol to the east would create a land bridge between Crimea and territory held by pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk.


Map Showing Attack From The South. 1 March



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The Russian defence ministry claims its troops entered Melitopol without resistance - although western officials suggested it is still in Ukrainian hands.


Ukrainian forces have held the city of Kherson after heavy fighting and say they have thwarted an attempted amphibious landing by Russian troops in Odesa.


https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1238721057.jpgImage source, Getty Images



In the days leading up to the invasion, Russia positioned landing ships capable of deploying main battle tanks, armoured vehicles and personnel, off the Ukrainian coast in a major build-up in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Belarus Invades Ukraine as Second Country Joins Russian Attack

The Ukrainian government has today said Belarus has invaded the country, joining the Russian offensive only hours after Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed he had no plans to join Putin's war

Russian Missile Smashes into Ukrainian Government Building Exploding in Fireball

BBC 1 MAR 2022.



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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko


Belarus has invaded Ukraine joining Russia to become the second country to attack them, the Ukrainian government has said.


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Russian Missile Smashes into Ukrainian Government Building Exploding in Fireball



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Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defence unit


A tweet from the official Twitter account of the Ukrainian parliament claimed that troops "have entered" the region of Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine.

This was backed up by the Latvian Defence Minister, Dr Atis Pabriks, who said Belarusian troops had crossed the border into Ukraine.

He told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee: “This basically means we have two aggressives at this moment officially.

“I am very much concerned that Russian troops, following orders from the top, will go into the mode similar to that President Assad was using against his population."

It comes only hours after Belarusian president and Putin supporter Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed he had no plans to join Putin's war.

He was quoted on Tuesday denying that Russian troops were attacking Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

The Tweet from the official @verkhovna_rada Twitter account for the parliament of Ukraine, said:


"Belarusian troops have entered Chernihiv region.


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Russian military vehicles in a convoy near Kyiv


"The information was confirmed to the public by Vitaliy Kyrylov, spokesman for the North Territorial Defence Forces.”

It means Lukashenko's troops have joined the conflict on the sixth day of the invasion as Russia continues to push ahead to try and take key Ukrainian cities.

According to local reports from the region, a column of 33 tanks rolled past residents of Slabyn, Pakul and Mykhailo-Kotsyubynsky at 11.30am local time.



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Huge blast rocks Kyiv as civilians scramble to reach underground bomb shelters




These were northern border towns, close to Belarus, and not far from Kyiv.




On top of this, Lukashenko has said that he is deploying more forces to the Ukraine border.

State news agency agency Belta quoted him as saying: "Those are well trained rapid deployment groups which are ready to stop any provocation and any military action against Belarus."

Previously, a US official had said the Belarus could send in troops to support Russia.

Speaking to The Washington Post on Sunday, they said: “It’s very clear Minsk is now an extension of the Kremlin.”








On the Polish-Ukrainian border as tens of thousands flee - BBC Newsnight




NB: PUTIN MOVED HIS CHILDREN to the Netherlands BEFORE the WAR began.....:arrrrrgh:

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Putin Blitzes Kyiv -Putin's Forces Bomb Kyiv TV Tower Killing Five People

Russian forces have attacked Kyiv's TV tower in the areas of Borshchahivka and Dorohozhychi in Ukraine with the massive impact of the terrible blast said to have been heard for miles


A Bayraktar TB2 Drone Destroys Dozen Russian Tank Near Ukraine Capital Kyiv


Elite Fighting Unit Sent to Assassinate Ukraine President Zelensky Killed

Kyiv's Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said the unit was closely followed since dropping into Ukraine, and has been neutralised

Vladimir Putin's 'secret love child -Luiz Rozova, an 18-year-old student in Vladimir Putin's hometown of St Petersburg, is reportedly the Russian leader's secret daughter and has faced a barrage of fury online

Daily Mirror 1 MAR 2022



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An elite Chechen fighting unit sent into Ukraine to kill President Volodymyr Zelensky has been neutralised, according to reports.


Kyiv's Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said the unit "which came to kill our President, was eliminated", during a televised address.

It was sent into the fellow former Soviet nation by Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia’s Chechnya region and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking on Ukraine 24 TV channel, Danilov said: "We are already aware of the special operation that was to be carried out by Kadyrov forces unit.

"We received the information from representatives of Russia’s Federal Security Service who do not want to take part in this bloody war.

"The Kadyrov forces unit, which came to kill our President, was eliminated."...:clapper::clapper::clapper:


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The remains of a military unit in the city of Brovary outside Kyiv after heavy shelling


He went on to note the unit had been divided into two groups and was closely followed.

According to him, one group came under fire in Hostomel, while another group is currently being held at gunpoint.

Danilov added: "We will not give our President or our country to anyone. This is our land, get out of here."



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President Zelensky and various Ukrainian ministers in the days before the invasion


In the hours after Russia invaded on Thursday morning, Zelensky went into hiding and said he feared for his life and those of his family.

He said in a video address from his secret location, he had been marked "target number one" by Russian forces on a mission to 'abduct' him and take control of the capital.

He claimed that his family's lives are at risk by Russian "sabotage groups" who had moved into the capital city.


Scenes in Kharkiv 'absolutely sickening', says Johnson


Over the weekend, it was then reported that roughly 400 mercenaries were operating in Kyiv under Kremlin orders to assassinate Zelensky.

Armed militia from the Wagner Group were flown into the capital from Africa five weeks ago, it's claimed.

The militia was ordered to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a handsome financial bonus.


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Members of an Ukrainian civil defense unit pass new assault rifles to the opposite side of a blown up bridge on Kyivs northern front


The scheme was part of Putin's plan to try and seize Kiev, knockout the government and conquer Ukraine within 48 hours - a plan that has so far failed.



The Ukrainian government got wind of the mission on Saturday morning, reports The Times, and mere hours later Kyiv declared a 36-hour 'hard' curfew to sweep the city of saboteurs.

Earlier today, Zelensky raised his fist as he branded Russia a "terrorist state" following a missile attack in front of a civilian public administration building in Kharkiv.


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Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to MEPs via videolink










Vladimir Putin's Secret Love Child

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Vladimir Putin’s ‘secret daughter’ is being trolled on her social media following Russia ’s bloody invasion of Ukraine.


Luiza Rozova, 18, a student in St Petersburg, is reportedly the secret daughter of the Moscow leader and has been singled out online for angry messages and jokes.

One message read: “Are U sitting in the bunker?? Like a rat?”

Others slammed her for enjoying an expensive lifestyle while Putin's actions cause thousands of deaths and untold suffering for millions of people.

Luzia is the daughter of cleaner-turned-multimillionaire Svetlana Krivonogikh, 45, who is now part-owner of a major Russian bank.

Svetlana owns a plush £3.1million Monaco mansion and has not commented on claims that her daughter was fathered by Putin.

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Worst to Come -Russia Warns WW3 Will be Nuclear Putin's Violence Will Get Worse

First Ukrainian city 'falls' to Russians as Putin's troops storm into Kherson

Russian Paratroopers Attack Kharkiv defenders fight Russian paratroopers

Explosions rock Ukraine as devastation from blasts Full-scale genocide as Putin steps up 'medieval' attacks

Are Russia's Attacks War Crimes Could The WAR Spread Across Europe?

BBC 4 MAR 2022



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Russia Faces War Crimes Investigation

An investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine has been launched, after Russia was accused of bombing civilians.


The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor said evidence was being collected on alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

It came after 39 nations called for an inquiry to be opened.

Cities including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson have come under heavy shelling in recent days.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has already accused Moscow of war crimes, after it launched air strikes on the country's second city of Kharkiv, killing civilians.

On Wednesday, the mayor of Kherson said Russian forces had seized control of the key port - the first major city to be taken by Moscow since it invaded a week ago.

Earlier this week, the ICC's chief prosecutor Karim Khan said he planned to open an investigation into events in Ukraine "as rapidly as possible" but the referral from 39 nations - including the UK, France and Germany - allowed it to be launched without the need for judicial approval.

He will look at past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and will go as far back as 2013, before Russia's annexation of Crimea the following year.

The ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the most serious crimes concerning the international community, where states cannot or are unwilling to do so.

The court does not have its own police force and relies on state co-operation to arrest suspects. Penalties imposed by the ICC can include prison sentences and fines.

Ukraine's state emergency service has said more than 2,000 civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion began last Thursday, although the figure has not been independently verified.

The United Nations' high commissioner for refugees said some one million people had already fled the country.



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On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to demand an immediate end to the invasion of Ukraine.


Just four countries - Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria - joined Russia in opposing a motion calling for the withdrawal of all occupying forces, while 35 nations abstained.

General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but the move further isolates Russia diplomatically.

Russia's tactics have drawn international condemnation, including from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said President Vladimir Putin's bombing of innocent civilians "already fully qualifies as a war crime".

On Wednesday, the mayor of Kharkiv told the BBC shelling and cruise missile strikes were hitting residential areas and inflicting heavy civilian casualties.

And in the southern port of Mariupol, hundreds are feared dead following hours of sustained shelling.

However, Russian efforts to encircle Kyiv have slowed, with one US official saying a huge Russian convoy to the north of the capital had barely moved all day, despite continued aerial bombardment of the city.

On Tuesday, a TV tower in Kyiv was hit, knocking media off air and killing five people.

Meanwhile, in Kharkiv, at least 10 people were killed when an opera house, concert hall and government offices were struck in the city's Freedom Square.















Captured Russian soldiers cry as they tell relatives 'I was sent to my death'

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Reckless’ Putin Shells Ukraine Nuclear Plant

Russian attack on nuclear power plant condemned by world leaders Zaporizhzhia fire sparks international alarm

Germans Welcome Ukrainian Refugees by Train: 'It could have been us'
'It is terrible': For Ukraine's Jews and Roma, war revives old traumas

Zelensky SLAMS Biden: 'Pity' Good Contact Started When 'End of The World Has Arrived'

BBC News 4 MAR 2022



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Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant appears to be on fire following shelling.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, shelled by Russia, is important for Europe


World leaders have accused Russia of endangering the safety of an entire continent after its forces shelled a nuclear power station in southern Ukraine.



A fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - the largest in Europe - after it was attacked by Russia.

Authorities say the facility is now safe and radiation levels are normal.

But UK Prime Minister Boris Jonson said the "reckless" attack could "directly threaten the safety of all of Europe".

US President Joe Biden urged Moscow to stop its military activities around the site, while Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the "horrific attacks" from Russia "must cease immediately". All three leaders spoke to Ukraine's President Zelensky by phone.

Mr Zelensky, meanwhile, accused Russia of resorting to "nuclear terror" and wanting to repeat the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

"If there is an explosion, it is the end of everything. The end of Europe," he said.

A video feed from the nuclear plant showed blasts lighting up the night sky and sending up plumes of smoke.

Workers at the plant said the fire - which has since been extinguished - broke out at a training building outside the plant's perimeter, and that only one of the plant's six reactors were operational.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the fire had not affected the plant's "essential" equipment and there was no increase in radiation levels.

But the IAEA said it was in "full 24/7 response mode" due to the "serious situation" at the power station.

Ukrainian emergency services said initially they were blocked from getting to the scene of the blaze, prompting President Biden to publicly call on Russia to allow firefighters into the site.

Boris Johnson said he would seek an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday over the attack.


Experts said attacking a nuclear plant was unprecedented, and the situation was still very dangerous.


Dr Graham Allison, a nuclear security expert at Harvard University, said the "worst-case" would be if a fire at the plant caused a meltdown and prompted a release of radioactivity that contaminated the surrounding area for years.

But he also said it was more likely Russian forces were trying to "close down the supply of electricity to the surrounding area", rather than attack the plant.

The plant, located around 550km (342 miles) south-east of the capital Kyiv, generates almost a quarter of all electricity in Ukraine.

Russian forces have already seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history.

News of the latest incident at Zaporizhzhia caused share prices in Asia to fall sharply.


In Other Developments:

In the port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, residents are without power and water supplies because of relentless Russian shelling


In the north, the cities of Chernihiv and Kharkiv have again come under fire, while there are reports that the city of Sumy has been surrounded by Russian troops


A second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine agreed to provide humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from conflict zones

More than one million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began last week.


Despite punishing international sanctions, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said his offensive was going "strictly according to schedule, according to plan".

He has put his nuclear forces on high alert because of "aggressive statements" by the West.

Western ministers will hold crisis talks in Brussels on Friday as they seek to show their support for Ukraine.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called it "one of the biggest days of diplomacy" with allies prepared to "tighten the vice around Putin's war machine" by targeting the Russian economy with more sanctions.


Map showing areas of Ukraine that are under Russian control


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Germans Welcome Ukrainian Refugees by Train: 'It could have been us'

In Berlin's central railway station the trains arriving from the east come carrying thousands of refugees every day - men, women and children fleeing Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

BBC News 4 MAR 2022


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Crowds of people at Berlin station are offering places to arriving refugees


Those who want to head onwards get free train tickets to anywhere in Europe. Those who don't, or don't know where they should go, get ushered down to a cavernous hall.

What they find is a huge operation to welcome them. Food and drink is handed out along with sim cards for phones, and there medical teams, translators, volunteers and organisers to help.

And there's a crowd, hundreds strong, of German families standing there too, offering places in their homes to the refugees. They hold up homemade signs: "Can host two people! Short or long-term," says one. "Big room. One-three people. Children welcome too! For as long as you want," says another.

There's a round of applause as a man with a megaphone asks if anyone can take 13 people - and someone steps forward. A mother is here with her daughter, who can't be more than 12 years old, and holding a sign saying: "One mama, two kids, four-six weeks." Next to her is Margot Baldauf, who is in her 70s, with a blue and yellow board offering: "One room for mother and child."



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"I am more or less a child of a refugee," Margot tells me, explaining that her mother - who is still alive and now 97 - had to flee Hitler's Nazis to find sanctuary. "So I feel obliged to do something for refugees. It's not Hitler this time, but for me it somehow feels like what Putin does is what Hitler did before."



Despite the numbers of refugees arriving, it seems there are more than enough German families to take them in.

In a suburb of Berlin, Matina Wardakas and her husband Timmo Kohlery have opened up their home. They have two teenage daughters of their own, and they've just taken in four Ukrainians.

There's Anastasiia, along with her four-year-old son Artemii and her parents-in-law Victoria and Vladimir.


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Anastasiia and her son Artemii have made it to Germany, but her husband Dimitrii cannot leave Ukraine


Anastasiia's husband Dimitrii was barred from exiting Ukraine. No men of fighting age can leave the country. It's something she can't explain to her four-year-old son.


"He keeps asking every time about his dad," she says, trembling. "Where is his dad, and when he can he see him? I don't know. I hope soon," Anastasiia says, wiping tears away.

"And my dad, I hope I see him soon too," she adds. Her father is trying to make his way across Ukraine to escape to Germany as well.

But even here the family can't escape the war. Friends in Kharkiv have just sent a message with a video showing damage of Russian bombs to the home they fled a few days ago. "Look, look, our home," they tell me.

To make space for the arrivals, Matina and her husband Timmo, who run an IT company, have moved into one of their children's rooms. Their 13-year-old twin girls, Juna and Joli, are now sharing a bedroom.

"When we started reading the news we said, right away, we need to take someone in, to give someone peace, because it could have been us, this is how we feel," Timmo tells me.


Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine has shaken many in Germany who always believed peace was here to stay in Europe.


"We have lived in peace our whole life," Matina says. "We don't know what it is like to live in war, it's shocking. Our first thought was we need to help a family so that they can feel safe. We will give them some peace, in this house."

Nearby four-year-old Artemii is playing happily with a wooden fire truck he's been given. Anastasiia says he thinks it's his birthday because he's had so many gifts.

The host family say their guests are welcome to stay as long as they like. As we leave neighbours come bearing more gifts, a basketful of food for the refugees.

In another neighbourhood of Berlin, we find Tarek Alaows and about a dozen other people loading supplies onto a bus. Tarek is Syrian. He fled the war there six years ago, walking for two months through Europe to reach Germany. Now he's on his way to the Ukrainian border to collect refugees and bring them back.


Tarek, a Syrian refugee, says he wants to help people fleeing war

"I know what is the meaning of fleeing war - that's why I want to help people now," he says.

So Tarek, a refugee from one crisis, is heading to help those from another. He says the common thread running through the wars in Syria and Ukraine is Vladimir Putin's aggression - and the violence that has been unleashed, uprooting so many lives.






Zelensky SLAMS Biden:
'Pity' Good Contact Started When 'End of The World Has Arrived'

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Nuclear Attack That Took Europe to Brink of Disaster -Europe Plunged to Brink of War After Putins' Nuclear Attack


US Biological Sites;

Claim: US Filled Ukraine With Biolabs To Genetically Target Russians


Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, referenced alleged US biological sites in the country, prompting suggestions Russia may be readying to use chemical weapons in its war in Ukraine.

In a dizzying escalation in the Ukraine conflict, the West is hitting back with sanctions after Moscow recognized breakaway Ukrainian regions and sent tanks and troops across the border.

The Telegraph UK 5 MAR 2022



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Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warns World War 3 would be ‘nuclear and destructive


Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, referenced alleged US biological sites in the country, prompting suggestions Russia may be readying to use chemical weapons in its war in Ukraine.


The threat was flagged after Mr Lavrov claimed the US was "worried that it would lose control" over what he claimed were chemical weapons sites in the country.


UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has labelled the Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant a "threat to European security".

Britain has called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response, saying the world needs to hold "those responsible to account".

Volodymyr Zelensky called it an act of "nuclear terrorism".

Video footage from a camera feed at the plant showed a ball of light, an illumination round fired by Russian artillery, as the power plant came under attack.

Robert Mendick and Victoria Ward detail how Russia's attacks on the nuclear plant took Europe to the brink of disaster.

The threat was flagged after Mr Lavrov claimed the US was "worried that it would lose control" over what he claimed were chemical weapons sites in the country.

Pictures from Ukraine continue to show the human cost but, as Henry Bodkin writes from Poland, many refugees are now making a return journey out of love for their country, a desire to protect it, or in some cases, "to kill as many Russians as I can". In other developments:

Access to some of the BBC has been "blocked" in Russia;


Some German anti-aircraft missiles set for Ukraine do not work;


European stocks plunged while gas prices hit record highs;


Microsoft has stopped all sales in Russia;


Sainsbury's is removing all Russia-made products.

Brace For Rationing


Boris Johnson does not want Russians to assassinate Putin, his spokesman has said, despite a US senator inviting a 'Brutus' to deal with the Russian president.

Republican Lindsey Graham called for "somebody in Russia" to assassinate the Russian leader in a televised interview.

UK Prime Minister does not share that view, his spokesman said.


Former foreign secretary David Owen has told our Chopper's Politics podcast he has seen a shift in the Russian President. Listen to find out why.

The invasion has sparked soaring commodity prices, at a time when the global market for grains, vegetable oil, and fertilisers was already tight.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard analysed why Putin's energy shock is broadening into a world food crisis, so brace for rationing.




Putin Loses Control

A week ago, President Putin seemed unstoppable. Russian troops had crossed into Ukraine in overwhelming numbers, and it seemed it was a matter of days until resistance was crushed.

The West looked powerless to do anything about it. The courage of President Zelensky and the Ukrainians was already clear, but they looked doomed to a hopeless last stand.

But a week can be a long time in war. Mr Putin cut a diminished figure as he met with the same National Security Council by video link on Thursday.

A Western official said senior Russian commanders are being killed on the frontline as they tried to "impose their personality" on the stalled advance.


Why so many African nations are quietly standing by Putin

Half of the abstentions in a UN vote condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine came from Africa. Moscow still wields across many of Africa's more authoritarian governments


Inside the Georgian lab accused of testing biological weapons

Al Jazeera

Fact-checking organisations are warning that not enough is being done to combat disinformation in Georgia. They say there are anti-Western websites mirroring Russian claims that Georgia hosts a secret biological weapons laboratory run by the United States. Al Jazeera was given special access to the laboratory at the centre of the allegations.

Al Jazeera's Robin Forestier-Walker reports from Tbilisi.

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How The US-Russia Relationship Has Changed

Ukraine conflict: Russia attacks nuclear plant, amid fears strategic border now at risk

5 Mar 2022 Channel 4 News


After his meeting with fellow Western foreign ministers today in Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that President Putin could open a "Pandora's box of trouble" for the entire world, adding that Nato did not seek conflict, but "if conflict comes to us, we are ready for it".

There were fears of a nuclear disaster after Russia attacked a Ukrainian power plant overnight.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “unprecedented terror” while Nato’s chief warns the suffering of Ukrainian people is only likely to get worse.

Warning: This report contains some graphic images of the conflict.










CNN Reporter Identifies Strange Moment in New Putin Speech

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Ukraine Ceasefire: Russian Declares Partial Ceasefire to Allow Residents of Two Ukrainian Cities to Evacuate

PM Johnson Fears Radioactive Clouds: The West Must STOP a Nuclear Disaster

Putin Wanted For War Crimes Over Ukraine as $1Million Reward For His Arrest

Powerless Putin | The week Russia's leader lost control
Journalist shot | Sky News reporter wounded by Russian 'infiltrators'
Not going to plan | Russian commanders killed after taking risks

The Guardian UK 5 MAR 2022.



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PM fears 'radioactive clouds'


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Mariupol to evacuate citizens after Russia declares temporary ceasefire

Civilians allowed to Ukrainian port city over five-hour period on Saturday



Russia’s defence ministry has announced a partial ceasefire to allow residents of two Ukrainian cities that were surrounded by Russian forces, including the strategic port city of Mariupol, to evacuate.

“Today, 5 March, from 10 am Moscow time (0700 GMT), the Russian side declares a regime of silence and opens humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha,” it said.

Civilians will be allowed to leave Mariupol between noon and 5pm (0900 - 1400 GMT), Russia’s RIA news agency quoted city authorities as saying.

The Mariupol city council said in a statement that civilians will be able to proceed towards the city of Zaporizhzhia and will be able to use specially arranged bus routes as well as their own cars. Saturday’s evacuation will be the first of several stages, it said.

“This is not an easy decision, but, as I have always said, Mariupol is not its streets or houses. Mariupol is its population, it is you and me,” mayor Vadim Boychenko was quoted as saying in the statement. With Russian troops surrounding the city, he said, “there is no other option but to allow residents - that is, you and me - to leave Mariupol safely,” he said.


Located on the Sea of Azov, the city of 450,000 represents a potential strategic advantage for Moscow’s invasion, connecting it to the Russian forces coming from annexed Crimea, as well as to the troops in the Donbas.

In Volnovakha, the attack is still so intense that dead bodies lie uncollected, those hiding in shelters are running out of food, and about 90% of the city is damaged by bombing, local MP Dmytro Lubinets said.

The cities are just two of many across Ukraine left reeling by a devastating campaign of shelling and artillery from Russian forces.

On Friday night Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy lashed out at Nato for ruling out a no-fly zone, saying it gives a “green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages,” as Russia intensifies strikes on civilian areas.

“All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity,” the Ukrainian president said in an emotional address, where he praised the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance.

Nato said on Friday that a no-fly zone could provoke full-fledged war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia, causing far greater loss of life.


“The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send Nato fighter planes into Ukraine’s airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes,” Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “If we did that, we’ll end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering.”

Zelenskiy is expected to press Washington for more help in a Zoom call with the full US Senate at 9.30am ET (1430 GMT) on Saturday.


On Friday, Russian ground forces in the south of Ukraine made an assault on the shipbuilding centre of Mykolaiv as they began their long-expected push west towards the key port of Odesa.

Shelling of some smaller towns, has intensified to the point where 80% of the town has been damaged or destroys by bombs, as civilians remain trapped in basements and bodies lie un-collected in the streets.

In Kyiv, the civilian death toll continued to mount. Seven people were killed, including two children, after a Russian airstrike hit a rural residential area in the Kyiv region on Friday, Ukrainian police said.

Local authorities in the northern city of Chernihiv raised the death toll from a missile strike on residential buildings on Thursday to 47. More than 840 children have been wounded in the war, Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s security council said Friday. A day earlier, the Ukrainian government put the death toll among children at 28.

As people flee the crisis, a humanitarian disaster is unfolding, with more than 1 million people seeking refuge in western Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. The UN security council will hold an emergency meeting Monday on the humanitarian crisis triggered in Ukraine by the Russian invasion, diplomats said Friday.

In Russia, Putin’s crackdown on independent and critical voices has intensified, as the government moves to silence dissent tighten its grip on the flow of information. The Russian president introduced new laws and regulations cracking down on the free press and social media sites, prompting an exodus of media publishers from the country.

Putin has signed a bill into law introducing jail terms of up to 15 years for people publishing “false information” about the Russian army as Russia moves forward with its invasion of Ukraine. A number of outlets announced that they were ceasing Russian operations or removing coverage as a result.

The BBC, CNN, Bloomberg and CBC are among the outlets temporarily suspending operations or broadcasts in the country, saying the law “criminalises independent reporting in the country”.


Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper said it will remove material on Russia’s military actions in Ukraine from its website. The Washington Post’s media reporter announced the paper will remove bylines and datelines from stories produced by their journalists in Russia, in a bid to protest correspondents’ safety.

‘Putin wants to kill us totally’: Ukrainians hold firm under bombardment


In Ukraine, a Sky News crew was evacuated back to the UK after journalists were shot during an ambush by a suspected Russian “death squad” on Monday.


Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor has restricted access to Twitter, and the country has blocked Facebook, as well as the BBC, Voice of America and Deutsche Welle news sites. Putin also signed a bill that would allow fines or jail terms of up to three years for calling for sanctions against Russia.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, caused world wide alarm, and US officials say imminent danger continues as Russian troops close in on the country’s second-largest nuclear facility.

The Zaporizhzhia plant was seized by Russian forces on Friday, after an attack that started a fire close to one of its six reactors.

On Friday Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US envoy to the UN, said that “Putin must stop this madness and he must stop it now. Cooler heads must prevail. Russian forces are now 20 miles, and closing, from Ukraine’s second largest nuclear facility. So, this imminent danger continues. We narrowly avoided a disaster last night.”

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Close The Sky: Ukrainian Refugees Plead for West to Take Tougher Action on Russia

Russia Continues to Bomb City Despite Ceasefire - Leaving Thousands Trapped

The deputy mayor of Mariupol, a port city in the south of Ukraine, has said Russians have not kept to an agreed ceasefire designed to allow citizens to flee the bombarded settlement

The Sun 5 MAR 2022



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Ukrainians fleeing into central Europe pleaded for Western nations to take tougher steps against Russia on Saturday following Moscow's invasion that has created more than 1 million refugees.




At the Medyka crossing, Poland's busiest, along its roughly 500-kilometre (310-mile) border with Ukraine, refugees called for a no-fly zone over Ukraine – something NATO powers have so far ruled out on the grounds it would risk escalating the conflict beyond Ukraine.

"We really want that NATO closes the sky on Ukraine," said Anastasia Lukashenko, 18, who fled from Vinnytsia Oblast. "Russia kill our children, our parents," she added.

Another refugee, Julia Moncham, said she was sceptical of the invasion's reported death toll. "I don't believe that ... so small, so little ... I think that people more die," she said, holding back tears.

Poland, whose Ukrainian community of around 1 million is the region's largest, has accepted nearly 800,000 Ukrainian refugees since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Paweł Szefernaker told reporters. More than 106,000 arrived from Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the highest figure since the war erupted.

Russia said its forces had stopped firing near two Ukrainian cities on Saturday to allow safe passage to civilians fleeing the fighting, but was continuing its broad offensive in Ukraine, where the capital Kyiv came under renewed assault.






Incredible video shows moment Russian helicopter is blown out of sky by Ukrainian troops as war rages

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Ukraine is Bleeding But Has Not Fallen, Says Dmytro Kuleba

Vladimir PUTIN Threatens West With WAR if No-Fly Zone Imposed Over Ukraine

Speaking at a meeting with female pilots on Saturday, Mr Putin said Russia would view 'any move in this direction' as an intervention that 'will pose a threat to our service members'


‘This is Just Awful’: Haunting Report About Hospice Children Fleeing Ukraine

AP. 6 MAR 2022.



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Ukrainian emergency responders work at the scene of the bombing of several houses in Kyiv earlier today


Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has hailed advances made by Kyiv's forces against Russia, asserting that 'Ukraine is bleeding, but it has not fallen and stands with both feet on the ground.'


Kuleba reiterated his demand for Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory

Russian president Vladimir Putin says Moscow will consider any third-party declaration of a Ukraine no-fly zone as "participation in the armed conflict".

Speaking at a meeting with female pilots on Saturday, Mr Putin said Russia would view "any move in this direction" as an intervention that "will pose a threat to our service members".

"That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are," he said.


Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed Nato to impose a no-fly zone over his country, warning that "all the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you", as Russian forces batter strategic locations.


Nato has said a no-fly zone, which would bar all unauthorised aircraft from flying over Ukraine, could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia.

His comments came as a ceasefire to evacuate residents from two cities in Ukraine quickly fell apart, with officials saying work to remove civilians had halted amid shelling hours after Russia announced the deal.

The Russian defence ministry said early on Saturday it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the south-east, and the eastern city of Volnovakha.

The vaguely worded statement did not make clear how long the routes would remain open.

But a short time later, Mr Zelensky's office said the ceasefire had already failed.

Deputy head of his office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said: "The Russian side is not holding to the ceasefire and has continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area.



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Ukrainian soldiers are seen beside captured Russian tanks near Kharkiv





"Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a ceasefire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor."

Russia breached the deal in Volnovakha as well, deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk told reporters.

"We appeal to the Russian side to stop firing," she said.


Russian outlet RIA Novosti carried a Russian defence ministry claim that the firing came from inside both communities against Russian positions.

The struggle to enforce the ceasefire shows the fragility of efforts to stop fighting across Ukraine as people continue to flee the country by the thousands.


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Russia's President Vladimir Putin today said he will consider any third-party declaration of a Ukraine no-fly zone as "participation in the armed conflict"


Mr Zelensky said: "We are doing everything on our part to make the agreement work. This is one of the main tasks for today. Let's see if we can go further in the negotiation process."


Mariupol had become the scene of growing misery amid days of shelling that knocked out power and most phone service and raised the prospect of food and water shortages for hundreds of thousands of people in freezing weather.

Pharmacies are out of medicine, Doctors Without Borders said.

The head of Ukraine's security council, Oleksiy Danilov, had urged Russia to create humanitarian corridors to allow children, women and the older adults to flee the fighting, calling them "question number one".



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A Russian combat helicopter explodes after being blasted out of the sky by Ukrainian forces





‘This is Just Awful’: Haunting Report About Hospice Children Fleeing Ukraine

Arwa Damon reports on the dangerous effort to evacuate sick children, who spend most of their time in the hospital, out of Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.






Russians Leaving Their Country For Finland




Special programme on the Ukraine invasion, as French President Emmanuel Macron warns that Vladimir Putin wants to seize all of Ukraine and "Worse is To Come" during the conflict.

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Don't Test Us -Britain Defence Secretary Warns PUTIN After Hints of Deadly Nuclear Strike

Putin hints at deadly nuclear strike on the West

Don’t Test Britain, Defence Secretary Warns Putin -
Being Prepared: Downing Street Dusts Off 'Cold War Plans'

The Telegraph UK 6 MAR 2022


In a Cosy Chat With Air Stewardesses, Vladimir Putin Hints at Deadly Nuclear Strike on The West


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Vladimir Putin has hinted at a nuclear strike on the West at a cosy meeting with air stewardesses gathered around a table laden with teapots and flowers.


In contrast to the Russian president’s recent public appearances – snarling at Western leaders from the end of his metres-long Kremlin table, or distanced even from his own ministers – a relaxed Putin sat close to the Aeroflot employees as he updated them on the situation in Ukraine.

The televised appearance came as Britain advised all citizens still in Russia to leave the country, after Moscow brought in draconian new restrictions on freedom of speech and the media. The economy is also tanking under Western sanctions.


“Now we are hearing about a no-fly zone … but this is not possible,” Putin told the all-female group after Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, appealed to the West to impose one.

“Any movement in this direction will be considered a participation in an armed conflict.”

He added that imposing a no-fly zone would have “colossal and catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but also the whole world”, in a hint at a nuclear strike. He ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrent on to high alert last week, amid fierce resistance to his invasion of Ukraine.

The comments on Saturday came during a visit to a training centre of Aeroflot, Russia’s national airline, ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. The day is a public holiday in Russia and the president regularly meets with female workers at such events in the run-up to the occasion.

Seated in a conference room stuffed with oversized pot plants, Putin told the women he had had the chance to inspect training simulators at the centre. “I moved some joysticks, it was really great,” he said to the dozen or so employees, many wearing their stewardess uniforms, which still feature the Soviet hammer and sickle.

Putin also denied reports that he was about to impose martial law on Russia for the first time since the Second World War. He did not, however, rule it out.

“Martial law can be imposed … in the event of external aggression, including particular regions where military action is taking place,” he said. “We are not in such a situation and I hope that it will not happen.”

Aeroflot meanwhile announced it would cancel all international flights, with the exception of those to Belarus, in the face of sanctions.

With Russia’s borders closing and relations with the West deteriorating to their worst since the grim days of the Cold War, commentators have said that a new Iron Curtain is descending across Europe.

“If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

But Britons living in Moscow said that the few flights still servicing Russia were booked out and finding escape routes was more and more difficult. European countries have banned Russian planes and European airliners have cut flights to Russia.

One Briton who has lived in Moscow for around 20 years told The Telegraph that some expats were staying, but that most were trying to escape.

“Those who are getting out are not sure if they will ever return,” he said from Moscow. “People are having to think about what to do with belongings and pets, and rented apartments. It’s not quite ‘last helicopter out of Saigon’ but it’s a very unsettling moment.”

There have been unconfirmed reports of some flights to Turkey and the South Caucasus being turned around before they leave Russian airspace and of Russia’s land borders closing.

Other flights to Russia from the Caribbean are having to fly around ICELAND before they can reach Russian airspace

Thousands of Russians living in the larger cities are also fleeing.




Defence Secretary Ben Wallace Tells Putin NOT to 'Test' Britain as He Warns Russia That 'History is Littered' With Despots Who Underestimated UK and The West

The Defence Secretary said the West 'must not be afraid' of Vladimir Putin

He said Russia's leader was 'acting irrationally and inflicting horrors on Ukraine'

Mr Wallace's comments come after increasing warnings that intervention in Ukraine by the West would be considered as entering the conflict by the Kremlin

Daily Mail UK.6 MAR 2022.



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Ben Wallace has told President Vladimir Putin not to test Britain, and warned Russian that 'history is littered' with despots who underestimated the UK and the West.


In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Wallace said the West 'must not be afraid of Putin'.

He warned the Russian leader - who he said was 'acting irrationally and inflicting horrors on Ukraine' - not to 'test' the UK.

'The thing to say to Putin is don't underestimate us, don't test us,' he told the newspaper.

'History is littered with authoritarian leaders underestimating the wider West and the United Kingdom. He clearly underestimated the international community.' He added: 'If we stick together and refuse to be intimidated then I believe he will fail.'




Mr Wallace's comments come after increasing warnings that intervention in the war in Ukraine by the West would be considered as entering the conflict by the Kremlin.

On Saturday, a defiant Putin called the West's economic, diplomatic and cultural boycott of the country tantamount to a declaration of war.

He also warned that his regime would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone as 'participation in the armed conflict'.

In an astonishing display of sabre-rattling, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned London: 'Russia will not forget Britain's desire to co-operate with ultra-nationalist forces in Ukraine and the supply of British weapons to the Kiev regime'.

She added: 'The sanctions hysteria in which London plays one of the leading, if not the main, roles, leaves us no choice but to take proportionately tough retaliatory measures. London has made a final choice of open confrontation with Russia.

'Such a development convinces us once more that Russophobia and the aim to undermine the Russian state are integral elements of Britain's foreign policy.'


On the possibility of a no-fly zone, Mr Putin said Russia would view 'any move in this direction' as an intervention that 'will pose a threat to our service members'.

'That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are,' he said.

However, Ukraine has repeatedly said the move is the only way to stop more deaths.


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On Saturday, a defiant Putin (pictured) called the West's economic, diplomatic and cultural boycott of the country tantamount to a declaration of war


NATO allies have ruled out implementing a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid fears it could prompt an all-out war with nuclear-armed Russia.


Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in an interview with the Sunday Express, said the Ukrainian conflict was the 'struggle of our generation'.

She said: 'We will continue to support them (the Ukrainians) through thick and thin. We are there for the long haul.

'This is the struggle of our generation. What we are seeing taking place on the streets of Europe is something we have never experienced before in my lifetime. It is the fight for freedom and democracy, and sovereignty and self-determination.'


Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson heaped praise on the response of the British public to the war in Ukraine as he echoed the view that Mr Putin would fail.

The Prime Minister said it was 'absolutely vital that Vladimir Putin understands that this hideous, barbarous assault cannot succeed and that he will fail'.

In a video message on Twitter, Mr Johnson said: 'I want to thank businesses, community groups, individuals, sports clubs, who've been coming together to support Ukraine.

'I think of the group in Northern Ireland that's got a local warehouse as a centre for supplies to go to the war zone, I think of Inna Schorr, a London-based Ukrainian who's raising thousands of pounds, while her own family are still back in Ukraine.

'And don't forget to for all Ukrainian families here in in the UK, we have ways that you can bring your wider relatives back to the UK.'


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Demonstrators hold a banner and a Ukranian national flag as they gather in Trafalgar square in central London on March 5, 2022 to take part in a rally to show their support for Ukraine and to protest against Russia's invasion of the country


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British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, alongside with Danish Minister of Defence Morten Boedskov and his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist greets some of the crew members during a visit at the Danish frigate Niels Juel in Copenhagen, Denmark March 4


The money raised by the Mail Force charity ¿ in record-breaking time ¿ has already been put to good use, with mothers and children arriving over the border to Slovakia yesterday greeted by aid workers funded by our generous readers

More than £85 million has now been raised to provide aid for Ukraine through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), in what has been described as an 'absolutely incredible' show of support from the UK public.

The Government has pledged to match public donations to the appeal pound-for-pound up to £25 million.


Mr Johnson's thank you message came as hundreds of people gathered in cities across the country to protest against Russia's assault on Ukraine.

In London's Trafalgar Square, the Ukrainian national anthem was sung and 'stop Putin, stop the war' chanted, as demonstrators draped themselves in the country's flag.

Volodymyr Shevetovskyy, 31, and his girlfriend Nadiia Soshenko, 27, from Kyiv, said they were grateful for support from western countries but called for a no-fly zone to be imposed over Ukraine.

Ms Soshenko told the PA news agency: 'There are already a lot of deaths in our country.

'Nato is afraid to close the skies saying that they're afraid to start the third world war.

'Excuse me, what's happening right now? Why the whole world can't stop one insane, mad person? I just honestly do not understand why our people are dying, are dying for what?'




Earlier on Saturday, it had been announced a temporary ceasefire had been called in order for civilians in Mariupol, a strategic port in the south east, and the eastern city of Volnovakha, to escape the fighting.

However, this failed to hold, with Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko claiming thousands of people had gathered for safe passage out of the city and buses were departing when shelling began.

Mr Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the evacuation.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the proposed ceasefire was 'likely an attempt to deflect international condemnation while resetting its force for renewed offensive activity'.

In an intelligence update on Saturday afternoon, the MoD said: 'By accusing Ukraine of breaking the agreement, Russia is likely seeking to shift responsibility for current and future civilian casualties in the city.'

re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Deadly RAF BEAST MODE Fighter Jets Sent into OPs in Ukraine - THAT Will Make Putin Sweat.....

The UK Send Deadly RAF Terrifying BEAST MODE Fighter Jets into OPs in Ukraine


Deadly £100million ultra futuristic fighter jets "that will make Putin sweat" have landed in the UK.

The supersonic F-35B Lightning planes can carry 22,000lbs of firepower including eight Paveway laser-guided bombs, as well as being equipped with a terrifying "beast mode"

Daily Mirror 6 MAR 2022



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The supersonic F-35B Lightning planes can carry 22,000lbs of firepower ( Image:SAC Amy Lupton RAF)



As international military tensions skyrocket, £300m worth of supersonic F-35B Lightning planes have been landing one after the other at RAF Marham in Norfolk.


The menacing aircrafts, flown in from Texas, can carry 22,000lbs of firepower including eight Paveway laser-guided bombs and are also equipped with a terrifying "beast mode".


With a top speed of 1,200mph and capable of flying at 50,000ft the jets; infrared homing missiles are designed to outrun other airborne bombs.

The bombers are the first to evade radar stealth technology with supersonic speeds with a wing span of 35ft and needing just a 450ft runway to take-off.


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The jets are the first to evade radar stealth technology ( Image:REUTERS)




A witness watching the planes land told The Sun that the war machines "will leave Putin or any enemy in a sweat."


They are the first to evade radar stealth technology with supersonic speeds with a wing span of 35ft and needing just a 450ft runway to take-off.

They also can take off and land vertically and will be jointly manned by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, operating from land and sea.

Three more of the stealth jets will arrive this year, and seven more in 2023, with an expectation that all of the 48 in the first batch will be delivered by the end of 2025.


UK special forces 'preparing for high-risk rescue of Ukrainian president'

Ex-KGB officer warns vengeful Putin 'will send assassins to Europe' if Ukraine falls


It comes as the Russian president lied and said that Russia is not bombing Ukrainian cities despite US estimates suggesting at least 500 missiles have been fired by Moscow.

Vladimir Putin has overseen the constant shelling of Ukraine with both military and civilian structures have been targeted, and hundreds of people killed.


'How mad is Vlad? Cold War-era nuke fears back as Putin looks increasingly desperate'


'World must find a way to stop Putin and avoid nightmare nuclear scenario'


And 100 people are feared to have been buried under rubble after an apartment block near the capital Kyiv was struck, while a cluster bomb attack killed 49 people in Chernihiv.


Meanwhile, special forces in the UK & US are said to be preparing for a high-risk rescue mission to save the Ukrainian President.

Russian Spetsnaz special forces are now said to be targeting Volodymyr Zelensky and troops are looking at re-locating the presiden out of Kyiv.


And protesters braved a hail of gunfire as they marched towards Russian troops in an occupied Ukrainian city.

The demonstrators stalked the retreating Russian soldiers in Melitopol amid demonstrations in occupied cities across Ukraine.

Russia also vowed to take 'retaliatory measures' against the UK over its so-called 'sanctions hysteria' today.


And efforts to evacuate Mariupol were halted as Russian shelling of escape routes continued despite a ceasefire.








Warning to Russia: US Air Force F35As Flying Over Eastern Europe in Stealth Mode










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re: Children’s Hospital, Nurseries & Schools Destroyed Devastating Attack
 

Re: Putin Recruits Syrian Ghost Killer Thugs-RAF BEAST MODE Fighter Jets Defend Ukrai
 

Putin Recruits Syrian Ghost Killer Thugs

Kremlin 'recruiting Syrian killer fighters to go to war in Ukraine'


Putin Backs Vile Tyrant Assad Killings

Innocent victims slaughtered by Putin: The moment Ukrainian parents rush dying 18-month-old boy to hospital after he was hit by Russian shelling - as artillery also wipes out mother, her two children and five others while world watches in horror

Our sons were sent to Ukraine as cannon fodder': Russian soldiers' angry mothers accuse Kremlin of LYING and 'using' their children as they confront government official in Siberia

Daily Mail UK.7 MAR 2022.



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Syria's steroid-mad 'Ghost' killers who keep Assad in power by slaughtering women and children...



RUSSIA-UKRAINE day 11 as it happened: Kremlin 'recruiting Syrian fighters to go to war in Ukraine', Russia has launched around 600 missiles since the start of the invasion, Chief conductor Tugan Sokhiev quits Moscow's prestigious Bolshoi Theatre


The Kremlin is allegedly recruiting Syrian fighters to go to war in Ukraine, according to US officials


Senior US defence official estimated Russia has launched around 600 missiles since the start of the invasion

Russian forces 'fire rockets at SECOND nuclear facility': Warning of 'large-scale ecological disaster' as missiles hammer Kharkiv physics institute with atomic reactor inside

Odessa braces for BOMBARDMENT: Second Ukrainian port prepares for aerial attack as Putin tries to 'choke' off lifeline

Cut down as they run for their lives: Heartbreaking scenes as Putin rains bombs on Irpin's 'green corridor'

More than 1.5 million refugees have now fled Ukraine for neighbouring countries, UN reports
Boris Johnson presents world leaders with six-point plan to defeat Vladimir Putin

Thousands of Ukrainians take to the streets to protest Russia's invasion

The Kremlin is recruiting Syrians to fight in Ukraine, according to US officials that spoke to the Wall Street Journal.

Russian advances have stalled in the face of strong opposition from the Ukrainian military and civilian population alike.

It came as a senior US defence official estimated Russia has launched around 600 missiles since the start of the invasion.

The official added Russia has deployed about 95 per cent of combat forces it had prepared on the Ukrainian border.

Vinnytsia airport was totally destroyed by a reported eight Russian missiles Sunday as Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine entered its 11th day.


A second attempt to evacuate Mariupol failed after Ukraine accused the Russians of shelling the city as citizens attempted to flee through a 'humanitarian corridor'.

Innocent civilians were bombed as they attempted to flee via a 'green corridor' in Irpin.

Tugan Sokhiev, the chief conductor at Moscow's prestigious Bolshoi Theatre, announced on Sunday he was quitting his job after coming under pressure to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Boris Johnson has drawn up a six-point plan to defeat Vladimir Putin as he moves to assume leadership of global efforts to end the horror of war in Ukraine.

The Pope deplored 'rivers of blood' in Ukraine as he demanded humanitarian corridors.

Elon Musk held a video call with Volodymyr Zelensky as he promised to bolster his Starlink satellite support for the war-torn country, as he tweeted: 'Hold strong Ukraine.'

A Ukrainian peace negotiator is reported to have been shot dead amid claims he might have been a spy for the Russians. The reports are unconfirmed.

The UK welcomed the arrival of three £100m 'beast mode' RAF jets in a show of strength to Vladimir Putin.